Who to ask when you don’t know who to ask
College questions and challenges do not always fit neatly within one office. Academic Navigators help undergraduate students sort through academic, personal, financial and campus concerns, identify practical next steps and connect with the people and resources that can help.
Academic Navigators are embedded within Nebraska’s undergraduate colleges and the Explore Center. They work alongside academic advisors, faculty and other student-support professionals to reduce barriers and help students continue making progress toward their goals. Whether a concern is simple or complicated, students do not have to navigate it alone.
How Academic Navigators can Help
Students
- Talk through academic, personal, financial or campus concerns
- Sort through options and identify manageable next steps
- Connect directly with the people, services and resources that can help
- Develop a plan and receive continued follow-up when challenges take time to resolve
Faculty and Staff
- Refer students who may benefit from individualized outreach and support
- Partner with a Navigator when a student is experiencing academic, personal or financial barriers
- Coordinate support when a student’s needs involve multiple offices or areas of campus
- Consult with the team when you are unsure where a student should begin
Parents and Guardians
- Connect students with tutors and academic resources
- Assist students in resolving holds that might prevent registering for future terms
- Direct students to campus resources to help with various challenges
- Provide general information about problems encountered within the University and/or specific Colleges...and offer possible solutions
Collaborating to Support Student Success
Student experiences rarely divide neatly into separate academic, financial and personal categories. A concern in one area can quickly affect another. Academic Navigators help students consider the full picture, determine what support would be useful and connect with the appropriate people across Nebraska.
Because Navigators are embedded within the academic colleges and centrally coordinated, they can combine knowledge of a student’s academic environment with relationships across campus. They collaborate with faculty, advisors and campus partners to provide proactive outreach, make direct connections and coordinate support when multiple offices are involved.
This work goes beyond handing a student a list of resources. Navigators help students determine a workable next step, make introductions when needed and follow up over time. The goal is a more connected and validating student experience—one in which students do not have to understand every part of the university before they can receive help.
