It has been a busy but profitable year for our association. NACADA continues to grow in supporting our membership and also in our impact across all of higher education across the globe.
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NACADA (2017) has identified the relational element of academic advising as one of the core competencies of the profession along with the conceptual and informational elements. Distinct from the others, the relational element highlights the dynamics within the advising practice. That said, saying the relationship is important is one thing, designing and supporting advising practices that help facilitate and sustain the relationship is another… How do institutions help advisors develop the knowledge and skills to enhance and sustain their advising relationships?
NACADA’s new partnership with Complete College America strongly demonstrates the centrality of academic advising to college completion and affordability. This article presents numerous ways advisors can boost affordability for their students, including strategies which facilitate timely degree completion and methods for serving as advocates for affordability-related programs, services, and even campus mindset.
Many people, including advisors, struggle with paying attention. If this inability to pay attention occurs during advising appointments, opportunities could be lost to connect with students. Nevertheless, it is possible to increase one’s ability to pay attention and increase effectiveness in completing tasks with the practice of mindfulness.
Academic advisors face numerous challenges, one of which is providing a quality advising experience under strict time constraints. When facing time-related challenges, advisors must decide on what information to prioritize as well as the best conversational approach for students.
Most researchers now agree that perfectionism is multifaceted, encompassing a wide range of behaviors and attitudes. In order to support student success, academic advisors should recognize the signs of both adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism in students and learn ways to encourage healthy, adaptive perfectionism while helping students with a maladaptive perfectionistic mindset to cope more constructively with challenges.
Without the intervention of faculty mentors or academic advisors, undergraduate students often acquire unwise habits regarding course selection. Faced with the scary task of creating a course schedule, students who do not know where to start often turn to their friends and ask for recommended “easy courses.” While the magnetic draw of “easy courses” may persist, faculty mentors and advisors can help undergraduates develop a mindset to strategically select courses and plan for their academic futures.
Higher education professionals strive to provide a safe environment conducive to learning and personal growth for students, but instances of violence occurring at institutions of higher education happen despite those efforts. Academic advisors must be prepared for an unexpected student disclosure.
Veterans have always been part of the landscape of most universities, and many bring with them issues of readjustment, PTSD, and disabilities. It is essential that advisors understand how to engage with veterans in advising sessions and in conversations about their academic trajectories.
Everyone grieves, yet when encountering a grieving student, academic advisors may feel helpless. The author suggests tools that can be used can regardless of where the students are along their grief journey.
