RESOURCES
Advising and Student Success
Who We Are
The Mason Gross Office for Advising and Student Success is made up of a team of experienced academic advisors/student success counselors who specialize in helping students achieve their goals, understand their options, connect to resources, and identify their personal path to a successful academic and professional career.
A student’s relationship with their advisor is key to their academic success and offers an opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss options and discover answers. Advisors engage students in conversations about their education and life goals and want to learn about how individual students thrive and ultimately succeed in their degree and career. Through these conversations advisors strive to empower students to make their independent decisions and claim ownership of their accomplishments.
Services Provided
- Academic Advising, Policies and Degree Confirmation
- Career Counseling and Preparation
- Student Organizations, Involvement and Events
- Parent and Family Information
- General Health and Wellness Guidance
- Graduation Information
Student Responsibilities
- Connect with an advisor on a regular basis. Checking in at least once a semester is highly recommended – even if you think you don’t need it.
- Prepare for advisor appointments – arrive with a goal in mind. What do you want to accomplish in your conservation? Need help picking a class? Have questions about your career? Struggling with something that is affecting your work? Write your thoughts down and bring them with you to your appointment.
- Self-Assess – check in with yourself regularly and do an inventory on how you are doing and what you want. What makes you happy? What are your dreams? Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15 years? Share these thoughts and plans with your advisor, they will help you get there!
Advisor Responsibilities
- Facilitate discussions designed to learn how to appropriately make academic plans and decisions, discover options available you based on your stated goals, and how to think through the possible outcomes or consequences of your choices.
- Assist you in making educational plans that are consistent with your goals, abilities, and interests.
- Refer you to the appropriate support services and departments as needed.
Create a curricular plan to complete your degree requirements by your expected date of graduation. - Provide accurate information about policies, procedures, and requirements at both Mason Gross and Rutgers University.
Advising Contacts
All Students: General Advising
Lisa Brockenbrough Sanon-Jules
Assistant Dean for Advising and Student Success
Dean's Office
Undergraduate
Undergraduate Art & Design and Filmmaking (BA in art, BFA in visual arts, BFA in design, and BFA in filmmaking)
Undergraduate Music (BA in music, BM)
Undergraduate Dance and Theater (BA in dance, BFA in dance, BA in theater, BFA in theater)
Graduate
Graduate Music (AD, DMA, MA, MM, PhD)
Robert Grohman
Coordinator of Graduate Studies; Coordinator of the Piano Area; Assistant Teaching Professor, Piano and Piano Literature
Music
Graduate Art & Design (MFA in design, MFA in visual arts)
How to connect with your advisor
- Email with questions (Always include your 9-digit RUID in your emails)
- Call to speak with an advisor on the phone during normal business hours (Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.)
- Walk-in hours in person or via Zoom. Most advisors post their walk-in hours in emails, through department announcements, bulletin boards or outside their office doors.
- Make an appointment in person or virtually. To check advisor availability either email/call them directly or request an appointment through Rutgers University Navigate
Chat hours:
Art & Design/Filmmaking: Thursday and Friday, noon–1 p.m.
Music: Wednesday and Friday, 10:30–11:30 a.m.
Dance and Theater: Monday and Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Dance and Theater: Monday and Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
By actively engaging with your advisor, you will. . .
- Be empowered to make decisions that meet your personal goals, strengths, and ambitions.
- Find connections to support services on campus designed to help you achieve your goals.
- Know where to access accurate information about university, school and department policies, procedures, and requirements.
- Understand what you need to accomplish to earn your degree.
Student Confidentiality/FERPA
- The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, commonly referred to as FERPA states that with only a few exceptions, student educational records are considered confidential and may not be released without the written consent of the student.
- Faculty or staff members have a responsibility to protect educational records in their possession.
- Faculty or staff members may only access information that is needed for legitimate completion of their responsibilities as a university employee.