Nurtured
Advising: An Essential Approach to Advising Students at Historically
Black Colleges and Universities
Iana
L. Williams, Patrice W. Glenn
and Felecia Wider, Edward Waters College
In
recent years, many scholars and academics have questioned
the legitimacy of the Historically Black college and university
(HBCU) system in America. While many black colleges struggle
to compete with the larger universities, historically black
institutions accomplish what many large institutions cannot
-- they take struggling students and promote significant gains.
Some black students who elect to attend an HBCU enter with
low scores and remedial skill levels. At an HBCU, these students
make significant gains; they can move from the 50th percentile
to the 70th percentile. Consequently, not only is the HBCU
necessary, it establishes an unprecedented level of academic
augmentation among struggling students. Brown (2007) notes
that “HBCUs don’t just provide students with a better chance;
they provide them with every chance” (personal communication,
October 19, 2007). Many agree that historically black colleges
provide a necessary service to black students.
Most
historically black institutions are small and intimate. Florida
Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) is one of
the nation’s largest HBCUs. FAMU currently has approximately
11,000 students, but even FAMU has a small-campus spirit.
At many historically black institutions, professors and staff
members know students by name. At these institutions, many
students look upon instructors and college personnel as “family.”
The students develop a territorial protectiveness and appreciation
for college personnel who show them they care. For many HBCU
employees, their career is more than a job; it is a service
to the black community. Black colleges nurture black students.
One
of the essential services historically black institutions
provide to their students is a specialized form of advising
focused on nurturing. This goes beyond Intrusive Advising,
as described by Varney (2007), and allows the advisor to simulate
a maternal or paternal influence that can help shape the student’s
life. The Nurturing Advisor expects the students to do well
and consistently reiterates that expectation to students.
When a student believes an adult cares about him and has his
best interest at heart, the student is more prone to heed
instruction. Begley (2003) notes that expectation has a profound
effect on student outcome (p. B1). Therefore, if caring adults,
who take the time to nurture and insist on excellence, guide
the students, then students perform better.
At
many institutions, a number of students can lack direction
for their academic and professional lives. From 2002-2006,
41 percent (annual average) of the students at Edward Waters
College (EWC), the oldest historically black college in Florida,
were undecided about their majors (EWC Fact book, 2007). EWC
is an open enrollment institution. Ninety-five percent of
students entering EWC need remediation in at least one area:
reading, math, English (EWC Fact book, 2007). These students
enter college clinging to the hope that a college degree will
provide them with a better opportunity to live productive
lives. Nevertheless, these students often do not know the
steps necessary to succeed. Therefore, advisors must provide
care and guidance.
Nurturing
Advisors extend their role as an advisor outside of the confines
of their offices; they engage in street advising.
Street advising is a term used at HBCUs to describe the active
Nurtured Advising that takes place anywhere and at any time,
including but not limited to the basketball court, the student
union, the cafeteria, and in building corridors. Nurturing
Advisors take extra care to ensure that students comply with
school policies, faculty expectations, and fulfillment of
requirements. The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA)
core values (2004) state that “advisors
are responsible to the individuals they advise. Academic
advisors work to strengthen the importance, dignity, potential,
and unique nature of each individual within the academic setting”
(p.1). Nurturing Advisors extend the core values of advising
into teachable moments, using life lessons to prepare students
for academics, college life, and other expectations or demands
placed on students in the college environment. Likewise, when
a student fails, the Nurturing Advisor views this as a personal
failure.
This
type of student-advisor relationship simulates that of a concerned
family member. This relationship can improve the student matriculation
processes and provides students with a sense of security.
The relationship also provides a sense of connectedness where
students feel that they belong to the school and that the
school belongs to them. Concerning the advising he receives
at EWC, sophomore Tremel Grant stated, “This is the department
that smiles throughout the day. It makes me feel more
comfortable with EWC; I feel like someone is on my side” (personal
communication, November 7, 2007). Grant’s response is typical
of students who receive Nurtured Advising.
Nurtured
Advising can benefit students at many colleges and universities,
but it is essential at HBCUs. Although originally established
to educate descendents of African slaves, historically black
institutions have become a gateway of opportunity for black
students to compete in today’s society. When the relationship
between the student and the advisor is such that the student
knows that the advisor cares for him as an individual, the
student feels he has support.
The
Academy must focus on student success; Nurtured Advising is
an essential part of this process.
Begley,
S. (2003, Nov.). Expectation may alter outcome far more than
we realize. Wall Street Journal-Eastern Edition, 242 (92),
B1. Retrieved November 2, 2007, from the EBSCOhost database.
Brown,
T. E. (personal communication, October 19, 2007).
Edward
Waters College. (2007). EWC Fact book [pamphlet].
Office of Planning, Research, and Institutional Advancement:
Author.
Grant,
T. (personal communication, November 7, 2007).
Happy
New Year! 2007 was an important year in the history
of NACADA – we hit the 10,000 member mark, our Executive Director,
Bobbie Flaherty, began a phased retirement,
and Charlie Nutt was promoted from Associate
Director to Executive Director. I would argue, however, that
2008 is going to be an even more important year for NACADA
and our members. Our institutions are suffering budget constraints,
the economy is shaky, and the pace of change just gets faster
every day. The one constant is that higher education remains
the clearest and best avenue to achieving the American Dream.
The student retention literature consistently maintains the
importance of academic advising to student success. I want
to assure you that the NACADA Board of Directors is working
hard to move the field of academic advising as well as NACADA
forward so that we are positioned to not only meet the needs
of our members, but also of our country by ensuring that every
student who steps on our campuses has the opportunity to succeed.
The
NACADA Board of Directors is focused on implementing the five
strategic goals for our organization. As those of you
who have participated in the strategic planning process at
your institution know, creating a strategic plan is not always
an exciting assignment, but it is even more difficult to implement
the strategic plan. We all know that many strategic plans
just gather dust on our bookshelves. However, the Board is
dedicated to breathing life into the Strategic Plan by partnering
with the entire NACADA member leadership team and the Executive
Office. To this end, we have assigned two Board members to
each of the five strategic goals. At our monthly teleconference
Board meetings, a team presents their ideas on how the organization
might fulfill their assigned strategic goal. After getting
feedback from the Board, each pair will oversee the implementation
of their goal. I must say that I have been very impressed
with the strategic goal presentations to date. I’ll keep you
informed throughout the year on our progress.
In
addition, there have been a number of Task Forces and subcommittees
created to help us implement the Strategic Plan goals. Phil
Christman is heading the Policy Subcommittee of the
Board. Phil is continuing the work started last year by former
Board member Jane Jacobson. We’re trying
to establish a stable infrastructure for how the Board operates
by putting down in writing the policies and procedures of
the Board. Next, Past President Susan Campbell
is chairing a Priority Partnerships Task Force that is actively
seeking out ways for NACADA to partner with other higher education
organizations so that we can spread the word about the importance
of academic advising and raise the visibility of our field.
Vice President Casey Self is chairing a Leadership
Orientation Task Force that is devising new ways to orient
new NACADA leaders to their positions. NACADA Council member
Glenn Kepic is chairing a Task Force to explore
how best to reflect our growing international members in the
name of our organization. Josh Smith, Chair
of the Research Committee, is chairing the Infusing Research
Throughout NACADA Task Force. In order for academic advising
to have the credibility that it deserves, we need to be able
to demonstrate our impact through high quality research. To
accomplish this will take a multi-pronged approach. Board
member Rich Robbins is chairing the Performance
Review Subcommittee of the Board to develop evaluation instruments
to ensure the effectiveness of the Board and the Executive
Office. Finally, Past President Eric White
has reconvened the Sustainability Task Force that is examining
the benefits of the relationship between Kansas State University
and NACADA.
As
you can see, we have a lot of people working on task forces
and subcommittees. On behalf of the Board, I want to sincerely
thank the chairs and members of each of these groups. They
are doing incredibly important work that will help ensure
the viability of NACADA and the field of academic advising.
Most of these committees’ reports are not due until September,
but I want to assure you that your Board of Directors, the
Council, and the rest of the leadership team is working hard
on your behalf.
Finally,
the NACADA Regional Conference season is just about to begin.
I am looking forward to attending six of the 10 Regional Conferences
this spring. I will be at the Regional Conferences for Regions
3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 and look forward to meeting many of you
there. There will be at least one Board member at every Regional
meeting. Please seek us out at these conferences and let us
know how NACADA can serve you and your needs even better.
I
am beyond excited that our membership has passed 10,000 and
is moving closer to the 11,000 mark! Our growth is due not
only to the increased emphasis on academic advising on our
college and university campuses, but also due to the highest
quality programs, events, resources, and publications that
are developed through our strong collaborations between you,
our phenomenal members, our NACADA Leadership, and our outstanding
Executive Office staff.
As
our NACADA continues to grow, it is essential that each of
us takes a personal responsibility for our Association’s focus
on diversity in our membership and in our leadership, as outlined
in our Board of Directors’ strategic
goals for the Association. The Diversity Committee has
implemented an exciting Emerging
Leader Program that has identified the first
class of nine future Leaders from underrepresented populations
who are being mentored by nine NACADA Association leaders.
The next class of Emerging Leaders and Mentors will be selected
in May; I encourage you to both apply to be a Leader or Mentor
and to nominate other members for Leader or Mentor positions.
Our Association’s membership and leadership can grow in diversity
only if each of us makes it our personal
goal to become involved!
Therefore,
I challenge each of us to introduce NACADA to a potential
member from an ethnicity, gender identity, institutional type,
or advising role that is different from our own. I further
challenge each of us to encourage a fellow NACADA member from
an ethnicity, gender identity, institutional type, or advising
role that is different from our own to become more involved
in our Association. Members can do this by volunteering at
the regional or commission level, serving on a committee or
advisory board, running for an elected position in our association,
or writing for Academic Advising Today,
the NACADA Journal, the
NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources,or other NACADA publication. If you are not
sure of all the opportunities for involvement, please don’t
hesitate to contact me at any time at cnutt@ksu.edu.
As
you read this issue of Academic Advising Today, our
Regional Conference
season is beginning. I hope that many of you are registered
for one of the 10 Regional Conferences. Our Regional Conferences
are an outstanding way to connect with fellow advising professionals
in your area. They are also a great opportunity to make presentations
on your programs as well as your own research in the field
of advising. My very first NACADA conference was the 1992
Region IV Conference in Birmingham, Alabama, chaired by our
immediate past Vice President Nancy Walburn.
I still remember how welcoming and inviting everyone was to
the group of newcomers from Brunswick College in Georgia and
how much our team learned about academic advising at the Conference.
I hope all of you will have the exact same experience at a
2008 Regional Conference! Visit the Conference
Web page for more information on our Regional Conferences.
In
addition to the spring Regional Conferences, many of you have
been participating in our continuing Webinar
broadcasts. Well over 1,000 participants internationally
have taken part in each Webinar since we began offering presentations
in this medium. Webinars are an excellent professional development
event that you can host on your campus to reach many advisors,
both professional and faculty, who have not had the opportunity
to be involved in one of our conferences or institutes. I
encourage more of you to take advantage of these unique opportunities
to bring focused academic professional development to your
campus. Also, just a reminder, if you have not been able to
take advantage of the live Webinars, all of them are available
on CD so that you can utilize the Webinar experience with
groups or teams on your campus. For more information, visit
the Webinar on Disk site.
This
summer NACADA will host the 22nd annual Summer Institutes
in Portsmouth, Virginia, and Austin, Texas. The NACADA
Summer Institute on Academic Advising is a highly
interactive and focused week-long opportunity that will help
you gain valuable knowledge and advising skills, as well as
develop an Action Plan to solve a problem or improve the advising
experiences of your students. Many institutions have found
that NACADA Summer Institutes are a great opportunity to bring
together a campus-wide team, representing a variety of constituencies,
to both learn together and to develop together an Action Plan
for their campus. Learn more about on the Summer Institutes
on the Web.
I
look forward to seeing many of you at a Regional Conference
or at one of our Summer Institutes. If I can ever be of assistance
to you in any way, don’t hesitate to call or e-mail me any
time!
As
I look forward to the 2008 NACADA Region 2 Conference,
which will also be the Second International Conference
on Personal Tutoring and Academic Advising, I am
struck by some of the similarities as well as some of the
differences in our work. Your recent Concept
of Advising Statement provides a clear framework
in which you formulate policy and practice. In the United
Kingdom, we lack a national organization devoted to those
interested in Personal Tutoring and the field remains fragmented,
although there is a core group of active researchers and practitioners
in the area. I think we have much to learn from you, and I
hope that we also have something of value to share.
In
my talk at the Conference, I will address the social and political
context in which advising/tutoring takes place in the United
Kingdom. Additionally, I will discuss some of the research
we have conducted at the University of Westminster over the
last three years which is helping to inform policy and practice.
More
than 10 years ago, Prime Minister Tony Blair was elected on
a platform which emphasized education. “Education, Education,
Education” became the British Labour Party’s rallying cry
of the 1997 election. Just before his recent departure, Tony
Blair reflected on the last 10 years. “Education is the most
precious gift a society can bestow on its children. When
I said the top three priorities of the Government in 1997
would be education, education, education I knew then that
changing educational opportunity was the surest way to changing
lives, to social justice” (Blair, 2006).
Few
would argue that education is the foundation for improved
life opportunities. It is estimated that over their working
lives, graduates in the United Kingdom earn over Ł100,000
($200,000) more than non-graduates. It is estimated that the
government also benefits by collecting higher taxes from these
graduates, estimated to be 11% over and above the cost of
providing a university education. But to what extent has educational
opportunity changed in the United Kingdom over the last 10
years? The government has had a clear target of 50% participation
of 18-30 year olds in higher education by 2010, and we are
well on the way to achieving this with a current participation
rate of 43%. However, the increase in student numbers has
come largely from the middle classes and the educational social
engineering targets of the British Labour Government have
largely failed.
Currently,
there is a renewed emphasis on widening participation as seen
in the Government’s HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council
for England) Strategic Plan 2006-11:
Despite
the expansion of student numbers, some groups in society are
still under-represented in HE. We cannot afford to waste talent
simply because of a reluctance to foster it. That means continuing
to reach out to those for whom HE seems beyond reach, not
for any lack of potential, but often for reasons of family
or community tradition. This challenge of widening access
and increasing participation remains a crucial part of our
mission (HEFCE, p.9).
But
it is not good enough to recruit students into University
if they are not able to complete their studies. Students leave
their course early for a variety of reasons. While there has
been extensive research on why students fail, there is much
less work on what enables students to succeed. What is clear,
however, is that the better the student experience, the more
likely students are to persist with their studies. In a recent
major review of retention in United Kingdom Higher Education
(National Audit Office), the authors state that:
There
are two especially important areas where we concluded that
an institution can target their work and make a difference,
these are: getting to really know their students and how,
generally, they feel about their particular course of study
and the culture and amenities offered in the institution;
and developing a more positive approach to retention related
activities that recognise how they can also improve student
success, and so attract students to take up services who might
otherwise not do so (p.10).
This
is exactly what Personal Tutors aim to do by forming one-to-one
relationships with students and helping them to integrate
socially and academically. I was struck with the similarity
of these goals with the statement in the Preamble of NACADA
’s Concept of Academic Advising:
Through
academic advising, students learn to become members of their
higher education community, to think critically about their
roles and responsibilities as students, and to prepare to
be educated citizens of a democratic society and a global
community (NACADA, 2006, Preamble).
However,
to be able to do this effectively we need clear information
on the needs of our students. In an attempt to better understand
our students, for the last three years, all first year students
at the University of Westminster have been sent an online
survey which includes a number of psychometric scales measuring,
for example, physical health, mental health, coping, social
and academic integration, and health and lifestyle variables.
The
analysis is still ongoing, but we have found significant differences
between those students who have seriously considered abandoning
their course and those who have not on almost all measures.
They report poorer estimations of their current health, poorer
estimation of their health now compared to one year ago (i.e.
a reduction in health status), lower feelings of
integration into the university, lower levels of satisfaction
with their courses, lower estimations of social support and
lower estimations of general well-being. These vulnerable
students also tend to come from families where the parents
have relatively low levels of education. It may be that students
who do not come from a background of higher education do not
have the benefit of experience and have unrealistic expectations
of university life.
An
important factor emerging from our research is that the significant
variables we have identified are measures of students’ attitudes,
feelings, and beliefs about concepts and events. It may be
that interventions targeted at enabling students to have more
accurate perceptions and expectations will be more beneficial
than trying to change actual structures.
Our
research is providing evidence for the importance of a holistic
approach to tutoring/advising. This is clearly in agreement
with the emphasis many in NACADA place on a developmental
approach to advising and hopefully adds to the growing body
of evidence that, as your Past President Susan Campbell
(2007) wrote, “academic advising, when approached
holistically and developmentally, really does support student
success!”
Blair,
T. (November 30, 2006). “Education is the most precious gift.”
Speech presented for Specialist Schools and Academies Trust
Annual Conference. Retrieved January 16, 2008 from www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page10514.asp.
NAO.
Staying the course: The retention of students in higher
education. Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General
HC 616 Session 2006-2007, July 26, 2007. Retrieved January
16, 2008 from www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/06-07/0607616.pdf.
You,
Me, and Mom Makes Three: How Academic Advisors Can Capitalize
on Parental Involvement
Christine
M. Spindler, Cedar
Crest College
Today’s
parents are often characterized as obstacles in the development
of student independence and autonomy. However, results from
the recent National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) show
that students whose parents intervened on their behalf experienced
“greater gains on a host of desired college outcomes, and
greater satisfaction with the college experience” (NSSE, 2007,
p. 25). Despite this information, college personnel often
struggle with parental involvement in their students’ academic
affairs; many personnel believe that the path to development
of student self-sufficiency and decision-making is blocked
by well-meaning, hovering parents. Instead of viewing parental
involvement as obtrusive and intrusive, personnel on college
campuses should embrace the potential for building a partnership
with parents. Academic advisors, in particular, are in the
unique position to partner with parents in a relationship
that will benefit those with a vested interest in students’
success: parents, students, and advisors.
Today’s
academic advisors must have strong understandings of FERPA
regulations if they are to ensure that student privacy is
respected. However, even when students are unwilling to sign
a release permitting the free flow of information between
campus personnel and parents, communication between the academic
advisor and parents can be beneficial. Though advisors might
not be able to release specific student information, they
can still listen to parental concerns. Many times parents
can fill in information gaps. In one example, an advisor learned
a great deal from a father who phoned and inquired if his
student was attending class and meeting work-study obligations.
Earlier in the week this student told her advisor that she
was struggling with time management issues and balancing her
workload. The student and advisor discussed strategies and
did some problem-solving, but the student failed to share
one crucial piece of information. When the student’s father
mentioned that she was spending three or four nights per week
visiting her boyfriend at a college located an hour away,
the advisor saw the student’s time management issues in a
new light. A follow-up student meeting provided the advisor
with the chance to probe the issue. In response to some carefully-crafted
questions, the student admitted that her recent social decisions
were impeding her classroom performance and a new plan was
crafted to help her make better choices. Had the advisor not
listened to the father’s concerns, a vital piece of the puzzle
would have remained undiscovered. Subsequently, the student
implemented her new action plan resulting in better grades:
at mid-term, every grade was a “B” or better.
Parents
also can reinforce the messages advisors deliver to students.
Parents of first-generation college students, in particular,
are often unaware of the scope of services available to support
students. (Note that The National Center for Education Statistics,
as quoted by Swail, found that first generation college students
account for about 40% of those enrolled at our institutions
[Swail, p. B16]). When advisors share information about the
process for securing a peer tutor, for example, parents are
often relieved to hear that services are readily available.
Then parents can provide clear, concrete advice when their
students share information about academic challenges. Additionally,
forging a relationship with the academic advisor prompts parents
to suggest that a student meet with the advisor when difficult
situations arise. Many students land on advisors’ doorsteps
because “Mom said that maybe you could help me with this.”
For
a partnership with parents to be successful, academic advisors
must first establish boundaries. When a student has not signed
an information release form, the academic advisor must be
clear about what information can and cannot be shared. Advisors
can use two specific techniques in conveying information.
First, parents often just want to be heard. Wise advisors
tell parents that while they cannot share certain details
about their student, they are happy to listen to what the
parents want to share. Parents are often relieved just to
know that someone on campus is aware of their concerns, particularly
when that person is an academic advisor who has direct student
contact. Another method by which advisors can respect the
boundary of student privacy while still engaging meaningfully
with parents is providing general information about the student.
For example, an advisor can tell a parent that she is not
currently concerned about the student’s progress and has no
plans to call the student in for crisis intervention. The
parent is relieved, and the advisor has acted within the appropriate
legal guidelines.
In
addition to establishing boundaries, academic advisors must
also establish trust. Many parents tell the advisor that their
student is not aware that the parent is calling the advisor,
and some parents request that the advisor avoid disclosing
the parent call. Advisors should honor those requests to the
best of their ability but make it clear to parents that if
a student asks whether or not a parent has called, the advisor
will not lie. Advisors should encourage parents to share concerns
with their students directly in the spirit of open communication.
To further promote trust in the relationship, it is important
that academic advisors follow through with their promises.
If advisors tell parents that they will meet with the student
and follow up with the parents, they should do just that.
Establishment
of a relationship with parents provides advisors with an opportunity
to enrich the advising relationship. NSSE results illustrate
the positive relationship between student satisfaction, engagement,
and level of parental involvement. These results should encourage
advisors to discuss ways to best cultivate the student-advisor-parent
relationship without sacrificing the development of students’
personal accountability and independence. Academic advisors
who promote partnerships with parents help students make strong
connections to their institution.
National
Survey of Student Engagement (2007). Experiences that matter:
Enhancing student learning and
success. 2007 Annual Report. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University
Center for Postsecondary Research and Planning.
Swail,
Watson S. (January 23, 2004). Legislation to improve graduation
rates could have the opposite effect, in The
Chronicle of Higher Education, 50(20), p. B16. Retrieved
November 28, 2007 from http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v50/i20/20b01601.htm
with Chronicle log on.
March
25, 2008 - Swirling to a Degree: The Ups and Downs of
College Transfer
Coordinator:
Karen Thurmond, University of Memphis
Doing
It All: Adding Advising into Faculty Workloads
Rhonda
J. Sprague, Faculty Advising Commission
Chair
The
majority of universities in the United States depend upon
faculty members to serve as advisors. Although I must be honest
and admit that some faculty members resent their advising
duties and others should never be allowed near a student’s
degree audit, many enjoy the one-on-one time with students
that advising affords. Finding the time to achieve excellence
in advising can be difficult, however, especially when the
rewards for doing so are small. Being a great advisor normally
cannot help a faculty member get promoted or tenured, but
there are ways for faculty members to maximize their advising
effectiveness while fulfilling the other responsibilities
associated with being a full-time academic.
Faculty
members typically need to demonstrate effectiveness in Teaching,
Scholarship, and Service to receive promotion and tenure.
The importance of each leg of this “three-legged stool” varies
from institution to institution. For example, while an undergraduate-only
institution might place its greatest importance upon teaching,
a research institution is likely to emphasize publication
of original research in quality journals. The placement of
advising responsibilities varies, as well. Some institutions
consider advising as a service-related responsibility,
while others think of it as a dimension of teaching.
This article will focus upon these traditional dimensions
considered for promotion and tenure, demonstrating some ways
that can help faculty advisors find time to “do it all.”
Linking
Advising and Service
If
faculty members need to show specific evidence of advising
effectiveness within the service category, there are more
ways to do so than simply listing the number of advisees seen
in a given semester.
Advise
a student organization. Being a faculty advisor for
a student organization normally is a manageable activity.
It might require a few hours per week or month. Honorary
societies, in particular, can be very helpful for advising.
Members of an academic honor society can be called upon
to offer informal peer advising in classes or to serve as
mentors for new students.
Join
a campus advising group. If a faculty member’s contract
requires participation in university committees, why not
seek out membership in an advising group? Many universities
and colleges have a campus-wide organization designed to
centralize concerns related to advising issues. This type
of group also can be excellent for keeping abreast of curriculum
changes, policy changes, and new initiatives across campus.
Help
design advising training materials. Most faculty advisors
discover shortcuts and hints during their careers. Pulling
those hints into one centralized location – a handbook or
a Web site – could be a valuable contribution to a department
or unit. If a load reassignment can be arranged in exchange
for the production of training materials, an entire unit
can benefit for the cost of one three-hour course.
Consider
group advising. While one-on-one sessions are best
for developmental and career-related advising, basic information
can be provided easily in a group setting. Arranging groups
according to class year or status in the major will help
ensure that students who need help with advanced requirements
(internships, capstone courses) will not be overlooked in
favor of students needing basic assistance.
Linking
Advising and Scholarship
Integrating
advising into scholarship and research requirements is perhaps
the most difficult of the proposed links, as it is almost
entirely dependent upon the will of a faculty member’s unit,
college, or university. However, if work in publications other
than major journals in a discipline is acceptable, many different
methods might be found for combining scholarship and advising.
Taking advantage of load-reassignment opportunities is essential
for achieving this goal.
Conduct
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) projects.
Many disciplines respect SoTL projects as legitimate research.
Finding outlets for research exploring the learning outcomes
of advising activities in a discipline can help a faculty
member combine these essential activities. Articles (e.g.,
Stolpa Flatt, 2005) and books (e.g., Richlin, 2005) can
be found to assist in the development of course materials
that are appropriate for this form of research.
Research
advising or advisors in a discipline. Even an annotated
bibliography might be a helpful start to exploring characteristics
of advising within a specific educational setting. As a
general rule, any characteristic impacting student-professor
relationships is likely to impact student-advisor relationships.
Connect
disciplinary theories to advising issues. The NACADA
Journal recently published a special issue about discipline-specific
theories and their application to advising (Hagen , 2005).
If a discipline does not publish a journal related to education,
the NACADA Journal can be an excellent outlet
for publication.
Linking
Advising and Teaching
If
advising truly is teaching, this connection should be the
easiest to make. The goal of any of these activities is to
minimize the necessity for prescriptive advising and maximize
opportunities to provide developmental and career advising.
Advise
during classes. Any faculty member can take five minutes
during class to address an advising-related issue. This
time can be used to address curriculum changes, policy adjustments,
or internship possibilities. It also can be used to highlight
university services students can use to assist them with
personal or academic issues.
Design
an advising course. A course designed to orient students
to a given major can be extremely valuable. Done well, this
type of course will almost teach itself. Guest speakers
can provide basics about coursework in the major, services
available on campus, student organizations, and other major
opportunities. Older students can be used for informal peer
advising; alumni can be brought in to discuss their jobs
and job searching. Advising exercises can help students
learn how to plan for future semesters and assemble portfolio
materials.
The
number of methods for integrating advising into more traditional
responsibilities is limited only by the imagination of faculty
members and the willingness of a department and/or university
to accept these activities. Faculty members who find creative
methods of advising while doing teaching, scholarship, or
service activities will find it considerably easier to “do
it all.”
Hagen, P. (Ed.). (2005). Theory
building in academic advising. [Special Issue]. NACADA
Journal, 25 (2).
Richlin, L. (2005). Blueprint
for learning: Constructing college courses to facilitate,
assess, and document learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
Stolpa Flatt, J. (2005, Fall).
The Scholarship of teaching and learning. Phi Kappa Phi
Forum, 85 (3), 3-5.
Challenges
in Advising ESL Students with Learning Disabilities
Aura
Rios Erickson, Shoreline Community College
When
instructors and students contact academic advisors about a
learning progress concern, advisors might be faced with the
difficult task of helping students suspected of having a learning
disability. The problem of identifying a disability becomes
more complex if students speak English as their second language
(ESL).
A
learning disability may not be as noticeable in the student’s
first language. It is possible that a disability might be
masked by the student’s compensatory learning strategies.
A student having learning difficulties may insist that she
has never had this type of problem before. She may have completed
her education in her native country and never needed academic
assistance. Shewcraft (2000) noted that sometimes a learning
disability does not manifest itself in the learner’s first
language “because of the systematic structure or transparent
nature of his native language versus English” (Shewcraft,
personal communication, June 2000). It is also possible that
the student was not able to recognize his or her difficulties
because of lack of educational assessment services in his
or her country.
Advisors
should also be aware of a cultural bias that students might
have regarding disabilities. Students from other cultures
may have different responses to being labeled as having a
learning disability depending on their cultural background.
On our campus, the mother of a student with an obvious developmental
disability came to an advisor’s office to assure the advisor
that nothing was wrong with her son. In fact, the mother indicated
that her son had special abilities for healing and helping
others. In this instance, the advisor carefully helped dispel
prejudices and biases that ESL student and mother had towards
people with disabilities.
Advisors,
in conjunction with campus disabilities coordinators, should
take a careful look at a student’s current study skills, previous
educational background, current socio-cultural factors, external
problems, attendance, attitude, and personal perception towards
the perceived learning problem. When assessing a potential
referral, advisors should first ask themselves if the problem
the student is facing has persisted over time. Schwarz and
Terrill (2000) indicate that s ome of the questions an advisor
should consider are:
Has
the problem resisted normal instruction?
Does
the learner show a clear pattern of strengths and weaknesses
in class or outside of class?
Does
the problem interfere with a life activity in some significant
way?
Other
areas an advisor might consider include instructor teaching
style versus the student expectations and student current
stresses or previous traumas that might cause difficulty in
learning. These factors most likely could affect all learning,
whereas a learning disability usually affects one area of
learning (Adkins, Sample & Birman 1999; Almanza, Singleton
& Terrill 1995/96). Depending on this initial assessment,
the advisor could recommend that the student take a reduced
course load, be selective in the type of courses elected,
and have access to tutoring or other support services.
In
addition to these issues, ready access to a skilled diagnostician
can be a challenge. Few institutions have on-site professionals
who screen students and diagnose learning disabilities. In
many cases, services are offered off-campus and are expensive;
cost might be a barrier for students. Students from different
cultures may prefer access to a professional who speaks their
language or knows about their culture. If this is the case,
finding a skilled professional could be a challenge.
Current
assessment instruments used to diagnose potential learning
disabilities in ESL students are most often designed for young
students. Even though it is not appropriate to use this type
of tool with adults, it may be the only option available.
In addition, the concepts and language used in assessment
tools may have no direct translation in the student’s native
language. Schwartz and Terrill (2000) note that the validity
of tests translated into the student’s native language can
be questionable. The assessment and diagnosis of ESL students
with disabilities is relatively a new field. The need for
more effective assessment instruments is growing as the immigrant
population continues to increase.
At
this time, advisors must continue to use a comprehensive approach
when thinking about referring ESL students to a licensed psychologist
who can provide a learning disability diagnosis. Minnesota’s
Learning Disability Association (LDA) has produced a resource
guide for instructors serving ESL students with learning difficulties
or disabilities entitled “Taking Action.” This guide provides
information that advisors might find helpful.
The
screening checklist for Adult Learning Disabilities adapted
by the LDA in 2002 might be helpful. A brief profile of Learning
Disabilities (LD) characteristics might guide advisors in
identifying potential learning disabilities. These characteristics
include:
Previous
diagnosis or family history of LD
Inconsistent
skill profile
Knowledgeable
in many areas but cannot read or write
Seems
to know the answer but cannot express it
Difficulty
learning, remembering or keeping organized
There
are no easy solutions to this complex problem; however, advisors
can help students by connecting them with the appropriate
on and off campus services so that they can achieve their
goals.
Adkins,
M.A., Sample, B., & Birman, D, (1999), Mental health and
the adult ESL refugee: The role of the ESL teacher. ERIC Digest,
Washington, D.C: National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education.
Almanza,
D., Singleton, K., & Terrill, L., (1995/96). Learning
disabilities in adult ESL: Case studies and directions. The
Year in Review, 5, 1-6
Schwartz.
R. & Terrill, L. (2000). ESL instruction and adults with
learning disabilities, ERIC Digest. Retrieved November 28,
2007 from www.ericdigests.org/2001-2/esl.html
.
Shrewcraft.
(personal communication, June 2000).
Advisor
Training and Development on your Campus
Mastering
the art of advising is a developmental journey. Advisors
develop excellence experientially. As they work with
students over time, they gradually synthesize their conceptual,
informational and relational skills. An ongoing question
for academic advisors and advising administrators is where
can we find and how can we utilize existing resources to assist
advisors in the process of developing their knowledge and
skills?
On
April 17, Pat Folsom and Jennifer Joslin (University of Iowa)
will offer some answers to this question in the online Internet
broadcast, Ensuring Advisor
Success: Mastering the Art of Advising through the First Year
of Advising and Beyond. This Webinar
is for new advisors at the beginning of this journey, as well
as the people responsible for the training and development
these advisors will need along
the way . Pat and Jennifer will focus on managing
the first year of new advisor development, whether that development
is self-managed or provided through a formal advisor development
program.
Planning
is also underway for a follow-up
Webinar, which will take place in August and
will highlight creative usage of existing advisor training/development
materials by NACADA members. YOUR
INPUT is invited!
Have you and your colleagues initiated
programs or developed creative ways of using existing resources?
Are you hosting/facilitating
discussion sessions, brown bag lunches, or other campus
get-togethers surrounding NACADA Webinar broadcasts?
Are you drawing from NACADA
resources such as monographs, CDs, Academic Advising
Today, and/or the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic
Advising Resources to develop advisor inservice-training,
workshops, discussion groups or other on-campus opportunities
for advisor development?
Are there additional resources
that you would like to share with your colleagues in the
field?
Now is
the time to be recognized! Member ideas and innovative uses
of NACADA and other resources will be explored in this summer
Webinar. Contact Leigh
Cunningham or Marsha
Miller and tell us your story today!
Submission deadline is
April 15.
Avoiding
Teacher “Dropouts”
Lee
Kem, Murray State University
Weaver
(2002) noted that “almost a third of America's teachers leave
the profession sometime during their first three years of
teaching, and almost half leave after five years.” A plethora
of information is available regarding what can be done to
promote retention after the new
teacher is employed. To increase the probability of remaining
in the teaching field, can this teacher dropout problem be
addressed at the college level? What issues are involved?
What can advisors of education majors do to help address this
problem?
There
are three areas of concern that affect the new teacher dropout
rate:
Lack
of academic preparation and subsequent lack of content knowledge
required for teaching in the classroom
Teacher
dispositions
Lack
of “goodness of fit” for the teaching profession
Lack
of students’ academic preparation can result from a combination
of student-related factors, such as the rigor of college classes,
poor study strategies, and lack of understanding of their
own learning, writing, and test-taking styles. Many freshmen
enter college without a personal understanding of these issues.
Within the first two months of the freshman year, it is important
that students complete assessments; results from these assessments
can help enhance the probability of students’ success in college
and in their majors. Student results from assessments such
as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ®
not only help advisors better relate to students,
but can be useful in raising students’ understanding of themselves.
Assessment
results can tell the advisor if the student learns best through
class discussion. In instances where this is the case, a lecture
class may be more difficult and thus the advisor may suggest
that students register for fewer course credits during that
semester. Students who prefer group study can be guided toward
professors who utilize group work in classes. The better the
“fit” between the students’ learning, writing, and test taking
styles and the teaching style of the professors, the easier
it should be for students to learn. Students who understand
their test taking styles should find it easier to study for
different types of tests and achieve better grades. Knowledge
of individual preferences for acquiring and gathering information,
how to make decisions, and how to relate to others, can have
a powerful impact on student success in college and in future
careers.
Online
assessments such as the MBTI ®
Form M provide continued access to the results
by any advisor even if students change their majors. The advisor
has access to the assessment results every semester and the
continuity in advising can be most beneficial in helping students
utilize campus resources such as the learning center, tutoring
services, and study skills classes.
Students
who lack understanding of the connection between their own
styles of learning, studying, and test-taking are more likely
to encounter academic problems leading to probation. At midterm,
advising can focus on the link between low grades and the
self-knowledge gained from the assessment results. Students
can make adjustments to increase the probability of their
success in college.
Students’
dispositions are another area of concern that can result in
students being required to change to another major. Some students
may continue through the program and be certified to teach
without identification of dispositions issues. When transferred
from the college student environment into the school setting
where the “recent student” is quickly thrust into the demanding
“adult teacher” role, new teachers’ dispositions can cause
relationship problems with students, other teachers, and administrators.
This abrupt change in environment, roles, and relationships
can cause severe stress, often resulting in dissatisfaction,
dropout or dismissal from the teaching profession. The root
cause of this problem can be a lack of understanding of self
and the fit necessary for different types of majors. Assessment
results can point to areas of deficiency for the teaching
profession that could be considered strengths for other majors
and careers.
Another
reason students experience difficulty in the education program
and in the teaching field is “goodness of fit.” Holland (1992)
suggested that individuals with certain interests and characteristics
are more attracted to certain career fields. There are several
interest inventories available that will help assess the goodness
of fit for career fields, including education. One inventory
based on Holland’s ideas is the Strong Interest Inventory
® (SII) . Advisors may find the SII’s online version to be
especially useful, especially the Career Report based on the
combined results of the MBTI and the Strong Interest Inventory.
The inventory can help students determine if their interests
are not a good “fit” for the teaching field. When it is necessary
to advise students to change majors out of the education program,
showing them other options based on their interest inventory
can make the decision more palatable. When students see that
their preferences and interests offer numerous possible career
options, it is often easier to accept the advice to change
majors.
Murray
State University education advisors who utilize the MBTI and
Strong Interest Inventory (SII) with all incoming freshmen
know that assessment results can open the doors for expanded
discussion about studying, learning, and appropriate choice
of major. This can be an important component of developmental
advising; as students gain a better understanding of self,
they are empowered and equipped to make better choices and
decisions.
Can
advisors help reverse the dropout rate of new teachers? YES,
YES, YES for three important reasons that relate directly
to the use of assessment results:
When
the advisor knows students’ preferences and interests early
in the freshman year, the advisor can better understand
students and provide higher quality advising.
Utilization
of assessment results enhances students’ self-understanding,
use of campus resources, and increases the probability that
students will choose appropriate majors.
The
increased knowledge of both advisor and students can result
in better student decisions thus reducing the total number
of “major changes” for the university --- a win-win for
the students, the university and, most importantly, the
education majors’ future pupils.
Holland,
J. L. (1992). Making vocational choices (2nd edition). Odessa,
F : Psychological Assessment Resources.
Weaver. R.
(November 2002). President's viewpoint: A respect shortage.
National Education Association. Retrieved November 29, 2007
from www.nea.org/neatoday/0211/presview.html.
VANTAGE
POINT
Defeating
Dr. No: How Advisors Can Be Positive Change Agents
Janet
R. Jensen and Andrea R. Campbell,
Wichita State University
Editor’s
Note: The following article is based upon a presentation
at the 2007 Kansas Academic Advising Network (KAAN) Conference.
In
the classic 1962 movie by the same name, James Bond defeated
the evil Dr. No. Like James Bond, advisors can feel that the
Dr. Nos are taking over their worlds. However, advisors can
become positive Change Agents to defeat
Dr. No.
In
the work environment where advisors function, Dr. Nos are
people, places or things that prevent advisors from flourishing
and growing. In our advising world at Wichita State University,
Dr. No was a new computer system. We were asked to adjust
to using the new system despite initial kinks and larger,
systemic issues. We had a choice. We could either become negative
influences who spread gloom throughout our work world, or
we could become positive Change Agents who encouraged advisors
to share better ways for managing this change. Fortunately,
we decided on the latter and made a positive impact on campus.
What
is a Change Agent? Wikipedia (2007) defines a Change Agent
as someone who intentionally or indirectly causes or accelerates
social, cultural or behavioral change. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Center for Urban Transportation Studies suggests that the
ideal Change Agent is outgoing, cooperative and persuasive
yet also broad-minded. He or she is also: 1) articulate but
a good listener; 2) sensitive to but not overcome by the “political”
environment; 3) energetic yet patient; 4) probing but not
disruptive; and 5) intelligent but not overly intellectual.
Change Agents should be unselfish, enthusiastic, sensitive,
disciplined and precise.
Advisors
should have a clear understanding of their preferred methods
for dealing with change before seeking to become Change Agents.
This knowledge can help advisors understand what issues they
may need to address. We use a short “Change Agent Survey”
adapted from the book Promoting a Development Culture
in Your Organization by Peggy Simonsen (1997, 136).
Results from this survey can help advisors discover whether
they were already acting as Change Agents or need help in
improving their skills.
Advisors
must make conscious decisions to become positive Change Agents.
Those who choose not to become Change Agents miss opportunities
to become smarter professionals. They lose opportunities that
can lead to new career horizons and the acquisition of new
skills which can make advisors more marketable. In turn, being
a Change Agent can expand networking possibilities which could
offer opportunities to reshape the destiny and reality for
advisors.
Change
Agents can take on several different roles in creating an
environment that incorporates change. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Center for Urban Transportation Studies suggests that these
roles be classified by the characteristics defined as:
The
Linker – passes information about needs and solutions
from one group to another
The
Champion – actively campaigns against bureaucratic
objections in an influential way
The
Translator – translates needed information into
an “easy to read and understand” format
The
Broker – offers good advice and assistance to various
parties involved in the change
The
Advance Man (Woman) – smoothes the way ahead of
the change so the transition is easier to make
The
Hand Holder – checks up on the progress of the
change and offers assistance as needed
The
Problem Solver – realizes problems related to the
change and uses skills to solve problems before they become
bigger issues
James
Bond – Our character inspiration, of course
Once
advisors have the necessary skills and tools to incorporate
change, they may encounter a resistant Dr. No. Graham (2007)
proposes that strategies helpful in overcoming the resistant
Dr. No include:
persuade
with influence
be
prepared to ask a favor
always
consider compromises
be
sure to involve key people
communicate
reasons effectively
most
importantly, the Change Agent must support the decision
In
our presentations, we use Dilbert™ cartoons to demonstrate
the positive change process. Each cartoon serves as an example
of a Dr. No idea we want to change in our work environment.
Small groups determine the Change Agent needed for each cartoon
situation and what strategies could bring about a positive
change in the environment. Upon completion of the mission,
advisors are given “License to Change” cards that “certify”
them as “Change Agent Advisors.” These cards serve as reminders
of the importance of being a positive Change Agent.
We
know that change is inevitable and desirable. Advisors must
educate themselves on the change process, show confidence
in their plan for change, be prepared to accept changes that
cannot be controlled, and when in doubt, act according to
their plan. Change Agents should keep in mind that all changes
create a few “hiccoughs” along the way. Furthermore, Change
Agents need to plan and work toward reducing unknown factors.
The final and most important change advice advisors can follow
is to stay positive, because negativity in the work environment
will never accomplish Change Agents’ desired results.
Graham, G.
(February 26, 2007). Managing change in the workplace. Wichita
State University (KS): Center for Management Development.
It
takes but one SPARK to
ignite the flame for an idea. Does your
campus have an unusual or exceptional process or program that
could spark an idea on another campus? If so,
tell us about it in 350 words or less.
Send your 'Sparkler'
to Leigh@ksu.edu.
This
edition’s SPARKLER comes from academic advisors at Oakland
University in Rochester, Michigan.
Tricia
Westergaard and Paul Battle, academic
advisors at Oakland University, tell us that OU’s advisers
initiated Advising Week, a week
of promoting student awareness of academic advising services.
The idea was sparked during NACADA’s 2004 Annual Conference,
when one OU advisor heard a presenter make a side comment
about his university’s advising programs. After returning
from the Conference, OU advisors shared other ideas gained
from various presentations, sessions, and discussions, further
fueling the concept. This collective knowledge and the passion
to aid students spawned the idea of an Advising Week
to be used to promote advising, reach out to students, and
increase retention. Tricia and Paul explain, “after gaining
full advisor support, the Advising Week Planning
Committee was established, including advisors and programming
experts from New Student Programs, Center for Student Activities,
and Residence Life. Planning began with no budget, high expectations
and a determination to succeed. Since all events occurred
around meal times the program was titled: Fast Food Advising
Week. Activities included a resource fair in the student
center, evening advising in the residence halls, Golf Cart
Advising, and Staff versus Students Quiz Bowl. Donated prizes
were given out. After drafting a schedule of events, a proposal
was presented to the Dean of Students, who offered financial
support.” Tricia and Paul are happy to report that the program
was deemed a success by all, leading to a second Advising
Week held in fall 2006 and a third in fall 2007. “Although
some changes have occurred in planned activities,” they tell
us, “the basic events serve as the core of Advising Week,
many of which grew out of concepts presented at the NACADA
Conference. What initially sparked one advisor’s interest
at a Conference session turned into an opportunity for professional
advisors to emerge from their offices and bring advising services
to the students. Large advising ratios, piles of paperwork,
and departmental obligations did not dampen participation
-- they only reinforced the need to help more students. To
counter balance advisors’ already over-stretched day, only
one event per day was scheduled. Led by the advisors, the
campus community came together to help the students with an
exciting program that energized students, staff, faculty,
and the advisors! For more information, contact Tricia
or Paul.
NACADA
has been a welcoming support system since I first became a
member. I have been encouraged to write articles, present
at conferences, serve on committees, accept a nomination for
a leadership position and truly professionally explore and
enhance myself. This experience has been overwhelmingly positive
and surprisingly transcendental. This article will illustrate
how NACADA has affected my life. A brief recount of my personal
experiences will illustrate how NACADA’s support of the academic
advising profession, opportunities for involvement and acceptance
of diversity are but a few reasons for my extraordinary experiences.
My
first academic advising position was a tumultuous time for
me. I was a professional advisor at the University Freshman
Center at St. John’s University located in Queens, NY. There
was so much to learn about first year student development,
student expectations of academic advising, professional expectations
of academic advising, curricula for all the majors I advised,
etc. It was during this time I attended my first Regional
NACADA Conference – it took place in Rhode Island.
This
Regional Conference was a refreshing, exciting and educational
experience. I was able to make connections in a warm and welcoming
environment. It was extremely beneficial to speak with and
hear from advisors with similar concerns and goals. This experience
also brought me closer to my colleagues at St. John’s University,
as a cohort of us drove up and back together. I considered
the trip to be a great success. It opened my eyes to an organization
that champions the profession of academic advising, and I
was, and still am, thankful to my institution for affording
me the opportunity to attend that Regional Conference.
In
Spring 2005, I was lucky enough to attend my second Regional
Conference. It was there I met Charlie Nutt (then
NACADA Associate Director, now Executive Director), who would
turn out to be someone I consider a true friend, during a
small concurrent session about scholarship within the academic
advising profession. Charlie and I had a stimulating conversation
about the changing characteristics of the traditional first
year college student. Subsequently, Charlie encouraged me
to write an article for Academic Advising Today
on this topic. I e-mailed him after the conference
to follow up on our conversation. He put me in contact with
Leigh Cunningham (Academic Advising
Today’s Managing Editor), and I started working on my
first article (Millennial Students:
Rethinking Time Management). Unbeknownst to me at
the time, this was the beginning of my active involvement
in NACADA.
Active
involvement in NACADA has given me the opportunity to be part
of a grand international organization and to enhance myself
both professionally and personally. Taking advantage of leadership
opportunities in the Association has helped me develop several
skills: leadership, interpersonal communication, diplomacy
and global thinking style are a few. There are many opportunities
for involvement within NACADA: Administrative Division, Committee
and Interest Group Division, Regional Division, Academic
Advising Today, NACADA Journal, etc. I would
implore any member to become immersed in the opportunities
NACADA provides.
I
have supported NACADA since my first Regional Conference attendance,
and I will continue to support this Association. I had no
clue NACADA was going to affect my life in such a positive
manner. All things considered, I only wish I would have become
a more active member earlier in my career, perhaps at or after
my first Regional Conference.
Fast
forwarding to the present and to begin to conclude, it is
my pleasure to continue active involvement in an Association
that has provided me with a multitude of positive experiences
over the years. It is wonderful to have found opportunity
for growth within an Association whose mission and vision
I believe in, as a leader and a professional in higher education.
I am ecstatic to continue to support an organization that
champions the academic advising profession through a congruent
espoused and enacted mission.
The
Association’s focus is communicated transparently through
the mission: “NACADA is the acknowledged
leader within the global education community for the theory,
delivery, application and advancement of academic advising
to enhance student development” (www.nacada.ksu.edu/AboutNACADA/index.htm).
To champion academic advising is to support an environment
of knowledgeable, educated and diverse academic advising professionals
and leaders. Among other initiatives, NACADA constantly strives
to “champion the educational role of academic advisors
to enhance student learning and development in a diverse world.”
I am proud to support and contribute to an organization
that has and will continue to “foster the talents and contributions
of all members and promote the involvement of diverse populations.”
I have seen and experienced NACADA’s dedication to the aforementioned
statement. I look forward to witnessing the increasing diversity
of NACADA, especially in leadership roles. The opportunities
are waiting.
Apply
Now for the 2nd Class of Emerging Leaders and Mentors
Nathan
Vickers, University of Texas-Austin
In
2005, the Diversity Committee was challenged with increasing
diversity in NACADA and encouraging members from under-represented
populations to become actively involved in NACADA’s Leadership.
From that challenge, the Emerging Leaders Program
was created and the inaugural class is well on its
way. There are presently nine Emerging Leaders who are forging
a relationship with nine Mentors toward achieving personal
and professional goals. As a member of the Emerging Leaders
Development Team, I am excited to see this program launch
and look forward to what the future holds for all nine Emerging
Leaders.
But
this program has not ended; in fact, the time to select the
second class of Emerging Leaders is close at hand. I urge
each of you to take an active role by applying yourself or
encouraging a NACADA member from an under-represented population
to apply to be an Emerging Leader or Mentor.
During
their two-year relationship, Emerging Leaders, with their
Mentors, create and implement a plan for short-term and long-term
goals that will directly connect the Emerging Leader to NACADA’s
Leadership. Whether the goal is to write for the NACADA
Journal, Academic Advising Today or the NACADA
Clearinghouse; present at a conference; chair an Interest
Group or Commission; or work with one of NACADA’s many committees
and task forces, the relationship forged between Mentor and
Emerging Leader will foster professional development and ultimately
lead to the completion of desired goals.
More
information on the application process, criteria for Mentors
and Emerging Leaders, information on the benefits of the program,
as well as NACADA’s definition of diversity, can be found
at the Emerging Leaders
Web site.
The
selection process will begin in May and final decisions should
be made by June of 2008, so time is of the essence. Again,
this program is a great way for members to get involved at
all levels and become active participants in NACADA’s Leadership.
Take an active role in NACADA’s Leadership and take advantage
of the benefits the Emerging Leaders Program has; it’s a great
way to get involved and connect with NACADA for both the Leaders
and Mentors.
The
NACADA Research Committee announces a Request
For Proposals (RFP) for NACADA
grants that support advising
research. Stipends up to $5,000
are available to support a single-year proposal.
Practicing professionals (administrators and faculty),
as well as graduate students seeking support for dissertation
research, are eligible.
Research proposals for 2008 are due March
15, 2008. Find information and application
on the Web.
Need research ideas? The Committee has delineated a
research agenda listing 10 advising topics deemed to
be critical within advising research. View these topics.
Have a research topic? Want
to discuss your topic with other members researching a
similar topic and Research Committee members? Join the
NACADA
Research Registry.
NACADA
Summer Institutes Provide Unique Opportunities for Every Advisor
Debbie
Marlow, 2007 NACADA Summer Institute Scholarship
Recipient
Editor’s
Note: It is not too late to apply for a 2008 Summer Institute
Scholarship! Learn more.
As
I prepared to attend the 2007 NACADA Summer Institute in Salt
Lake City, I wondered how the Institute would differ from
NACADA Annual and Regional Conferences. Institute faculty
asked each participant to come to Salt Lake City with their
institution’s mission statement and an advising problem to
consider, so I suspected participation in the Institute would
involve a more focused intent than conferences, where we pick
and choose from a wide variety of session topics. My assumption
was correct. The Institute format, which combined presentations,
workshops, small groups, and luncheons, provided a level of
in-depth discussion not easily achieved in conferences and
not readily available to many advisors on their home campuses.
The Institute kept us focused on a few key themes, defined
by faculty, and a handful of problems, defined by the members
of each Small Group. The primary value of the Institute for
me was the rich, complex dialogues that emerged from those
themes and problems.
The
faculty set and reinforced the Institute’s framework. NACADA
2007 President Susan Campbell outlined the
central themes in her opening address. Daily, faculty-delivered
General Session lectures kept bringing us back to emphasized
key themes that NACADA identifies as guiding principles for
academic advising. Good academic advising helps students question
and arrive at some understanding of their goals and how they
want to live. Advisors encourage students to connect what
they learn in the classroom with their beliefs and goals.
We also connect students to campus resources. Institute faculty
continually reminded us of our role in helping students make
those kinds of connections.
Each
participant was assigned to a Small Group that met every day.
Because our groups were composed of participants from a variety
of institutions, diverse perspectives emerged in our discussions.
In our groups, each participant set to the task of defining
an advising problem on their campus and forming an Action
Plan they would take back to their campus to set into motion.
Throughout the small group sessions, Jayne Drake,
the faculty leader for my group, kept us on task by asking
us to think about our institutions’ mission statements and
where our institutions fit with what we heard from our institutions’
missions. Jayne asked us every day to consider how a theme
from that morning’s opening lecture resonated for us in our
work with students. Small Group discussions gave us the opportunity
to find out how other campuses define their challenges and
to find out what works on other campuses, as well as what
does not work. While NACADA conferences enable advisors to
identify some of those issues and to hear about certain workable
solutions, the Institute’s group discussions provided a unique
opportunity to find out what has not worked for different
types of institutions – and why.
General
Session presentations reminded us of the principles of good
advising, group discussions provided us with the forum for
a rich, multi-institutional dialogue on particular advising
problems, and faculty gave us their expert advice through
workshops, concurrent sessions, and individual consultations.
Those experts, who have long engaged in the kinds of discussions
in which we were immersed during the Institute, told us how
they would handle the kinds of advising problems we were tackling.
This expert advice added another layer to our multi-perspective
dialogue around central advising problems. I knew that the
work we did in our small groups was important when I realized
that in the topical sessions and workshops, faculty reaffirmed
conclusions we were coming to in our small group discussions.
Though
we worked hard, I also enjoyed relaxing and fun moments during
my week at the Institute. Salt Lake City is a wonder in architectural
achievements, highlighted by Temple Square and the music hall
where I watched the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearse one evening.
The Institute colleagues with whom I shared much of my free
time kept me laughing when we were not comparing notes on
our jobs and advising on our campuses. I knew I was in trouble,
though, when I boarded the bus bringing us back to our hotel
after an evening of dinner and dancing at a lodge in the mountains.
It was a long ride back with Charlie Nutt
leading a sleepy chorus singing John Denver tunes!
The
NACADA Summer Institute provided a unique opportunity for
every advisor to learn more about their role in serving students.
Those who clearly defined an advising problem on their campus
and developed an Action Plan probably extracted the greatest
benefit from the week, but it seemed that even the least-experienced
advisors with less-defined action goals left with a roadmap
for how to improve their own advising practices. Participants
also gained a good sense of the principles that inform the
way their institutions provide connections for their students.
Debbie
Marlow
2007
NACADA Summer Institute Advising Scholarship Recipient
NACADA
Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources!
Features
include:
Advising
Issues and
Resources. 150+ advising
topics containing:
Resource links to applicable
Web sites
Topic overviews written
by members knowledgeable in the issue addressed
Annotated bibliography of
articles/books where advisors can "read more about"
a topic
Advising
Standards &
Values including CAS
and NACADA standards and values; this section can be helpful
for assessing the effectiveness of academic advising programs
Member
Produced Publications including
links to 100+ college and university advising Web sites
and handbooks
NACADA
Research resources
NACADA
publications including
the archives of the NACADA Journal’s book review
section and Academic Advising Today
If
there is a theme to our Commission’s goals for this year,
it is connection.
One
of our goals is to update the resources on the Advising
Adult Learners Commission Web page, so that we can find
links to current, relevant information. Thanks to the fast
and efficient work of committee members Heidi Waltz
and Michelle Schuline, those updates
have been completed and submitted to NACADA. And thanks to
Julia Wolf at the Executive Office for completing
those changes for us.
In
an effort to foster collaboration among commission members,
five Region One members will present a panel in Portland,
Maine, titled “How Adult Learners
Can Get There from Here: Keeping Adult Learners Connected
from Orientation to Graduation.”
Speaking
of staying connected, my plan is to post a discussion question
on the Commission listserv monthly to generate an exchange
of ideas among members. In November, we had a lively discussion
about the ways in which we recognized our adult learner population
during “National Non-Traditional Student Week.” The successful
events reported by each member have been summarized and posted
on the NACADA Web site for future reference.
Let’s
continue making connections and sharing more great ideas during
2008!
Hi
to all Commission Members! I can't believe the first of the
year has come and gone so fast. I have been busy getting organizational
details/activities set up for the Commission. Check out the
Commission Web site
for more details.
I
am still looking for a Commission Steering Committee Rep from
Regions 3 and 9. Let me know if you are interested! Contact
your Steering Commission Rep or myself if you have suggestions
for the Commission or want to be involved with some activity
for the Commission. Currently we could use more members to
write articles or research resources that would benefit the
Commission.
The
deadline for nominations for the NACADA Service to Commission
Award is April 1st. Please consider nominating a deserving
colleague. Find
more information on the Web.
Have
a good semester and I hope to see you at a regional or national
NACADA event!
If
you build it, will they come? The Peer Advising and Mentoring
Interest Group was built out of interest from many NACADA
members and has grown to a total of 806 members! The Interest
Group has continued to grow and has proven to be a wonderful
resource for members interested in starting a peer advising
or mentoring program, needing input on existing ideas, or
seeking resources that already exist rather than “reinventing
the wheel.”
Beginning
January 2008, the listserv began posting a topic of the month
for discussion of hot topics developed out of discussion at
the 2007 Annual Conference Interest Group Meeting. These hot
topics will assist in developing an outline to at the Regional
and Annual Roundtable discussions.
A
Peer Advising and Mentoring Steering Committee has been established
consisting of new, experienced, 2- and 4-year college members,
and members with interest in research. The charge of the steering
committee is to develop a list of activities to move the Interest
Group toward Commission status. Additional activity of the
Interest Group has been filled with writing and submitting
proposals for regional and Annual NACADA Conferences. Several
members have submitted round table discussion proposals offering
separate forums for peer advising and mentoring as proposed
by the listserv members. This decision came out of discussion
that the words mentoring and advising are
used synonymously at various institutions, while other institutions
utilize students and define these two groups quite differently.
Submitting separate proposals will allow these groups to have
the opportunity to narrow down issues similar to their own
institutions and allow members to gather and disseminate information
helpful in both realms. The answer to the initial question,
if you build it, will they come? is “yes,” as long
as you build it according to input from the members! NACADA
is well known for reacting to the needs of the members and
the changing needs of students and staff in academia. The
Peer Advising and Mentoring Interest Group is an example of
how we listen to the needs of our members and react accordingly.
We hope to see you at one, or both, of our upcoming roundtable
discussions!
The
NACADA
Academic Advising Consultants and Speakers Service (AACSS)
is designed to provide assistance to colleges and universities
in the review, establishment, development, or reorganization
of advising services. The AACSS provides a variety of
services at a reasonable cost. These include evaluative
consultants, keynote speakers, and workshop leaders
who can help campuses achieve advising services goals.
The
AACSS matches institutions with experts in the advising
fields most applicable to the institution's needs. Each
consultant has specific skills and knowledge within
various fields of expertise. Consultant expertise includes
a wide variety of fields such as advising delivery systems,
program review, freshman advising and student retention,
to name only a few. The NACADA Executive Office staff
will assist you through the steps to find the best consultant
for your institution.
This
publication is a NACADA member benefit. Membership information
is available through the Executive Office or at www.nacada.ksu.edu.
NACADA
holds exclusive copyright for all Academic Advising
Today articles and features. For a complete
copyright statement, including terms for reproducing material
and permissions requests, see www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/fair-use.htm.
Guidelines
for Submission: Articles are generally short and
informal. Original articles and opinion pieces directed to
practicing advisors and advising administrators that have
not been printed elsewhere will be considered for this juried
publication. Edited articles are printed on a space-available
basis and should not exceed 1000 words. Guidelines and deadlines
for submission are located on the Web at www.nacada.ksu.edu/AAT/guidelines.htm.
Most
historically black institutions are small and intimate. Florida
Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) is one of
the nation’s largest HBCUs. FAMU currently has approximately
11,000 students, but even FAMU has a small-campus spirit.
At many historically black institutions, professors and staff
members know students by name. At these institutions, many
students look upon instructors and college personnel as “family.”
The students develop a territorial protectiveness and appreciation
for college personnel who show them they care. For many HBCU
employees, their career is more than a job; it is a service
to the black community. Black colleges nurture black students.
One
of the essential services historically black institutions
provide to their students is a specialized form of advising
focused on nurturing. This goes beyond Intrusive Advising,
as described by Varney (2007), and allows the advisor to simulate
a maternal or paternal influence that can help shape the student’s
life. The Nurturing Advisor expects the students to do well
and consistently reiterates that expectation to students.
When a student believes an adult cares about him and has his
best interest at heart, the student is more prone to heed
instruction. Begley (2003) notes that expectation has a profound
effect on student outcome (p. B1). Therefore, if caring adults,
who take the time to nurture and insist on excellence, guide
the students, then students perform better. 
On
April 17, Pat Folsom and Jennifer Joslin (University of Iowa)
will offer some answers to this question in the online Internet
broadcast, Ensuring Advisor
Success: Mastering the Art of Advising through the First Year
of Advising and Beyond. This Webinar
is for new advisors at the beginning of this journey, as well
as the people responsible for the training and development
these advisors will need along
the way . Pat and Jennifer will focus on managing
the first year of new advisor development, whether that development
is self-managed or provided through a formal advisor development
program. 
Defeating
Dr. No: How Advisors Can Be Positive Change Agents 
Advising
Adult Learners Commission 
Two-Year
Colleges Commission 
Peer
Advising and Mentoring Interest Group 