By fostering collaborative, student-centered relationships, the staff in the Center for Academic Advising and Support Services guide students in their development and achievement of meaningful educational goals. Our work is guided by the following values:

• Knowledge: of curriculum, resources, policies, and best advising practices
• Respect: for students, for the College, and for all invested in a student’s success
• Openness: to new ideas and viewpoints, to reflection, and to change
• Equity: of access to appropriate resources for all students
• Growth: as students transition from who they are to who they will become
• Understanding: of self, of others, of our capabilities, and of our place within the larger community

Advising

While students will be assigned a specific department academic advisor after freshman year and once they have declared a major, all students are welcome to utilize the advising services that the Center has to offer throughout their time at St. John Fisher College. The Center’s advising services include:

• Freshmen advising, seminar, and programming
• New transfer student advising, seminar, and programming
• Guidance and programming for students who are deciding on or changing majors/minors
• Creating success plans to support students to overcome academic hurdles
• Clarifying academic policies and procedures to help students navigate their academic programs

Peer Tutoring

Peer tutoring is a service that students who are excelling or struggling can utilize. The goal of tutoring is to help the students find ways to learn course material more successfully. A tutor can assist by discussing notes, clarifying textbook material and reviewing practice problems. Although tutors do not complete student work assignments, they provide additional support that should complement and reinforce classroom learning. Student effort is required for tutoring to be successful.

Peer tutoring is provided at no cost for a variety of introductory undergraduate courses (many 100-level and 200-level courses) during the fall and spring semesters.

Peer tutors are students who have completed the courses they tutor with a grade of B+ or higher and have received the recommendation of a faculty member or department chair.

Disability Services

St. John Fisher College is committed to creating equal access for all students with disabilities. The dedicated staff works with each student on an individual basis to determine reasonable accommodations based on appropriate documentation submitted by the student. The Office of Disability Services, in compliance with Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and Title III of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, as amended), ensures access to academic programs, services, and facilities.

If you are unsure if you are eligible for services or have concerns about obtaining the correct documentation, please do not delay meeting with our staff. We are happy to review policies and procedures with you in person and in some cases, may be able to provide provisional accommodations allowing you time to gather any needed documentation.

For additional information, contact Joy Breeden at (585) 385-5252, testcenter@sjfc.edu, or view our website at https://www.sjfc.edu/student-life/disability-services/.

International Student Advising

Upon admission to St. John Fisher College, the Center for Academic Advising and Support Services will work closely with international students as they navigate the processes required to begin their academic career. These processes include: completing a statement of financial support; gathering all materials needed to apply for and obtain their Form I-20 for nonimmigrant student status; and securing all other documents needed for entry into the United States, which may include an F-1 visa and an I-94 arrival form.

When students arrive, an international student advisor will provide guidance as students make the academic, social, and personal transitions into a new environment, and will create opportunities for international students to interact with the Fisher community as they become more familiar with the campus and the Rochester area. The international student advisor will also work alongside each student throughout their studies to provide important information regarding travel, employment, maintenance of status, and post-degree options. For more information, please contact Matt Lake in the Center for Academic Advising and Support Services at (585) 385-8034.

The Career Center provides a comprehensive menu of services that assist students in all phases of the career development process. Regardless of your starting point, the Career Center can provide assistance with self assessment, career exploration, goal identification, decision making, planning, and job search.

Through the Career Center, students can obtain advice and guidance regarding career and major choices, gain work-related experience, make meaningful connections with alumni and employers, and learn the latest job search strategies. Junior and senior level students are encouraged to enroll in ITDY 109, a credit-bearing course on career development and effective job search strategies.

Students and alumni can remain informed by visiting the Career Center website for programs and resource information.

Career Counseling and Search Resources

Choice of Major or Career

Individual counseling is available to assist students in identifying, refining, or affirming a chosen major or career direction through the use of assessment activities and inventories, including the Strong Interest Inventory® (SII) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI).

Online Resources

FisherConnects – the Career Center’s online job database for students and alumni contains a number of features and resources including an employer directory, job listings, workshops/events, on-campus interview schedules, career guides, and more.

CareerShift – an advanced job search tool that returns search results from numerous career sites, company pages, and job boards. Fisher students and alumni have free access to this tool through the Career Center.

Alumni Advice Network – an alumni database available through FisherConnects, of dedicated professionals available to assist students with career exploration, internships, job search advice, industry insight, and networking.

Alumni LinkedIn Group – an active group where students can connect to alumni in various fields for networking and career advice. The LinkedIn Alumni Group has over 3,500 members representing numerous industries.

Career Guides – on topics such as job searching, networking, interviewing, cover letters, references, and sample resumes are available online and in print.

Research Links – to specific careers, industries, salary information, job outlook, and professional associations.

Workshops and Events

Each semester the Career Center hosts a number of workshops for students on a range of career related topics such as: Effective Resume Writing, Internships, Job Search Strategies, Interviewing, Networking, LinkedIn, Utilizing Social Media in Your Job Search and Choosing a Major.

Graduate School Fair and Law School Night

Enables students to explore graduate school options, learn about the admissions process and academic expectations, and meet recruiters for diverse graduate programs.

Career Fairs

The Career Center hosts annual recruiting events that include an Accounting Fair, Nursing Fair, and the Spring Career and Internship Fair. Additionally, in collaboration with a local college consortium, Fisher sponsors a STEM Career Fair, Fall Mini-Conference for Educators, and Teacher Recruitment Day (TRD).

Experiential Learning Support

Internships and experiential learning programs offer students in all class years an opportunity to gain practical work experience in a professional capacity over the summer months or during the academic year. The Career Center works closely with many academic departments to source internships that relate to student majors and/or career aspirations.

On-Campus Recruiting

On-campus recruiting provides students with the opportunity to interview with recruiters and hiring managers throughout the academic year. Additionally, employer information sessions are open to all students, offering visibility and exposure to recruiters and potential career paths.

Job Postings

Job postings are updated daily from local and national employers that include full-time, part-time, internships, work-study positions, and seasonal employment opportunities. All postings are available on the Career Center’s online database, FisherConnects, which can be accessed by all students and alumni.

The Career Center is located on the ground floor of the Lavery Library in room 104.

Biology

The Department of Biology maintains teaching and undergraduate research laboratories that provide students hands-on experience with equipment and techniques that are of fundamental importance to the field of biology. We have state-of-the-art molecular biology capabilities, cell and bacterial culture equipment, and field work opportunities. To support our teaching and research efforts we have an indoor greenhouse, a Zebrafish housing unit, and other relevant equipment (compound fluorescent microscope, a transmission electron microscope, and dissecting and compound microscopes) that allow us to provide our students hands-on practical experience to achieve competence and confidence in a laboratory setting. Additionally, we have designated faculty and student research space and many of our students pursue independent research projects in areas of faculty expertise.

Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry occupies the first floor of the Joseph S. Skalny Science Center and consists of six class-size laboratories for courses or research, two instrumentation laboratories, and a computer laboratory. The department’s modern, research-grade instrumentation includes: infrared and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometers, a multinuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer, an atomic absorption spectrometer, differential scanning calorimeters, and vapor-phase and high-performance liquid chromatographs.

Physics

The Department of Physics has four well-designed laboratories and a room with well-equipped benches, computers, and storage space for individual research. Among the modern instruments in these laboratories are: e/m apparatus, Franck Hertz apparatus, x-ray diffraction apparatus, precision optical bench, and portable six-inch reflecting telescopes.

The Math Center at St. John Fisher College assists students with the development of their mathematical understanding. It is a supportive learning environment that is committed to helping students become confident and independent learners of mathematics.

The Math Center offers tutors for mathematics and related courses as well as other resources. Resources include textbooks for all math courses, tutorial handbooks for many areas of mathematics, basic skills practice books, and handouts on math study skills. College networked computers provide access to the Internet, as well as to many software applications used in various current mathematics, science, and computer science courses.

Hours vary by semester. Math Center services are free of charge to all Fisher students. Students do not have to be taking a math course to use our facility. The Math Center is located on the third level of the Golisano Gateway. More information about the Math Center is available at www.sjfc.edu/services/math-center/.

St. John Fisher College is pleased to provide information regarding our institution’s graduation/completion rates. The information is provided in compliance with the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. A graduation rate is based on the percentage of students who enrolled during a fall semester and for whom 150 percent of the normal time to graduation has elapsed. At St. John Fisher College, the normal time to graduation is four years; 150 percent of this is six years. Thus, the graduation rate will reflect the percentage of students who were graduated within six years.

While graduation/completion information, please bear in mind:

• The graduation/completion rate is based on six years of attendance that equates to 150 percent of our longest program.
• We have elected not to report our transfer-out rate because our university’s mission does not include providing substantial preparation for students to enroll in other institutions.
• The calculation of the graduation/completion rate does not include students who left the school to serve in the armed forces, on official church missions, or in the foreign service of the federal government. Students who died or were totally and permanently disabled are also excluded from the calculation.

The graduation/completion information can be found at: https://www.sjfc.edu/services/institutional-research/trend-information/

Questions related to this report should be directed to the director of Institutional Research.

All research involving human subjects, which is not explicitly determined to be exempt, conducted at St. John Fisher College, or under its sponsorship at another location, must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects. Review is also required for research carried out under the sponsorship of an institution other than St. John Fisher College but which is to be performed on the premises of the College, even if the Institutional Research Board at the sponsoring institution or elsewhere has already approved the research. The application can be found at: https://www.sjfc.edu/services/institutional-review-board/ .