Consultation and Outreach

Consultation

As you interact with students, there may be situations or conversations that cause you concern. Often times you will be the first person to realize when a student needs assistance. We encourage you to utilize your relationships with students to help them find the answers or next steps they may need.

  1. Contact students directly if you have concerns.
    • Speak to students privately and in person whenever possible.
    • You can also contact students by e-mail and phone and schedule a time to meet with them to express your concerns.
    • Ask other faculty members and/or the student's academic adviser if the student is attending their classes. Attempt to make contact with the student through your colleagues.
  2. Listen to students about their experiences at Iowa State University.
    • Ask students to share their perspectives; listen and assess how you can best be of assistance.
    • Depending on their situation, refer students to the appropriate resources on campus such as their academic adviser, Student  Counseling Services, or the Department of  Residence.
    • Student Assistance can help! If you are ever unsure of the best way to help students, the Student Assistance staff can consult in person, by phone or through e-mail. You can also submit a referral through our  online referral form.

 

When a student's needs are more than you feel prepared to assist with, a referral to Student Assistance is a great way to help. Together, we can work collaboratively to identify next steps and to create a plan to assist the student.

If you have helped a student resolve an issue, but suspect more assistance is required, trust your instincts and share your concerns with the Student Assistance staff. If the student contacts us directly, or other faculty and staff make a similar referral, it helps us to know the student’s history. You can contact the Student  Assistance staff by calling 515-294-1020, e-mailing studentassistance@iastate.edu, or submitting an online referral form.

There are also times when we may reach out to faculty and staff to gather additional information. When we contact others, our goal is to collaborate to determine the best course of action for each student or situation. We appreciate receiving details you might have that will help us reach our goal of effectively serving students and the ISU community.

Outreach

Student Assistance staff are available to present information to faculty and staff groups. This information helps employees learn more about the role of the Dean of Students  Office and how we partner with faculty and staff to collectively serve students.

We are able to customize our outreach efforts to meet the various needs of  our university partners. Feel free to contact the Dean of Students Office  at 515-294-1020 to discuss presentation options for your group or  meeting.