Advisors

Student organizations are a critical part of the collegiate experience and provide a unique opportunity for students to gain employable skills outside of the classroom. An advisor is one who gives ideas, and shares insight and provides different perspectives. Advisors serve to guide student organization members through the process of effectively operating an organization, but they do not run the organization. In addition, advisors act as confidants in both individual and organizational-related matters, provide context about the organization's history and traditions, and can be a valuable source of information. 

Serving as a student organization advisor provides faculty/staff with personal and professional development, a mentoring experience, the opportunity to make a difference at the University of North Texas and in individual student lives, assisting the university with student retention.

By Texas Educational Code 51.9361 and UNT Policy 07.019, you must be a full-time UNT faculty or staff member, older than 21 years of age, and not pursuing an undergraduate degree at UNT, to serve in this capacity.

Are you looking for ways to be involved with UNT students? How about serving as an advisor to a registered student organization?

If you meet the eligibility requirements above, submit the Volunteer to be a Student Organization Advisor form and we will use this information to match you with a student organization in need of an advisor. Student organizations may contact you to ask you to serve as their advisor. You are encouraged to meet with the organization to decide whether you would like to accept their request.

In the event an advisor is removed or resigns, a new advisor must be selected within 15 days and reported to Student Activities. If you are a student org searching for an advisor, we highly advise starting by asking a faculty/staff member you know or someone an officer or org member is familiar with. When asking faculty/staff to serve as an advisor, it's good to share what your org is, its mission, its activities (events, service, etc.), and what you are looking for in and expect of an advisor. If you've exhausted your connections trying to find an advisor, please fill out the Student Org Advisor Search Form and Student Activities may be of some assistance, as we have a list of faculty/staff who are interested in serving as an advisor. 

Some duties of an advisor include, but are not limited to:

• Reviewing and approving the student organization's annual registration profile  
• Reviewing and approving Event Applications completed by the student organization
• Serving as a resource, providing guidance regarding the operation of the organization and its activities
• Representing the interests of UNT at meetings and activities of the organization with regard to compliance with policies and internal guidelines
• In your first year of advising, completing the Student Org Risk Management training and Advisor Information Confirmation form
• Participating in Clery training provided by UNT annually and understanding the obligation to report crimes as outlined by UNT Policy 12.006