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About the AdvisorList service:

Starting a AdvisorList:

Maintaining a AdvisorList:

Terminating a AdvisorList:

Troubleshooting:

What is the AdvisorList service?
AdvisorList is a self-service and automated no-charge system that allows Advisors to personalize multiple email distribution lists based upon their Advisees and Advisee criteria such as Term, Class, Academic Plan and Cumulative GPA. The new AdvisorList system is based entirely on authentication using your NetID and password. The AdvisorList system automatically updates the email distribution lists with Registrar data two times a day, seven days a week, throughout the semester. Thus, advisee changes, e.g. add/drop, are automatically reflected.
 
Advisors interact with the automated AdvisorList system using the "AdvisorList Utility" (https://advisor.lists.wisc.edu).

What is the history of the AdvisorList service?
The AdvisorList service was initiated in August of 2007.

How much does the AdvisorList service cost?
The AdvisorList service is provided by DoIT at no-charge.

Does AdvisorList generate a list of advisee email addresses that I can view?
YES. AdvisorList will generate an email distribution list based on your advisees. The advisor may view the list of advisees using the AdvisorList Utility interface.

For which advisors can AdvisorList generate lists?
AdvisorList will automatically send an email to all Advisors listed in ISIS so that they can activate their lists.

Is AdvisorList guaranteed to meet my needs?
We hope so.  With the new AdvisorList service advisors will now have the ability to handle their own administrative tasks using the "AdvisorList Utility".  Advisors will be able to add guest members, create sublists, etc. 

Are there any other options beside AdvisorList?
Certainly. One option would be that the advisor could gather advisee email addresses from My UW-Madison and then enter them in their own email client.  For advisee privacy and security, it is recommended that nicknames or the bcc: function is used when emailing multiple advisees.

What is the AdvisorList Utility?
The AdvisorList Utility is a tool for advisors to administer their lists.  It is a web page where advisors can create lists and sublists, add guest members, and view list members.

Who can create an AdvisorList?
Only the Advisor on record in ISIS, or someone that has been granted delegated administrator rights.

What is a list administrator?
A list administrator is anyone listed as an advisor in ISIS.  All Advisors (list administrators) have access to the AdvisorList Utility via their NetID and password.

What is the email address advisorlist@doit.wisc.edu used for?
The advisorlist@doit.wisc.edu address is used to contact the AdvisorList administrators who can assist you with questions.

How is the name of the advisorlist derived?
By the Advisor. The AdvisorList system allows the Advisor to create their own names for their advisorlists. 

How do I rename an AdvisorList after it has been created?
Any sublist maybe deleted and then recreated if you want to change the name. If you want to rename the main list you must contact the AdvisorLIst administrator at advisorlist@doit.wisc.edu 

How does the AdvisorList handle multiple Advisor personal email addresses?
When you first access the AdvisorList Utility and decide to create your main list with all advisees, you will be asked to add any addtional personal email addresses at that time. If later you need to add additional addresses, you can add them as guest members.

I have created my advisorlist; when will it be ready to use?
Once your AdvisorList has been created, your list is ready to use immediately.

What is the full Internet address of my AdvisorList?
The full Internet address of a AdvisorList will be the mailing list name plus @lists.wisc.edu.

For example, the Internet address of a AdvisorList with a mailing list name of adv-french201 would be:

adv-french201@lists.wisc.edu

Any email sent to this address will be sent to ALL advisees in French 201 listed in ISIS.

What are Advisor sublists?
A sublist can be created after the main Advisor list is created. The sublists can be any combination of various criteria such as Term, Class, School or College, Academic Plan and Cumulative GPA.

How do I de-select a criteria (Term, Class etc.) when I am creating a sublist?
When you are creating a sublist if you choose a criteria that you do not want after selecting it, hold down the Apple key and click on a Macintosh and on a PC hold down the Ctrl key and click.

Does the Advisor automatically get a copy of the email sent to a AdvisorList?
Yes, the advisor listed in ISIS will get copies of the emails sent to their own AdvisorList. However, if an identical message is sent to more than one advisorlist within a 24 hour period, the instructor will only receive one copy from the first message sent.

What happens if the same message is sent to multiple advisorlists?
If an identical message is sent to more than one advisorlist within a 24 hour period, the Advisor will only receive one copy from the first message sent.

How often are the AdvisorLists updated?
AdvisorLists are updated 7 days a week and 6 times a day at: 3AM, 7AM, 11AM, 3PM, 7PM, and 11PM.

Where does the advisee email address information come from?
AdvisorList receives the advisee email address information directly from the Registrar data.

One of my advisees has an incorrect address on my AdvisorList!
The advisee email address information comes directly from the Registrar. Effective August 1, 2004 advisees are required to use a campus email address to receive official correspondence from the University.  Students are responsible for activating their NetID and their email account.  The campus email address will always be set to the advisee's NetID@wisc.edu address and it cannot be changed or deleted.

How do I add an address to a AdvisorList after it has been enabled?
As an Advisor, which is the same as an administrator, you have the ability to add guest email addresses to your list using the "AdvisorList Utility". This can be found at https://advisor.lists.wisc.edu.  You can add up to five email addresses at one time.

Who can send email to my AdvisorList?
Only the Advisor can send email to a AdvisorList, unless the Advisor has added a guest member and given the rights to send emails to the list. In other words, the AdvisorLists are "announcement only" by default. 

Can I change the security of my AdvisorList?
NO. AdvisorLists are configured as "announcement only" by default; i.e. only Advisors (list administrators) can send email to the list. If you want another person to be able to email the list, you must add them as a guest member.

Can I get a list of the advisee addresses on my AdvisorList?
Advisors are able to see the email addresses as well as the advisee names in the "AdvisorList Utility" or they are also available through My UW-Madison.  

Are replies to the AdvisorList posts sent back to the list?
The reply-to is a list setting. By default, all advisorlists are set to reply to the individual sender of the message. To also reply to the list one would need to reply to all.

Can I send an email to the list and only remove selected advisees from receiving the message?
YES. When you view the list of members there are radio buttons on the right side of the screen where you can decide who you want to receive emails from your lists.

Can I remove an advisee address from the list?
NO. We compare the list with ISIS data and make the appropriate updates. However within the Advisor utility you can select those advisees that you do not want to receive emails.

Will my advisees have an email address on file with the Registrar's office?
YES.  Once a advisee is enrolled in a class, their WiscMail email address is updated in ISIS.  Therefore it will be included in the AdvisorList and viewable in the "AdvisorList Utility".

Should I tell my advisees to use My UW-Madison to verify and update their email addresses information?
YES. Students can access My UW-Madison.  Effective August 1, 2004 advisees are required to use a campus email address to receive official correspondence from the University.  Students are responsible for activating their NetID and their email account.  The campus email address will always be set to the advisee's WiscMail address and it cannot be changed or deleted.

One of my advisees has multiple email addresses; how can he tell where AdvisorList email is going?
Effective August 1, 2004 advisees are required to use a campus email address to receive official correspondence from the University.  Students are responsible for activating their NetID and their email account.  The campus email address will always be set to the advisee's WiscMail address and it cannot be changed or deleted.

The advisee can use My UW-Madison to view the single email address that the AdvisorList email is going to.

Can I email my advisorlist directly from the AdvisorList Utility?
Yes, this feature is available from the screen which displays the enabled lists as well as the screen which displays your list members. This is a shortcut to send an email to the advisorlist using the advisors local email client. Therefore, this will not work from a kiosk or a public machine.

When does an AdvisorList end ?
All AdvisorLists will exist indefinitely, unless the Advisor deletes the list or they are no longer an Advisor.

When will following terms of AdvisorLists be available?
As soon as an instructor, one enrolled advisee, and an instructor email address for a particular course are listed in ISIS.

What happens when I disable an advisorlist?
It will disable the advisorlist for the Advisor and it will not be useable. Make sure you are careful when disabling advisorlists.

Are there any issues with deleting my AdvisorLists?
 YES. Any of your AdvisorLists maybe deleted, but the main list may not be deleted until the sublists have been deleted first.

When I send an email to the advisorlist it fails and tells me that I am not a member of the list. What should I do?
First check to see what your email address is on the AdvisorList. Log into the AdvisorList Utility then click on term and on the first screen you will see your address. If it does not match what you are using then you can update your email client or you can add the other email address as a guest member.

How do I check what email address the advisorlist is using?
Log into the AdvisorList Utility, click on Term, then view email address near top of screen.

I prefer to use a non-UW email address for my advisorlists. How do I do this?
You must add your non-UW email address to your guest member list.

If I get a message that says unable to send email because list has been disabled. What should I do?
Log into the "AdvisorList Utility", click on "Term" then "Enable List" and click "Save Changes". Then resend the email message again.

What happens if a guest member becomes a member of the regular advisorlist?
We automatically remove them from the guest list so that they will not receive multiple emails.