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.
[Read the rest of this article...]
Whether implementing new and innovative ideas or using time tested practices, the wellness of academic advisors is a community issue, involving not only administrators, but the collaboration with academic advisors. Committed to engaging in trust-based philanthropy prioritizing community voice, the Stupki Foundation offered an advisor wellness grant initiative to NACADA Region 9 members with the primary aim to devise strategies for addressing academic advisor burnout and to provide avenues for those directly involved in this work to craft their own solutions. The grant initiative centered on the idea of “money as medicine” and that providing supportive, flexible funds would be a part of the advisor burnout and retention solution. This article provides key themes that emerged along with initiatives and interventions that can be adapted with or without funding.