1. •Spring 2012 General Information Meeting Outline:
•What Is Four Bear?
•The Four Bear Contract
•Four-Year Planning
•Role of Advisors
•General Information Meeting Schedule
•Questions and Answers

2. • What Is Four Bear?
• The Four Bear Program provides academic planning
and advising guidance to students who enter UM with
the intention of graduating in four years or less.

3. • What Is Four Bear?
• Students who participate in Four Bear receive the
following benefits: early access to courses during
registration (called “Four Bear Registration
Priority”), focused workshops on academic planning,
and a guarantee to have tuition and fees beyond the
fourth year waived in the event that the student is
unable to complete in four years because critical
courses contained within the plan were for some
reason unavailable.

4. • The Four Bear Contract
• Student Commitments:
– Each semester, meet with the student’s assigned
academic advisor of record, including any assigned
advisors in second majors or minors.

5. • The Four Bear Contract
• Student Commitments, continued:
– In the second semester of the freshman,
sophomore, and junior years, create and follow a
Four Year Plan to Complete, developed using
Academic Planner and signed and approved by the
student’s academic advisor of record.

6. • The Four Bear Contract
• Student Commitments, continued:
– The Four Year Plan to Complete must be submitted to
the Four Bear Coordinator no later than the last class
day of spring semester. If revisions to the Four Year
Plan to Complete are required following its submittal,
a new Four Year Plan to Complete must be resubmitted
by the student. The new version must have been
signed and approved by the academic advisor of
record.

7. • The Four Bear Contract
• Student Commitments, continued:
– In the senior year, submit to the Four Bear
Coordinator an academic department or program
chair-approved graduation application no later than
the last class day of the autumn semester.

8. • The Four Bear Contract
• Student Commitments, continued:
– Register for the courses that appear on the Four Year Plan
to Complete during the Four Bear priority registration
period every semester. If an approved course is no longer
available or full, the student must notify the Four Bear
Coordinator immediately and meet with the student’s
academic advisor to develop a revised Four Year Plan to
Complete.

9. • The Four Bear Contract
• Student Commitments, continued:
– In the freshman year attend at least two Four Bear
Advising workshops, one of which may be an
institutional assessment. In the sophomore and junior
years, attend at least two Four Bear Advising
workshops , and in the senior year attend the
“Preparing to Graduate” Workshop (Autumn
semester).
– Satisfy all academic policies of the University and the
student’s degree program(s).

10. • The Four Bear Contract
• University Commitments:
– Provide a registration priority for each semester.
– Provide regularly scheduled workshops on
academic planning for four year completion during
the academic year.
• Tentative topics: how to make the most of advising
appointments, academic enrichment opportunities, how
to stay on track if adding a 2nd major or minor,
preparing for graduate school, preparing to graduate.

11. • The Four Bear Contract
• University Commitments, continued:
– Assist the student in working with the student’s
degree program to secure course substitution
approval or overrides should the student be denied
access to a course in the student’s advisor-
approved Four Year Plan.

12. • The Four Bear Contract
• University Commitments, continued:
– If the student is unable to register for a planned course
because of factors within the University’s control, the
University will pay post-four year tuition and mandatory
fees until the student graduates in accordance with the last
submitted Four Year Plan. This obligation specifically
excludes general education or elective courses that appear
on the Four Year Plan, as substitutions are possible for
these types of courses. Factors considered to be under the
University’s control are limited to:
• Cancellation of planned courses where a substitution or waiver is
not approved by The University.
• The inability of a student to enroll in a planned course because the
course is full.

13. • Four Year Planning
• Four Bear was revised this year to incorporate the use
of Academic Planner in providing academic planning
and advising guidance to students who enter UM with
the intention of graduating within four years.

14. • Four Year Planning
• A student who chooses to participate in Four Bear
will be required to submit to the Four Bear
Coordinator a Four Year Plan each spring, approved
by his/her assigned academic advisor, that
demonstrates the ability to complete his/her degree
program within the four year timeframe.

15. • Role of Advisors
• Even though it is the student’s responsibility to
develop a Four Year Plan, the program will rely
on advisors to verify that student plans account
for all necessary requirements for graduation.
• By signing a Four Year Plan, advisors are
verifying that, to the best of their knowledge, the
plan incorporates all necessary requirements for
graduation.

16. • Role of Advisors
• We have tried to set up the timeframe for the
spring 2012 program to coincide with the priority
advising period.
• Student Academic Planning and Advising
Workshops are scheduled for the week of March
12.
– Students will have an opportunity after these
workshops to develop their Four Year Plans and bring
them to their priority advising appointment to acquire
advisor’s signature and submit to Four Bear
Coordinator by the end of spring 2012 semester.

17. • Role of Advisors
• After the General Information Meetings, I will
send a message to academic advisors and
department chairs including:
– students within their majors/programs who are in
the Four Bear Program.
– reminder of upcoming Four Bear registration
dates/times.
– Reminder of Four Year Plan deadline at end of
semester.

18. • Four Bear General Information Meeting Schedule:
• March 5 (Monday): 2:10-3:00pm; JRH 202
• March 5 (Monday): 5:10-6:00pm; JRH 202
• March 6 (Tuesday): 11:10-12:00pm; JRH 202
• March 6 (Tuesday): 3:10-4:00pm; JRH 204
• March 7 (Wednesday): 8:10-9:00am; FOR 106
• March 7 (Wednesday): 10:10-11:00am; FOR 305
• March 8 (Thursday): 2:10-3:00pm; ED 214
• March 8 (Thursday): 5:10-6:00pm; ED 214
– **Please note that Jeanette Rankin Hall (JRH) is not ADA-
accessible. If students cannot attend a session in one of the
other accessible locations, please refer them to the Four Bear
Coordinator to make alternative arrangements.

19. • Questions?
• Program Contact for Spring 2012:
– Brian French
– Interim Four Bear Program Coordinator
– brian.french@mso.umt.edu
– 243-2565