NACADA Journal Volume 43: Issue 1

We are excited to open this issue with a piece from Belmont University's Claire Wiley and Jenny Mills, faculty librarians with over 34 years of combined experience in higher education. For prospective and emerging NACADA authors, Wiley and Mills' work represents an ideal process for publishing in the Journal. In 2020, they obtained a NACADA Research Grant, and after completion of their study, presented their findings at the 2021 NACADA Annual Conference. Incorporating feedback and ideas from the conference, Wiley and Mills finalized and submitted their manuscript to the NACADA Journal in April 2022.

In an

Many institutional models exist for advising undeclared students, a group often requiring much guidance and support through the advising and discernment process. This research explored the experience of undeclared students with a librarian advisor. Fifteen students were interviewed after they declared a major to understand how they perceived their advising experience and their satisfaction with advising and their advisor. Overall, students reported feeling mostly satisfied with their librarian advisors. Most students would choose a librarian as their advisor again. Although interview data was largely positive, areas for improvement were identified.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether there are disparities in undergraduate students' access to academic advising during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were drawn from a multi-institutional survey of 31,575 college students attending 69 U.S. colleges and universities in spring 2021. Approximately one-third (29%) of students did not have access to academic advising during the pandemic, and a variety of demographic, institutional, environmental, and COVID-19 academic, financial, and health-related variables were associated with students' inability to access academic advising during the pandemic. Students from historically marginalized and minoritized identities in higher education were most likely to lack access to academic advising. Recommendations are provided to expand advising resources, use trauma-informed approaches, and offer holistic support to students.

The COVID-19 pandemic raised barriers for college students and challenged institutions to rethink approaches to student retention. Academic advising is critical to achieving student retention. During COVID-19, advisors faced increased work demands and adopted coping behaviors to keep workloads manageable. Coping behaviors are conceptualized as moving toward students and moving away from students. This exploratory study used multiple regression analyses to examine the relationship between advisor work conditions and the extent to which advisors used coping behaviors. Survey data from a 4-year public university indicated that the level of resources and supervisor support available to advisors were significant predictors of the extent to which advisors coped by moving away from students.

From the Coeditors

Librarian Advisors for Undeclared Students: Understanding the Advisee Experience

Disparities in College Students' Access to Academic Advising During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Serving on the Front Lines of Higher Education: Exploring Advisors' Coping During COVID-19

Leadership Competencies for Leaders in a Volunteer Organization: A Delphi Method Study

Academic Advising in Ontario: A Multiple Case Study

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 . . .