Undergraduate Advising

Our mission is to provide thorough and accurate academic counsel to the students enrolled in the college of arts and sciences, to assist them in the selection of a relevant, stimulating and challenging course of study and guide them toward choices that will make them better students and better citizens.

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) undergraduate advising office is located in Room 100 of the Battelle-Tompkins Building on the main campus of American University. The office is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, except on university holidays. For more information, please see our Appointments and Counselors, Advising System, and Student Confidentiality sections below, or visit our Common Advising Issues page.

Making an Appointment with Your CAS Academic Counselor

Appointments can be made online with our 24-hour Online Appointment Scheduler.

Appointments can also be made by calling 202-885-2453 or by visiting Battelle 100. During the busy registration periods, counselor appointments sometimes fill quickly, so schedule your appointment well in advance. If you have an urgent matter at any time, contact your advisor directly via e-mail or by phone, or visit Battelle 100. Someone else will assist you if your advisor is not available. During the first two weeks of classes in the fall and spring semesters. Counselors are available on a walk-in, first-come, first-served basis to assist students with registration questions.

Academic Counselors

• Marla Boren, mboren@american.edu: students majoring or intending to major in computer science, audio technology, audio production, physics, chemistry, biochemistry, multimedia, music, music theater, theater and undecided with last names beginning with T–Z


• Cheryl Gindlesperger, cgindle@american.edu: students majoring or intending to major in anthropolgy, health promotion, history, sociology, women's and gender studies and undecided H–L


• Anne Kaiser, akaiser@american.edu: students majoring or intending to major in economics, biology, enviromental studies, marine science and students on one of AU's athletic teams


• Alicia Mandac, mandac@american.edu: students majoring or intending to major in literature, studio art, art history, graphic design and undecided C, M–R
• Jack Ramsay, jramsay@american.edu: students majoring or intending to major in education, philosophy and religion, language and foreign studies, math, statistics, American studies, Jewish studies and undecided D–G


• Doug Vibert, vibert@american.edu: students majoring or intending to major in psychology, undecided A–B, S, and preparing for law school

The CAS Academic Advising System

Students entering the College of Arts and Sciences are assigned professional academic counselors based upon their intended majors. Students who have not indicated a major are assigned counselors based on their last names. Our counselors are available to assist students with any issues related to their academic career at American University. They are also a valuable resource for discovering the many opportunities that AU provides. We recommend you meet with your counselor regularly. Students are required to meet with counselors at least once per semester to obtain authorization to register for the next term's classes.

In their sophomore or junior year, students should formally declare the majors in which they expect to earn their degrees. (See "Declaring majors and minors" on the Common Advising Issues page). Upon declaring a major, each student is assigned a major advisor from among the faculty in the major department. Declared students should obtain authorization to register for classes from their faculty advisor rather than their academic counselor. However, counselors remain available to students at all levels.

Student Confidentiality

Students at American University are protected by the Federal Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), 1974. No information about a student's academic performance will be disclosed to anyone outside of the university without written permission from the student. For more information, click the Parent and Guardian Resources link above.