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.
A message from NACADA Board of Directors, Teri Farr
Higher education professionals have reported an increase in student’s needs for access to mental health care and students’ feelings around disconnectedness. Institutions may be able to respond to some of these challenges through various support services such as counseling and emergency funding. At the same time, students working with campus advisors may decide that taking a step away from college for the moment is the best decision for them. This article provides insight into the ways in which advisors may still be a valuable resource while students are temporarily not enrolled in an institution in order to support a smooth return to campus.
At-risk adult learners face a myriad of challenges when it comes to degree completion. In order to effectively build relationships with this population, student affairs professionals should be aware of their communication strategies. Utilizing Social Penetration Theory and the Appreciative Advising model can allow for student affairs professionals to form a stream-lined communication plan with these at-risk adult learners, in order to help them be successful.
Academic advisors help students achieve their goals and earn degrees, but few studies explore advisors’ own educational backgrounds. This paper reports findings from a survey—distributed through the NACADA listserv—on the experiences of 430 advisors with advanced degrees. The survey asked questions about advisors’ educational backgrounds, including types of degrees and majors, the academic activities they participate in (teaching and research), the advantages and drawbacks to having an advanced degree, and how their degrees impact their advising. After a summary of these findings, there are recommendations for how institutions of higher learning could improve advisor satisfaction and strengthen universities.
In this article, two STEM advisors share their perspectives on the challenges of advising for technical disciplines that can lead to dissatisfaction or burnout. The authors also provide recommendations for advising staff and administrators on how to cultivate higher job satisfaction among advisors of all disciplines.
The authors share their experiences of the transition from working with traditional undergraduate students to working with graduate and professional students, highlighting the need for more literature, resources, and support for those advising graduate and professional students.
