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Creating an Effective Advising Program: Issues in
Advising Administration
NACADA Executive OfficeKansas State University
2323 Anderson Ave, Suite 225Manhattan, KS 66502-2912
Phone: (785) 532-5717 Fax: (785) 532-7732
e-mail: [email protected]
© 2012 National Academic Advising Association
The contents of all material in this presentation are copyrighted by the National Academic Advising Association, unless otherwise indicated. Copyright is not claimed as to any part of an original work prepared by a U.S. or state government officer or employee as part of that person's official duties. All rights are reserved by NACADA, and content may not be reproduced, downloaded, disseminated, published, or transferred in any form or by any means, except with the prior written permission of NACADA, or as indicated below. Members of NACADA may download pages or other content for their own use, consistent with the mission and purpose of NACADA. However, no part of such content may be otherwise or subsequently be reproduced, downloaded, disseminated, published, or transferred, in any form or by any means, except with the prior written permission of, and with express attribution to NACADA. Copyright infringement is a violation of federal law and is subject to criminal and civil penalties. NACADA and National Academic Advising Association are service marks of the National Academic Advising Association.
Nancy S. King, Ph. DExecutive Assistant for
Strategic InitiativesKennesaw State University
770-423-6310
Basic Elements in Developing and Implementing a
Successful Academic Advising Program
Administrative supportDevelopment of institutional advising
missionSelection and training of advisorsRecognition/reward systemDevelopment of advising materials
(handbook, advising resources, information about advisees)
Assessment of effectiveness
The Planning Process
Identify the team and establish a timelineEssential to involve the major stakeholdersIndividual advising units need their own
mission statementsReview the institution’s mission
statement (advising mission must be compatible)
Assess the Environment
Who are our students?What are their advising needs?What are our major assets and
challenges?What is our overarching vision for the
kind of institution we want to be?
Develop a Vision for Success
What would our ideal advising program look like?
Benchmarking/Boundary monitoring CAS standards and guidelines NACADA core values
Ultimately what do we want to accomplish?
Establishing an Advising Program
Activating an advising program requires a written and published mission statement.
Questions to Consider in Developing the Mission
Statement
What is academic advising? What are our students’ advising needs? Who serves as advisors? Who is the administrator responsible for
the advising program? How are the advisors trained and evaluated?
What is the relationship between advising and the other support services of the institution?
What are the rights and responsibilities of the advisor?
What are the rights and responsibilities of the advisees?
What is the delivery model?
Develop Specific Goals
Academic advising should aid students in …
Developing suitable educational plans
Clarifying career and life goals Selecting appropriate courses and
other educational experiences Interpreting academic requirements Making students aware of all
available resources that enhance their education
Evaluating student progress toward their degrees
Developing decision-making skills Helping students become
independent learners The advising program should also
provide data about students’ educational needs.
White, Chapter 12, Advising Handbook
Variables to Consider when Selecting a Model
Size and type of institutionInstitutional missionAdministrative structureIdentification of advisors
(faculty/full-time advisors)Advisor loadSpecial needs of studentsFunding sources
Assessment of Structure Effectiveness:
Questions to ConsiderAre advisors accessible when and
where students seek academic guidance?
Are financial, personnel and physical resources available to support
and staff the structure that is in place?
Are reporting lines clear to all advisors? Is there a high level administrator who oversees the institutional advising system, someone to whom all college advisors are accountable?
How is advising organized?
There is no one best model. All are potentially effective for the delivery of advising services…
C. F. Pardee
2011 Survey of Advising: 817 Respondents
• A "faculty only" model is more common at 4 year baccalaureate colleges (35%); and 4 year colleges/universities who do not grant PhDs (20%)
• "Centralized units" staffed mostly by professional advisors or counselors are more common at PhD-granting universities (40%); and at 2 year colleges (33%)
And the survey says…
• For all responding institutions, some sort of a "shared model" was the most common structure indicated—53%– some students (undecided or transfer or
probation or undeclared or ??) advised in a center with faculty advising declared majors--true for half of the respondents who indicated a shared model
– a variety of other shared models, with professional advisors (in a center, a department, or a college) dividing responsibilities (in differing ways) with faculty advisors
What else did we learn about the organization of advising?
• 10% of the respondents use peer advisors in some way
• At 86% of the responding colleges, at least some faculty advise in some way
• Several struggled to describe their structures—13% wrote in more information to try to describe; 14% indicated 2 or more models used
Four Questions to considerabout modeling and remodeling
1. Who is advised?2. Who advises?3. Where is advising done?4. How are advising
responsibilities divided?
Questions to ConsiderIs it clear to students where they
obtain advising for their various needs, such as general education requirements, the major and minor subject areas, honors courses, pre-law or pre-medicine curriculum, exceptions to policies, academic probation, graduation, etc.? If students have multiple advisors,
is there a center to make advising referrals?
Questions to Consider
Do advisors understand the structure and their role within the larger
system? If the structure is decentralized, is there an advising resource and training center?
If the structure is decentralized or shared, does the structure promote
communication and cooperation among advisors in all units?
Questions to Consider
Is the structure conducive to sharing information and collaborating with other academic and student service units to create and implement policies that promote student development and success?
Pardee, C. F.NACADA Clearinghouse of
Academic Advising Resources, “Organizational Structures for Advising”
Three Major Components
• Training and professional development
• Rewards/recognition
• Evaluation/assessment
Training and Development
Expected or required of all advisors – professional, faculty, peer,
administratorsMust be comprehensive and on-goingShould be carefully connected to the
mission, goals, advisor outcomes and the student learning outcomes of the program
Training and Development
Key Elements of Development Programs
Informational• Institutional Programs, Policies and
Procedures• Curriculum Requirements• Campus Resources
Key Elements of Development Programs
Conceptual• Advising Definition• Student Development Theories• Learning Theories• Connecting Advising to
Retention/Persistence• Research
Key Elements of Development Programs
Relational• Relationship Building• Communication Skills• Questioning Skills• Mentoring Skills
Using NACADA Resources for Professional Development
NACADA Homepage: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/
Using NACADA Resources for Professional Development
Using NACADA Resources for Professional Development
NACADA Homepage: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/
Using NACADA Resources for Professional Development
Advisor Performance Evaluation
Must be connected clearly to advisor outcomes and learning outcomes
Must be connected clearly to articulated expectations
Must be connected to institution or department job description
Should be tied, for faculty, to the teaching component of the tenure
and promotion elements
Advisor Performance Evaluation
Strategies/IssuesStudent Surveys Peer Evaluation or Observation Documented achievement of
outcomes (Portfolio)Self-evaluation Connection to Merit IncreaseDoes Everyone Deserve Top Scores?
Recognition/Reward System
Extrinsic Rewards:Release TimeReduction in Non-Instructional LoadAdditional/Alternate CompensationPromotion/Tenure DecisionsAdvisor Awards
(local and national)Recognition by Administration
Intrinsic Rewards:
Contributions to students’ growth and success
Satisfaction of teaching both inside and outside the classroom
Student appreciation
Advising Challenges
Gaining Institutional Support
Understand and navigate campus politics• Be visible• Know the players and build relationships• Recognize the “hot spots”• Identify and articulate priorities• Collaborate with other departments and
units• Share information and successes
Advising Challenges
Gaining Institutional Support
• Connect advising to key initiatives on campus, i.e. retention, graduation rates, student persistence
• Provide assessment of advising• Connect advising to the mission of the
institution• Build support for advising with student
leaders and alumni
Advising Challenges
Advising Administration Challenges
Unit Issues:• Mission• Advising model• Delivery of services• Professional development and staff
motivation • Rewarding staff• Faculty advising issues• Finance/budgeting
Advising Challenges
Advising Administration Challenges
Campus Issues:• Identify Campus Allies (Get out of your
office!)• Outreach to Campus Groups• Campus Politics• Communicating with Administration
PeersOverarching Issues:• Technology• Assessment/Evaluation/Planning
Advising Challenges
Changing Student Demographics
Diversity of Students– Ethnic/racial background– LGBTQ– Underprepared – Special Needs
• Disabilities• Mental Illness
– Nontraditional Students• Age of students• Delayed enrollment• Part time• Work full time• Financially independent• Families/Children• Veterans
Advising Challenges
Retention and Graduation Rates
• Be prepared to demonstrate what you are doing to help in retention efforts
A) Spend staff/office time identifying what your office does to promote student retention.B) Learn what other schools are doing through academic advising to increase retention.C) What research/publications are available to help you address your specific student populations?
• Be prepared to make recommendations for improvements your office (and other offices) can make to positively affect retention
A) You know what students need. What else can you/your office provide with appropriate time/resources?
Advising Challenges
Financing Advising Programs
• Improved retention, persistence, and graduation rates (RPG) yield positive financial results.
• Some institutions have used advising fees to provide for additional staffing.
• Other institutions have made use of volunteer advisors (alumni, retired faculty) during peak periods.
Advising Challenges
Administration of Advising Cluster
• Advising Administration Commission
• Advisor Training and Development Commission
• Assessment of Advising Commission
• Ethics and Legal issues in Advising Interest Group
Steering Committee Representative:
David Spight, Asst. Dean for Advising, University of Texas-Austin (512-232-8405) //[email protected]
Advising Challenges
Group Activity
Questions???? Review????
Have a terrific NACADA Conference!