Advisor Training
Welcome to UT Dallas! We are happy that you joined our undergraduate academic advising team and are excited to work with you. UT Dallas is an excellent place to work. You will meet outstanding students, faculty and staff and engage in interesting and rewarding conversation. Within academic advising you will find a group of people who are willing and able to work and partner with you as you develop and grow as an advisor. As you work through this training program, feel free to reach out to your fellow advisor, director or faculty administrator for assistance.
Mission Statements
University
The University of Texas at Dallas provides the State of Texas and the nation with excellent, innovative education and research. The University is committed to graduating well-rounded members of the global community whose education has prepared them for rewarding lives and productive careers in a constantly changing world; to continually improving educational and research programs in the humanities, arts, sciences, engineering and management; and to assisting the commercialization of intellectual capital generated by students, staff and faculty.
Advising
Undergraduate academic advising at the University of Texas at Dallas is a collaborative process between students and their advisors that provides a path for student success. Academic advising supports student achievement of academic and professional goals, promotes student academic ownership, and fosters a sense of belonging to the campus community.
Academic Advising Structure
Advising is decentralized across the University. Undergraduate academic advising housed in each of the seven schools, the HW Honors College, and the Office of Undergraduate Education. Each advising office reports directly up to their respective dean. Reporting structures vary within each school. Advising offices work together through their advising leadership. The advising leads meet regularly to receive information, inform each other and communicate to ensure the different advising offices are equally informed.
The Office of Undergraduate Education provides a comprehensive list of undergraduate advisors with separate links to each advising office’s website.
Catalog
The University’s undergraduate catalog is published online each year. The University provides a main catalog page with links to the current and previous catalogs. The latest catalog is always listed at the top. Advisors should be familiar with the current catalog. However, most students at any time are following previous catalogs, typically the one active when the student started attending. Be sure you select the appropriate catalog for your advising need.
Terms to know
FERPA
FERPA stands for The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. FERPA is one of the most important regulations on advising activity at the university. FERPA training is required and is provided by the Registrar’s Office. New hires complete this training after they receive their NetID and password and their onboarding with Human Resources.
eLearning
eLearning is the University’s online course and organization management system. Students use eLearning to access online course content, quizzes, messages and more. Staff use it primarily to access organization-related content. A NetID and password are necessary to access eLearning. Organizations can be created with a variety of content. For example, you will find registrar-related training when access to those organizations is granted. eLearning offers an Assist function should need any help.
Galaxy
The Galaxy portal is the starting point for working in the Orion system, Gemini FMS and Gemini HCM. It also provides links to other services, such as email and eLearning. You will also find links to Galaxy systems trainings and best practices. You may find it useful to bookmark the main Galaxy page for convenient navigation. A NetID, password and completed trainings are required to access certain systems.
Orion is the online student information system. You will have to complete FERPA training and process-specific trainings to gain functional access within Orion. FERPA, registration, graduation and other trainings are found in eLearning. Once you have access you will be able to use the Galaxy link to enter Orion.
Gemini features functions related to staff. In Gemini you will be able to enter your work time and leave requests. Among other things, you can access your payroll and compensation information.