Ten Suggestions to Serve as an Outstanding Advisor

Faculty advisors play a vital role in keeping a CPFI chapter strong through the years. Here are ten ways to serve your chapter well.

1. Pursue God and how He would have you serve as an advisor.
2. Establish a personal commitment to regular prayer for the student chapter and its members.
3. Remain in contact with CPFI.
   • Read the CPFI publications and regularly visit the CPFI website
   • Seek to attend the CPFI Annual Meeting and the CPFI National Student Retreat
   • Remain in communication with other CPFI members, advisors, and recent graduates
   • Ensure your student chapter annually completes and submits the Student Chapter Update form
   • Convey your student chapter’s needs to the CPFI office or National Student Council
4. Remain in contact with your student chapter.
   • Have an open door policy to pray and talk with student chapter members as needed
   • Periodically send emails to the student officers, especially if unable to attend meetings and/or events
5. Take an active role in developing the leadership within the student chapter.
   • Assist in creating a mission statement for the chapter at the start of the academic year or when leadership changes.
   • Set goals with student chapter leaders each semester and advise on delegation of tasks
   • Assist with elections to provide guidance and ensure an effective, God-centered process
6. Attend the student chapter’s meetings and events when possible.
   • Assist in the planning for these meetings by arranging for a time to be set aside by your university for CPFI, help publicize meetings, organize for food or snacks, etc.
   • Help arrange for guest speakers by seeking out local pharmacists, faculty, and recent graduates
7. Be familiar with and maintain records of the student chapter’s outreach, fundraising, and fellowship activities in order to act as a resource for future members.
8. Encourage student chapter members to be involved on a national and international level.
   • Support attendance at the CPFI Annual Meeting, CPFI Annual Student Retreat, and Global Missions Health Conference.
   • Maintain your chapter’s involvement in the CPFI National Student Council.
   • Encourage one of your student members to serve as a Student Regional Director thus keeping your chapter in communication with other chapters in your region.
   • Promote chapter’s involvement in a partnering relationship with an international CPFI student group.
   • Ask your chapter to consider hosting a CPFI prayer breakfast at a state pharmacy meeting or hosting a student retreat.
9. Support publicizing the student chapter within the university and/or college of pharmacy.
   • Support participation in organization fairs.
   • Encourage the ordering of chapter t-shirts.
   • Suggest outreach to new pharmacy students at the start of the year.
10. Please notify CPFI in advance if you will be leaving your current university and assist in locating, at minimum, an interim advisor. Similarly, if your chapter is struggling, please reach out to CPFI headquarters or the National Student Council Chairperson ([email protected]).

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