NACADA President Kyle Ross outlines pathways to involvement in the association.
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As long as there is hope, there is a chance for change. Change means growth, which means we blossom into better versions of ourselves.
It is no secret the work of an academic advisor can be stressful. With large caseloads, changing policies and demands from upper administration, and the wide varieties of emotions students bring to our office, it often can be overwhelming—and the field acknowledges this fact.
In creating space for students, advisors and educators can thoughtfully reconstruct the ways in which inclusive practices are utilized while working with students, specifically those who identify in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Perhaps the best advice for the future of advising is simple: practice being more human through listening, showing empathy, and compassion.
Meeting students on their level via social media usage has helped the authors become more holistic in their advising approach.
The merit, purpose, and logistics of fulfilling general education requirements is a salient advising topic in conversations with students across a variety of undergraduate colleges and universities. A tailored approach is needed to meet the unique needs and interests of each individual student as they consider the many general education choices available to them.
Advising in the liberal arts needs to make a fundamental shift in the definition of advising towards a model of integrating career and academic advising and changing what advising is for student success.
A personal advising philosophy should be sufficiently structured to give a framework to the advising process, but fluid enough to allow encounters with new scenarios, new students, and new academic and curricular developments. It should be nimble enough to respond to the ever-changing world of higher education in an ever-changing world.
Students from first-generation, specialized populations, and first year limited income (FLI) communities who gain access to higher education, must be supported by advisors with robust resources incorporating advising theory and framework to help students build a trajectory of new life opportunities.
