The CAS Standards for Academic Advising tell us that "the primary purpose of the Academic Advising Program is to assist students in the development of meaningful educational plans."  The NACADA Statement of Core Values tells us that "Academic advisors work to strengthen the importance, dignity, potential, and unique nature of each individual within the academic setting." Again and again, we hear advisors ask, "Exactly how do I go about doing that?  What are some specific strategies I can use?"   And in response to our question, "What topics would you like us to consider for future Webcasts?"  we repeatedly hear such phrases as: "demonstrate advising techniques," "highlight best practices," and "show how the process works."

This broadcast has been designed with these questions in mind.  If you have ever asked, "What works in academic advising?" you'll want to join us as our Presentation Panel discusses six strategic approaches to advising that they have found beneficial in their advising practice:

• Strengths-based Advising -The Strengths-based advising approach identifies the talents students bring to the learning environment, helps students acquire the knowledge and skills to develop the talents into strengths, then teaches them how to apply those strengths to goal-setting, academic challenges, and career planning. Laurie Schreiner (Azusa Pacific University) will identify specific steps in strengths-based advising, along with tools and strategies for effective use of this approach.
• Appreciative Advising - Appreciative Advising evolved from the Appreciative Inquiry model and other positive psychology approaches. This approach utilizes the power of the positive question.  Students gain strength and confidence by retelling stories that relate to past academic peak performances.  Appreciative Advising empowers academic advisors to celebrate students’ strengths as they help advisees achieve their life and academic goals.  This approach will be discussed by Scott Amundsen, Appreciative Advising Interest Group Chair.
• Motivational Interviewing - Miller and Rollnick (2002) defined Motivational Interviewing (MI) as a client-centered, directive method for enhancing internal motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence. Kansas State University’s Robert Pettay will discuss some of the situations where using motivational interviewing might be appropriate, and some of the processes for integrating and developing this technique.  Robert will define MI, examine the principles this technique is based upon, discuss different types of questioning used, and discuss real-world applications for advisors.
• Self Authorship - An individual who achieves self-authorship cultivates an identity that is internally-defined and demonstrates the ability to construct knowledge and make sound and contextually-appropriate decisions. Through her extensive body of scholarship on college student learning and development, Baxter Magolda has argued that a student’s capacity to achieve self-authorship is intrinsically tied to the major learning outcomes of undergraduate education. Advisors are undoubtedly key players in facilitating their students’ movement toward self-authorship. Janet Schulenburg and Kerry Kincanon will explore the concept of self-authorship and tangible advising activities that promote self-authorship in undergraduate learners.
• Intrusive Advising - Intrusive Advising involves intentional contact with students with the goal of developing a caring and beneficial relationship that leads to increased academic motivation and persistence. Research literature on student retention suggests that contact with a significant person within an institution of higher education is a crucial factor in a student’s decision to remain in college (Heisserer & Parette, 2002). Habley (1994) tells us that academic advising is the only structured activity on the campus in which all students have the opportunity for on-going, one-to-one interaction with a concerned representative of the institution (p. 10). Therefore, advisors often are the people best suited to make important student connections. When advisors make connections and show interest in students, they can become the reason a student decides to stay in school. In addition, contacting students in a preventative mode may help them anticipate problems and learn problem-solving skills and strategies (Upcraft & Kramer, 1995). NACADA Advising Adult Learners Commission Chair Jennifer Varney will discuss this approach.
• Academic Coaching - Academic coaching is an interactive process that focuses on the personal relationship created between the student and the advisor.  The primary focus of coaching is to encourage the student to become more self-aware by understanding his or her personality, values, purpose, interests, and passion and how they relate to his or her personal, educational, and professional goals and dreams. Through this self-awareness process, the student develops the necessary skills to be responsible and accountable for his or her actions/decisions, as well as the results from these actions/decisions. Ultimately, academic coaching is designed to help students produce fulfilling results, improve their performance, and enhance the quality of their lives! Pat Kriska and Jeffrey McClellan will briefly discuss the concept of academic coaching and share a few coaching applications that can be used in a variety of advising situations.

Presentation Panel

Jayne Drake, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, Temple University
NACADA President, Event Moderator

Maura Reynolds, Director of Academic Advising and Associate Professor of Latin, Hope College

Maura Reynolds, NACADA Publications Advisory Board Chair and author of the NACADA Clearinghouse article An Advisor's Half Dozen: Principles for Incorporating Learning Theory into our Advising Practices, will start us off by laying a foundation of understanding academic advising as a series of intentional interactions.

Laurie Schreiner, Professor and Chair of Doctoral Higher Education, Azusa Pacific University
Author, Strengths-Based Advising: A New Lens for Higher Education, NACADA Journal, 25(2) (Spring 2005).
Presenter, Using Students Strengths to Navigate Transitions, 2007 NACADA Annual Conference

Laurie Schreiner is in her 27th year of higher education, having served as a faculty member in psychology departments at a number of liberal arts colleges, as a director of advising and first-year programs, and as an associate academic dean at Eastern University. Azusa Pacific University in southern California, where Laurie currently serves, is home to the only strengths-based Ph.D. in Higher Education in the country. She has presented a number of concurrent and pre-conference workshops on strengths-based advising at the NACADA Annual Conferences over the years. She is also co-author of  Strengths Quest: Discover and Develop Your Strengths in Academics, Career, and Beyond, published in 2006 by Gallup Press.

Scott Amundsen, Associate Dean, University College, University of North Carolina-Wilmington
Chair, NACADA Appreciative Advising Interest Group
Presenter, Appreciative Advising from Theory to Practice, 2008 NACADA Annual Conference

Scott Amundsen is the Associate Dean for Curricular Progams/FYE at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He was formerly the Director of Academic Advising & Retention at Eastern Kentucky University and the Associate Director of Academic Advising the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Scott earned a B.A. in Government at Campbell University, an M.Ed. in Community Education at the University of South Carolina, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. 

Robert Pettay, Instructor/Advising Coordinator, Dept of Kinesiology, Kansas State University
Presenter, Motivational Interviewing in Advising: Working with Students to Change, 2008 NACADA Annual Conference

Robert Pettay is in his eleventh year of higher education after a ten-year career as a high school mathematics teacher.  At Kansas State University, Robert is the primary advisor for the 400+ undergraduate majors in the Kinesiology department.  He instructs a number of courses related to performance and behavior in the department and is involved in diversity groups within the College of Arts and Sciences.  Robert has served at the state level as Chair of the Kansas Academic Advising Network (KAAN) and won the 2007 Best of KAAN award for his presentation Motivational Interviewing in Advising: Working with Students to Change.  He has presented on teaching as advising and motivational interviewing at the past three NACADA Annual Conferences. 

Kerry Kincanon, Head Advisor, Oregon State University

Author, Using the Transformative: Applying Transformational and Self-Authorship Pedagogy to Advising Undecided/Exploring Students, NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources.

Kerry Kincanon has worked as an academic advisor for ten years.  Since 2004, he has served as the Head Advisor for the University Exploratory Studies Program, the academic home for undecided/exploratory students at Oregon State University.  Kerry has been a member of NACADA since 2000. He has presented at numerous Regional and Annual NACADA Conferences on a range of topics, including advising and teaching, advising philosophy statements, advisor training and development, and major and career decision making.  He served as program chair for the 2005 Region 8 Conference and currently is a member of the Region 8 Steering Committee as Oregon liaison. He  has also served at the national level on the NACADA Awards Committee and on the Training Video Advisory Board.

Janet Schulenburg, Senior Undergraduate Studies Advisor, Penn State University
Presenter, Encouraging Self-Authorship through Academic Advising, 2009 NACADA Region 2 Conference

Janet Schulenberg is an academic advisor at Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies and is coordinator of the academic content of the First Year Testing, Consulting, and Advising Program (Penn State's long-standing academic orientation program). Janet has been involved with NACADA since 2005. She is an active member of the Research Committee, coordinates NACADA's emerging Common Reading Program, and is a member of the Theory and Philosophy of Advising Commission.

Jennifer Varney, Assistant Director of Advising, Southern New Hampshire University
Chair, NACADA Advising Adult Learners Commission

Jennifer Varney is the Assistant Director of Advising at Southern New Hampshire University Online. She has been working with non-traditional students for the past ten years and is also an adjunct instructor in the graduate school at SNHU. Jen has written and presented for NACADA and is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in organizational leadership. She resides in Nashua New Hampshire with her three sons.

Patricia Kriska, Senior Associate Director, BBA Advising & Records, Southern Methodist University
Chair, NACADA Advising and Academic Coaching Interest Group

Jeffrey McClellan, Assistant Professor of Management/Advisor, Frostburg State University

Presenter, Advising as Coaching, 2009 NACADA Annual Conference