Advisor Retention: Higher Education’s Golden Ticket! Barriers, Challenges, and Strategies to Increase Persistence

November 14, 2024 - 1:00 PM CT

In 2022, Zippia.com reviewed 9.638 advisor resumes to find that 57% of academic advisors had been in their jobs less than 2 years. The College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (2021) found the median time spent as an academic advisor (or related position in higher education) to be three years or less. Do you enjoy the advising profession and working with students, but face potential obstacles to staying long-term? Are you an administrator who seeks to retain advisors longer?

In this webinar, we will explore research-informed key barriers and challenges that affect advisor longevity. In addition, we will present research-supported strategies to promote advisor happiness, maintain a positive office culture, and increase overall individual well-being and persistence to stay. Specific strategies to be shared relate to connection, environment, flexibility, recognition by students and supervisors, compensation, and support. (Solon et al., 2022) and (He et al., 2020) Sturt & Nordstrom, 2016 found that implementation of these research-based strategies led to greater advisor individual and team productivity, job satisfaction, high performance, and longevity.

Whether you are an advisor, supervisor, or administrator, you are invited to join this webinar to explore and consider effective retention practices.

What You'll Learn:

- Recognize the extent to which failed advisor retention affects students, advisors, and higher education institutions.
- Identify barriers and challenges related to advisor retention.
- Acquire retention strategies informed by research.
- Reflect on key strategies to improve advisor persistence.
- Apply at least two specific strategies to increase persistence and elicit change.

Webinar Presenters

Randa Alvord
Randa Alvord is a senior academic advisor for Brigham Young University's College of Fine Arts and Communications. She is nearing her 10th year at BYU and enjoys working with vibrant, creative, and dedicated students majoring in music and advertising. As a first-generation college student, she is passionate about education and incorporates this experience into helping students navigate college life. Randa has never met a street taco she didn't like, believes the band section at football games is the best seat in the stadium, sings along to more musicals than she will ever admit to, and is outnumbered four to two by boys in her family and, as such, became an excellent negotiator. To give back to the professions she loves, she regularly serves on committees and presents on topics about personal development, belonging, and advisor training.
Melanie Burton
Melanie Burton has advised students at Brigham Young University for 27 years. She currently works in the Academic Support Office, assisting students on academic standing. Melanie serves as the office liaison for international students, teaches two student development courses, and is passionate about student growth. She has coordinated advisor training across campus; works closely with at-risk, diverse, and marginalized student groups; and presents frequently on a variety of topics. Her degrees are in elementary education and counseling and guidance, with an advising graduate certificate from Kansas State University. She has traveled to 45 U.S states, 24 countries, and hopes to live in a weathered beach house someday.
Farris Child
Farris Child supervises Brigham Young University’s Life Sciences Advisement Office. Farris has been an academic advisor for 17 years and has over 35,000 advisement sessions. Prior to BYU, Farris worked as a high school counselor on the Navajo Reservation for four years. Farris and his wife, DeeAnna, have five children ranging in ages from 13-22. In his spare time, Farris enjoys spending time with his family, serving, being outdoors, running, reading, gardening, and playing any sport that includes a ball. The best part about Farris’ job is helping students navigate through their BYU experience and working with all the amazing people in his office, college, campus advisement community, and the broader advisement profession.

Core Competencies Addressed

Academic Advising Core Competencies that will be addressed in this presentation include:

Academic advising approaches and strategies.
How equitable and inclusive environments are created and maintained.
Institution specific history, mission, vision, values, and culture.
Campus and community resources that support student success.
Create rapport and build academic advising relationships.
Communicate in an inclusive and respectful manner.
Plan and conduct successful advising interactions.
Facilitate problem solving, decision-making, meaning-making, planning, and goal setting.

Register by Mail/Fax

Individuals using checks or purchase orders for payment must use this Registration Form.

Please complete the form, print it, and mail or fax to the Executive Office. Registrations will be processed in the order they are received. Once processing is complete, you will receive via email a receipt or invoice for the event.
The completed form and a check or approved PO must be received by the Executive Office at least two working days prior to the event. If the event should reach capacity before your registration can be processed, your check or PO will be returned to you.
Note: For your financial safety, we can NOT accept registrations with a credit card via email.

Transfer/Refund Policy

If you find after registering that you are not able to attend the broadcast, you may:

- Choose to simply remain registered and view the streamable recording of the event from the link that will be provided and available for 30 days following the event.

- Transfer your registration to another individual from your institution. (If this person is not a current NACADA member, they will either be asked to become a member or pay the non-member fee.)

- Up to 30 days prior to the webinar: Request a refund of paid registration fees (less $25) in writing.

- 29 to 8 days prior to the webinar: Request a refund off paid registration fees (less 50%) in writing.

- Due to service provider obligations, refund requests can not be accepted less than 8 days before the event. Internal campus substitutions can be made up to 3 days before the broadcast.

- In the unlikely event the broadcast is cancelled, registration fees will be returned.

Pricing

NACADA Members:

Before/on October 28 - $175
After/on October 29 - $200

Non-Members:

Before/on October 28 - $325
After/on October 29 - $350

Registration closes November 12, 2024