College of Media at Illinois

University of IllinoisCollege of Media

Student Services Center

Our mission at the Student Services Center is to aid in the academic growth and personal development of all Media students by providing an environment that fosters inquiry, engagement, and enrichment.

To earn a degree at the University of Illinois, students must meet requirements set by their university, college, and department. Our team of dedicated professional and experienced advisors works closely with our students while they navigate major requirements and determine academic, vocational, and life goals and to identify the best possible avenues for achieving them. Students will be assigned to an advisor. The center’s advisors serve students every step of their way from matriculating from high school through college and on through graduation from Illinois.

The Student Services Center is located in room 18 Gregory Hall, the middle wing of the basement, across from the vending machines.

Course scheduling, records, and advising questions are welcome 9 to 12:00 a.m. and 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. Although some questions can be answered on a walk in basis we recommend making an appointment with your advisor via their email. We can also be reached at 217-244-4329 or media-ssc@illinois.edu.

The Student Services Center also assists faculty as they schedule courses, submit grades for the student records, or in consulting over any issues that impact the students’ journey through our majors.

Academic advising

Academic advising is a partnership between the advisor and the student. An academic advisor's role empowers the student to make informed decisions about courses, degrees, careers and other opportunities. Advisors are superb mentors and excellent resources but not the answer to every question or the action takers. Students are charged with seeking out needed information, following up on suggestions and taking the necessary action to become successful students and active citizens. Through this partnership, the Student Services Center's goal becomes achievable — empowering students to make the choices that provide them with the greatest benefit.

As a College of Media student, you are assigned an academic advisor with whom you must meet at least once each semester before registration. This is to ensure you are making good degree progress. After your meeting and after your time ticket becomes active, you register for the appropriate courses. But advising should be more than discussing classes and degree requirements, advisors should serve to mentor, inspire, and motivate students to a deep, rich, and fulfilling holistic undergraduate experience both in and outside of the classroom.

In addition to your mandatory advising session, you may meet with your advisor during walk-in hours or by making an individual appointment. If you're not sure who your academic advisor is, please call the center at 217-244-4329 or send an email to media-ssc@illinois.edu.

Live Help

Degree Audit Reporting System

Through the Degree Audit Reporting System, every student also has access to an unofficial individualized degree progress report that is updated nightly. If a class is added today, it will show tomorrow on the system, known as DARS. Students are responsible for fulfilling degree requirements as described in the Programs of Study. The DARS online is just one tool. Any questions about it or other student resources should be discussed with an academic advisor. Generate a DARS audit online at http://registrar.illinois.edu/dars/generate.html. It is often helpful to bring a copy of your DARS with you to an advising appointment.

Tutoring

Students looking for extra help with course work can start by talking to their instructors during office hours. Some departments, student groups, and honor societies offer tutoring or study sessions. See the tutoring link for more information.

Forms and petitions

All forms and petitions should be filed with your academic advisor or the Student Services Center receptionist. The following forms are in PDF (some in editable format) or MS Word.

Some forms are available on line:

Other forms including petition forms to late drop a class, retroactively drop a class, withdraw from multiple classes, or to request an “I” grade are available from advisors. It is highly recommended that a student meet with their advisor to discuss the need to petition and the petition process.” It should appear above the “student code.

Student code

The Student Code is the online starting point for policies on student academic standards and grades: www.admin.illinois.edu/policy/code/.

Staff

Contact information:
18 Gregory Hall
810 S. Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-244-4329
media-ssc@illinois.edu

Where we are

Room 18 is a recently renovated space that is centrally located in the basement of Gregory Hall. An accessible entrance to the building is located at the northeast corner. The new Student Services Center is down the hall and around the corner to the left, and a lift is available. The elevator to upper floors in the building is located in the basement hallway near the northwest entrance. Metered parking is available on Wright Street, some of the neighboring streets and in a small lot on the north side of Gregory Hall.

See the University map for the campus location of Gregory Hall.

For faculty

The Student Services staff is happy to assist College of Media faculty members with student questions and concerns.

Also, the SSC will help direct you to the resources you need — especially for submitting grades or scheduling courses. If you would like to request a change be made to your class for the upcoming semester, please complete the online Course Revision Request Form. You should speak with your department head before submitting a request and the SSC will contact him/her for final approval. Please note the stated deadlines for course revision requests: mid-September for spring revisions; mid-February for fall revisions.

The Office of Admissions and Records provides a variety of resources for faculty, especially explaining grades and student privacy rights.

As part of the UI Integrate system, the Web for Faculty gives faculty access to class rosters and grade submissions. Faculty need to select the campus name before trying to log in.

The Office of the Provost provides a Senior Administrative Orientation guide with links to policies and handbooks that cover all aspects of life on campus. The Student Code serves as the starting point for policies on student academic standards and grades .

The Campus Administrative Manual is one of several policy manuals for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Use this manual as a reference for creating new courses or for research protocol.