NACADA Journal Volume 40: Issue 1

We begin this issue of the NACADA Journal with a Letter to the Editor. Somewhat atypical for Letters to the Editor, White does not critique or take issue with McGill's 2019 NACADA Journal article, “The Professionalization of Academic Advising: A Structured Literature Review.' Perceptions of the Professionalization of Academic Advising: A Phenomenography.” Rather, entering the conversation, he suggests that academic advisors might benefit from embracing a faculty mindset. In so doing, White argues, the debate about this topic may become moot. His narrative chronicles the development of the field of academic advising, including the emergence of

A considerable body of research connects students' college experiences to their interactions with a faculty member. Quality academic advising is key to student success and the faculty advisor is a valuable piece of the advisor-student interaction. To ensure student success through academic advising, it is important for institutions to understand how they can best support faculty in their advisor roles. This qualitative study explored the experiences of eleven faculty members at a mid-sized, Midwestern public institution in their role of academic advisor. The findings suggest faculty consider their greatest advising responsibilities are to ensure students fulfill graduation requirements, explain graduate school and career exploration, teach students to navigate systems, and empower students. However, faculty advisors experience challenges navigating software, view academic advising as an isolated process, receive unclear expectations, and observe workload inequity. An awareness of these difficulties should impact how higher education administrators support faculty advisors and how they demonstrate their appreciation for the advising work faculty do.

Academic advising is integral to student success in higher education. However, few studies have explored the beliefs, practices, and well-being of advisors. In this study, we introduce an instrument designed to explore advisors' beliefs, practices, and well-being based on literature that addresses advising approaches and their theoretical connections, along with research on measuring well-being. Trends and themes of advisors' beliefs, practices, and factors associated with their perception of well-being were highlighted using responses from 136 advisors from various U.S. higher education institutions. We also consider implications from both individual and institutional perspectives.

As academic advisors help students navigate academic challenges toward a degree, seemingly mundane interactions have the potential to shape students' beliefs about themselves and their abilities. This study examines whether subtle cues within messages from advisors may help students develop what Carol Dweck calls a growth mindset—the belief that ability is malleable through effort, strategy, and help-seeking—and lead to greater perceived support from advisors and student confidence. Drawing on focus groups and interviews with twenty undergraduate students at a large public university, this study offers empirical support for the positive impact that growth mindset language can have within advisor-student communication, as well as a set of practical recommendations for bringing these insights to day-to-day advising practice.

From the Co-Editors

The Professionalization of Academic Advising: A Structured Literature Review – A Professional Advisor's Response

Faculty Advisor Perspectives of Academic Advising

Advisor Beliefs, Practices, and Perceptions of Well-Being: Development of an Advisor Self-Evaluation Instrument

Mindset Messaging: Fostering Student Support and Confidence through Micro-Messaging in Advisor Communication

The Role of Academic Advisors in the Development of Transfer Student Capital

Advising Adult Learners During the Transition to College

Are Course Withdrawals a Useful Student Success Strategy?

Early Declaration of a College Major and Its Relationship to Persistence

Academic Advising and the Community College Baccalaureate: Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice

From the Co-Editors

Understanding Athletics Academic Advisors’ Experience with Job Burnout

Rural College Students’ Academic, Financial, and Health-Related Obstacles During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Academic Advisors

Career Advising in a VUCA Environment

From the Co-Editors

THE URSINUS COLLEGE FRESHMAN ADVISING PROGRAM

CAMPUS LEAVING BEHAVIOR

APPROACHING A DEFINITIVE POSITION ON ACADEMIC ADVISING

THE ADVISOR UNDER STRESS—FIRED UP OR BURNED OUT?

WHAT YOU'D REALLY LIKE TO SAY . . .