Academic Success Plan (Academic Contract)

Your advising team wants you to be successful in all of your academic endeavors. If you are not meeting the Standards of Academic Progress and are on Early Intervention or Probation standing, or if you have successfully appealed an Academic Dismissal standing, you will develop an Academic Success Plan (also known as an Academic Contract) with Fisher.

The Academic Success Plan, also known as an Academic Contract, consists of:

  • Initial pre-semester contract appointment with a CCAP advisor to discuss academic performance, registration choices/adjustments, and an improvement plan;
  • Regular meetings with a CCAP advisor to discuss academic progress and to work on strategies to improve performance;
  • End of term assessment meeting with a CCAP advisor to assess academic progress, future course registration, and planning options.

Note: The Undergraduate Catalog contains detailed information regarding standards of academic progress.

Pre-Semester Contract Appointment

IMPORTANT: Contact the Center for Career and Academic Planning prior to the start of the semester to schedule your initial appointment with a CCAP advisor. This initial one-on-one meeting will last approximately one hour. Maintaining regular contact with your assigned CCAP advisor will help you stay on track to meet your academic goals.

Initial Appointment Goals and Expectations:

  • Develop a positive working relationship with your advisor.
  • Reflect on academic/personal challenges faced in previous semester(s).
  • Identify personal/academic strengths and develop goals for the new semester and beyond.
  • Assess current study habits, time management, repeat coursework, GPA calculations, academic requirements, fit of current major/minor, utilization of academic resources, etc.
  • Develop a specific academic improvement plan with the advisor.

Your CCAP Advisor Can Provide Assistance with:

  • Information about academic requirements.
  • Referrals to appropriate campus resources.
  • Academic requirements/options, GPA improvement, options for repeating coursework.
  • Academic goal setting and planning.
  • Assessing your progress throughout the semester.

What You Can Do:

  • Actively engage in the process to improve your academic standing.
  • Communicate honestly and consistently with your academic support team.
  • Reflect on your academic strengths, areas of necessary improvement, and personal/academic goals.
  • Prepare fully for meetings and follow through with counselor recommendations.

End of Term Review

Using Fisher's resources and following the path of your personal Academic Success Plan will give you the best chance for improving your academic standing. Your academic progress will be reevaluated at term's end. Whether you remain on an Academic Success Plan or not depends on your successful completion of your plan. However, if you are not making satisfactory progress, you will be dismissed from the University.

The terminology used in the review are outlined below:

Early Intervention (EI)

  • If your academic standing has moved to "Warning" or "Good" according to the Standards of Academic Progress, you will be removed from EI.
  • If your cumulative GPA is within EI contract range, you will continue on contract. However, if you are not making satisfactory progress, you will be dismissed from the University.

Probation

  • You will remain enrolled if you successfully complete all courses in which you were initially enrolled and earn a semester GPA of 2.0 or higher. Once your cumulative GPA reaches 2.0 or higher, you will be removed from contract.

Post-Dismissal

  • You will remain enrolled if you successfully complete all courses in which you were initially enrolled and earn a semester GPA of 2.0 or higher. Once your cumulative GPA reaches 2.0 or higher, you will be removed from contract.

If you do not reach the desired GPA, your CCAP advisor will advise the Committee on Academic Standing regarding your commitment to and efforts toward your academic success plan requirements. Meeting your academic success plan obligations will result in favorable reviews, which may be especially valuable if you are struggling to reach the desired GPA but making some progress.

If you have little contract participation or effort and poor achievement for the semester and are again dismissed from Fisher, you are not likely to be granted an academic appeal.

Contact the Center for Career and Academic Planning at (585) 385-8050 or email ccap@sjf.edu for additional information about the academic success planning process.

Requirements of an Academic Success Plan

Your Academic Success Plan may include the following (at the discretion of the CCAP advisor):

  • Enrollment in no more than 4 courses/14 credit hours for the semester;
  • Regular meetings (1-2 times/month) with the academic counselor to monitor progress;
  • Restriction from NCAA athletic competition;
  • Use of campus resources including tutoring, the Math/Writing Center, Center for Career and Academic Planning, and attendance at designated workshops designed to improve your current and future academic success;
  • Recommendations for the improvement of your cumulative GPA, including course repeats, course scheduling suggestions, review of academic interests, strengths/weaknesses, and their relation to academic/career goals, and overall evaluation of degree progress.

While participating in an Academic Success Plan, the following actions are not permitted:

  • Unauthorized course withdrawals;
  • Applications for S/U grades;
  • Final grades of incomplete without the CCAP advisor's approval.