Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) play a pivotal role in advancing educational opportunities for Latino students in the United States. While the primary function of HSIs is to enroll Latino students, their true essence lies in their commitment to "servingness"—an intentional and holistic approach to supporting students' academic, personal, and cultural growth. This article explores how HSIs leverage academic advising as a strategic tool to embody servingness and intentionality. By fostering familial connections, promoting student learning and growth, and enhancing students' sense of belonging, advising at HSIs is tailored to meet the unique needs of Latino students. The discussion underscores the importance of culturally responsive advising practices and highlights the need for ongoing innovation and professional development to ensure that HSIs continue to lead in serving Latino students effectively.
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During the COVID pandemic academic advisors were forced to re-create their roles with students in virtual spaces, relying on technology (Zoom, Meet, etc.) to do so. While the immediate concern at the time was to shift from in-person advising (IPA) to remote academic advising (RAA), it was hard to imagine remote advising as something that could rival in-person appointments. Many advisors might say this is still the case, however, there may be one tool in particular - the zoom whiteboard - that can aid advisors in revisioning the virtual space to better equalize the IPA vs RAA playing field.
Quality advising plays an important role in supporting retention and graduation initiatives, but turnover among academic advisors is higher than for other university staff positions (Brantley & Shomaker, 2021; Elliott, 2020). Given high advisor turnover and the central role academic advisors play in supporting student success, there is a need to explore why advisors leave the profession and what institutions might do to retain them. Fifty-six former academic advisors completed a survey regarding the reasons they left the profession. The top two reasons advisors left the profession were low pay and a desire for a better work environment. Based on the survey results, the authors make recommendations to institutions on how to retain advisors.
This article outlines the transition of Virginia Tech's College of Science (COS) from a decentralized academic advising model to an embedded advising structure. The change addressed issues such as advisor turnover and inconsistent training. A 14-business-day onboarding program was developed, emphasizing NACADA’s core competencies (conceptual, informational, relational) to prepare new advisors for their roles effectively. The program included meetings with campus partners, advisor-led training, and community-building activities to establish connection and belonging. Iterative feedback has informed program improvements, focusing on self-reflection, departmental integration, and extended training timelines. The evolution of the embedded advising program highlights the importance of continuous adaptation, leadership support, and collaborative efforts to enhance the student-advising experience and foster a cohesive team.
College is a time when students are exposed to a variety of disciplines and experiences that will help shape their perspective of themselves and the world around them. Everyone has stories they create to make sense of the world, and there are inevitably times when the story takes an unexpected turn. As advisors help students navigate difficult situations, from changing their major to academic suspension, advisors encounter student stories where their intended plan may no longer be an option. As a means for advisors to help students navigate situations where they encounter a narrative of failure, a five-step framework for deconstructing failure is offered. These steps were formed through borrowing concepts from counseling techniques, academic advising, and NACADA’s Relational Competencies (2017). The framework provides advisors with an actionable outline of how to successfully navigate these difficult conversations to help students find and embrace a new path forward through their own stories of failure.
For many college students, academic advisors are the first “helpers'' they meet on campus. Our ability to help our students, the advisees, is only effective when 1) rapport is built and when 2) both the advisor and the advisee feel respected as well as understood during the advising appointment. Yet, fostering mutual empowerment through respect and understanding can be challenging. This article discusses in further detail "Connected Advising", an advising approach informed by Relational Cultural Theory, that provides academic advisors with a framework to foster mutually growth-fostering interactions in their advising practice, therefore, enhancing the advisor-advisee relationships.
This article explores the practical applications of hermeneutic advising (Champlin-Scharff & Hagen, 2013), an advising approach that emphasizes understanding, connection, the uniqueness of each student, and meaningful relationships. Grounded in the philosophy interpretation, hermeneutic advising applies eight key concepts: interpretation, connectedness, world, time, prejudgment, hermeneutic circle, epistemic humility, and I/Thou. Practical ways advisors can incorporate these concepts into their advising include familiar methods like meeting students where they are, asking probing questions, addressing the whole student, and adopting a growth mindset. Hermeneutic advising emboldens advisors to craft a meaningful, relationship rich environment for both students and themselves, and is an invitation for advisors to elevate their practice from a transactional process to a transformative experience.
Budgetary reductions and constraints; Dealing with technological change; Understanding and implementing assessment strategies; Accommodating students with disabilities; Increased role of advising in retention; Changing student demographics; Institutional recognition for advising; Providing for professional development needs of staff; Encouraging and rewarding faculty participation in advising.
As you can see, there are exciting things happening within our association. Many people all over the country are contributing to the development of new programs that will enhance your profession and your professional development opportunities. I thank them all. Their energy and enthusiasm are contagious. Come to Salt Lake City in late September and share in our excitement. We know that being there will 'light the fire within!'
This is always a busy time of the year for us, but with the arrival of Charlie Nutt as Associate Director, things are really hopping! We received 382 presentation proposals for the National Conference in Salt Lake City and 336 have been accepted for presentation! The topics are wide-ranging and will provide an excellent program in addition to the wonderful venue provided by Salt Lake City. Thanks to all the proposal readers and evaluators for their efforts in selecting the presentations. Las Vegas (Paris and Ballys Hotels) has been selected to host the 2005 NACADA National Conference. Sites in the Midwest and East are currently bidding to host the 2006 conference.
