Dr. Miksa's Advisees UPDATED (Nov. 2009)

 This page is for students who have been assigned Dr. Miksa as their Faculty Advisor for the duration of their courses here at LIS.

 Dr Miksa advises students who are in one of two Programs of Study (POS):

• General Study
• Information Organization

 Philosophy

I am pretty easy going when it comes to the classes you are interested in taking but I do like to construct a degree plan that will be most beneficial for you earning your Masters degree.  Students should plan to create a degree plan that takes advantage of their time here at LIS and that gives them maximum exposure to the ideas, technology, history, and philosophy that make up the library and information science field.

As an librarian who specializes in information organization I have my own views and opinions on what courses students should take, but I am more than willing assist in constructing a strategy that works best for you.

 Advising Process

Each semester students must schedule an advising session with me so we can decide on what courses you will take and/or modify your degree plan.  My official advising hours are every Wednesday from 1-4pm CST, unless otherwise specified.  These can be on-campus appointments or by telephone.  Students must either call me my office at 940-565-3560 or email me to schedule the appointment. If Wednesdays are not good then I'm quite happy to advise on another day or time, schedule permitting.

It is best to plan out courses at least two semesters in advance.  For each advising session please make a list of the courses you are interested in taking, as well as alternatives should your preferred course be full for the semester.  We will discuss all options and plan to the best of our ability using the semester class schedules.

Students are encouraged to study the course descriptions of LIS courses from the Graduate Catalog in preparation for each advising session but do keep in mind these are brief descriptions.  I can usually give you more details about certain courses but you are always free to contact the course instructor for more information.  The best source for information about web-based courses is at E-Campus.

After we decide on what courses you want to register for you must then send me an Advising Memo (AM). This form can be found on the Forms page linked from the LIS Current Students webpage (click on the Forms folder on the left) or access the AM form directly.  I will then forward the AM to CI-Advising and they will reserve a seat for you in the course.  You must pay for the course in order to secure the seat.

A word about email addresses: please use your official UNT email address for all school related correspondence.  If you have an alternate email address you can set up the UNT account to forward emails to that alternate.  Use the EagleConnect for instructions setting-up your account. However, as with many email services EagleConnect may sometimes trash emails that come from certain ISPs or email companies. This is mainly due to SPAM/junk mail blockers so be sure to check your Junk mail inbox often for important correspondence.

 Changes to degree plan or POS:

If you find that you want to add or drop a course please send me an email so I can make the change on your degree plan.  Keeping the degree plan up-to-date can be a bit of a chore but it pays in the end, especially when it comes time for you to take the Capstone Experience. If you want to change to another Faculty Advisor be sure to use the Change of Advisor form. It is perfectly fine to change advisors should your interests change; no feelings will be hurt.

If you have further questions please feel free to contact me at Shawne.Miksa@unt.edu or call me at 940-565-3560.