The Center for Leadership & Involvement is committed to assisting student organizations in creating a meaningful and supportive advisor-organization relationship.
The position of an RSO advisor will look different from organization to organization. All RSO advisors will offer assistance, answer questions, clarify campus policy and resources, and check on the overall health of involved students and the organization as a whole.
All Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) are required to have an advisor. An advisor can be a faculty or staff member, graduate student, or community member. RSOs that are dual affiliated meet their advisor requirement through their affiliated campus partner.
Advisor Search Process
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Step 1: Organizational Values and Needs
Consider the values and needs that your organization has. RSO leaders should work collaboratively to develop an advisor role that meets the organization’s goals and matches the leadership style of the organization
If your RSO does not have an advisor role defined in your constitution/bylaws, discuss what it would look like for your organization to add that.
Recommended Resource: Advisor Expectations Checklist
Step 2: Brainstorm Individuals
To begin your advisor search, we suggest that you search for individuals in the following places:
- In your professional network
- Connected national or regional offices (if your organization is connected to a larger organization)
- Academic faculty and staff or connections they can help you make
- Your academic advisor or connections they can help you make
- Badger Bridge (UW’s Alumni network)
- Campus Offices that have missions that are similar to yours:
- Center for Pre-Health Advising: healthcare and related careers
- Center for Pre-Law Advising: law, legal advocacy or related careers
- Center for Interfaith Dialogue: religious identities and religious literacy
- Gender and Sexuality Campus Center: gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation
- Disability Cultural Center: disability, advocacy, accessibility, and inclusive education
- Database of all UW-Madison Centers and Institutions or UW-Madison Research Centers and Programs
- Student Org Leadership Alumni (once graduated)
- Community organizations with similar mission
- In your personal network
Additionally, your organization could consider becoming an organization that is dual registered with one of the following offices, as applicable:
- Morgridge Center for Public Service
- Office of Sustainability
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
- College of Engineering
- Computer Sciences
- Fraternity & Sorority Life
- Undergraduate/Graduate Business
- International Student Services
- Law School
- Multicultural Student Center
- School of Medicine and Public Health
- School of Human Ecology
- Sports Club – RecWell
- Wisconsin Union Directorate
Dual registration is at the approval of the campus partner, and may not be an option for all organizations. Review the Dual Registration page for more information on becoming dual registered.
Step 3: Potential Advisors Outreach
Reach out to advisors that you feel could be a good fit. During that outreach, it may be helpful to share with them:
- About your organization
- What you are looking for in an advisor
- Why you think they could be a good fit
- UW-Madison advisor expectations and any expectations your organization would have of them
- The expected time commitment, and voluntary capacity or compensation you offer
- How they could meet RSO leadership or learn more about your organization
Recommended Resource: Advisor Outreach Template
Step 4: Ensure Advisor Meets University Requirements
RSO Advisors are required to complete an orientation course and become a Campus Security Authority and Cleary representative. Some advisors may already be required to be a CSA & Clery representative, particularly if they work on campus. More information and relevant links can be found on the Advisor Role webpage.
Step 5: Set Advisor Responsibilities & Expectations
It is highly recommended that RSO leaders meet an advisor. If your organization explicitly states the role of an advisor, ensure that you share that with them. If you completed the Advisor Expectations Checklist, that document can help guide this conversation.
Both the advisor and the RSO should establish expectations regarding:
- The advisor’s presence and role at meetings and events
- The advisor’s role, or lack thereof, in suggesting improvements or changes
- What role the advisor will play in mediating conflict
- Communication between the RSO and advisor
Suggested Resource: Organization & Advisor Agreement Guide
Step 5: Update WIN
Update WIN with your advisor’s information & add them to any appropriate technology resources or messaging you determined during your responsibilities & expectations conversation.
To update WIN:
- Navigate to your organization’s WIN page.
- Click the button in the upper right corner titled “Manage Organization”
- Select “About” from the left-hand menu
- Scroll to the bottom of the About page and add your advisor’s information.
As a reminder, advisor information is visible outside the organization in WIN. Confirm the information your advisor would like added before completing this step.
Step 6: Consider Legacy
Consider what the term and legacy of your advisor will be, particularly during RSO student leader changes.
- Will they serve as an advisor until they no longer wish to advise the organization or be limited to a certain time frame?
- Will their appointment as an advisor be approved by the RSO leadership or general body each academic year?
- If RSO leadership changes, do they get to appoint a new advisor?
- If the advisor no longer wishes to serve the RSO, how long in advance should they inform the RSO? Do they have a role in finding the RSO a new advisor?