Faculty Advising: Roles, Rewards, and Requisites

Purpose Social support may be provided by undergraduate students' family and friends and by other members of the campus community, including faculty. The purpose of this review article was to review the existing literature about the roles of faculty members as advisors, mentors, and gatekeepers who provide social support for undergraduate students. Social support is a buffer for stress, and current undergraduate students are more stressed than their predecessors. Method The study is a narrative review of the literature about faculty as advisors, mentors, and gatekeepers. The concept of social support and its relationship to students' stress is explored, followed by a discussion of faculty advisors' roles, knowledge, and skills and a synthesis of literature about prescriptive, developmental, praxis, and appreciative advising. A discussion of faculty as mentors who focus on students' experiences before, during, and after college and as gatekeepers who look for signs of students in distress concludes the review. Conclusions Faculty may provide social support to students inside and outside the classroom as advisors, mentors, and gatekeepers. Assuming these roles means faculty must consider students as whole people who have needs and experiences beyond academics. Students' stress was clear in the literature before COVID-19, and their concerns and needs are exacerbated during the pandemic. Additional research is needed to identify effective advising and mentoring programs for communication sciences and disorders undergraduate students. Increased institutional support for and recognition of the time, resources, and training faculty need to serve in this expanded role is also critical as faculty members attempt to manage their own stress.

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When Demand Exceeds Supply: Second-Order Criteria Used by Graduate School Selection Committees

Teaching of Psychology ◽

10.1207/s15328023top2102_3 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 79-81 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Patricia Keith-Spiegel ◽

Barbara G. Tabachnick ◽

Gary B. Spiegel

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Research ◽

Research Experience ◽

Graduate Record Examination ◽

Faculty Advising ◽

Selection Committee ◽

Grade Point ◽

Clinical Counseling ◽

Experience Good ◽

Level Of Selection ◽

School Selection

The three primary criteria used to evaluate applicants by doctoral selection committees—grade point average, Graduate Record Examination scores, and letters of recommendation—may fail to narrow the field to the small number of slots available. A survey of doctoral selection committee members identified the relative importance of the next level of selection criteria. Among the most important are research experience, “good match” factors, and writing skills. Among the least important are ability to speak a language other than English, geographical origins of applicants, and “legacy.” Few differences were found between selection committee members from clinical/counseling programs and experimental programs, underscoring the importance of undergraduate research opportunities and adequate faculty advising.

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Redesigning an Undergraduate HRD Program With Stakeholder Guidance

Advances in Developing Human Resources ◽

10.1177/1523422317695216 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 138-156 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael Beyerlein ◽

Trez Jones ◽

Kelli Peck Parrott

Keyword(s):

Human Resource Development ◽

Undergraduate Curriculum ◽

Decision Making Process ◽

Faculty Advising ◽

Current Case ◽

Undergraduate Level ◽

Wide Range ◽

Work World ◽

Program Change ◽

Adaptive Pattern

The Problem Curriculum for students of human resource development (HRD) has evolved every decade and must continue this adaptive pattern to match the workplace. However, little research seems to be available to guide development of undergraduate HRD programs. Fewer than 100 publications seem to have addressed HRD curriculum. Of that group, few have focused on the undergraduate level. Consequently, this article provides an overview of the process of transforming the undergraduate curriculum for students at a major southwestern university to adapt its fit to the changing work world. The Solution The article summarizes the process steps, the curricular changes, and the framework for continuous curriculum change for an undergraduate HRD program. Change may be incremental and continuous or punctuated by major redesign efforts. The latter require input from all stakeholders to generate a curriculum that is relevant and engaging. Details of the design process from the current case can guide other programs working on redesign, including the decision-making process, the rationale, and the choices about courses to include or modify. The Stakeholders The procedure for preparing the plan for the curricular changes involved a wide range of stakeholders, including current students, faculty, advising staff, and alumni. Each group provided unique inputs from diverse perspectives which were integrated into the final plan. The outcome of the redesign work affected members of all the groups, such as the increased relevance of coursework for the students, the graduation of more qualified students for employers, and the empowering effect of involving faculty.

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Faculty Advising: Help for Student-Athletes?

NACADA Journal ◽

10.12930/0271-9517-6.1.67 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 67-79

Author(s):

HOWARD C. KRAMER

Keyword(s):

Student Athletes ◽

Faculty Advising

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Assessment for Faculty Advising: Beyond the Service Component

NACADA Journal ◽

10.12930/nacada-16-028 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 66-75 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ye He ◽

Bryant Hutson

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Academic Advising ◽

Current Literature ◽

Paradigm Shift ◽

Critical Role ◽

Faculty Advising ◽

Service Component ◽

Faculty Advisor ◽

Faculty Service ◽

Advisor Role

The faculty plays a critical role in the academic advising process in higher education settings. On the basis of a review of current literature on faculty advising, we propose a paradigm shift from assessment of faculty advising to assessment for faculty advising that extends the consideration of advising beyond the service component. Building upon an overview of the faculty advisor role, we unpack this paradigm shift and discuss aspects to consider to enhance the quality and assessment for faculty advising in terms of advising content, process, and impact. We highlight faculty engagement in the scholarship of academic advising to recognize faculty advising as more than faculty service responsibilities.

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Retaining Graduate Students: The Critical Role of Faculty Advising

A Faculty Guide to Advising and Supervising Graduate Students ◽

10.4324/9781315754727-7 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 13-25

Keyword(s):

Graduate Students ◽

Critical Role ◽

Faculty Advising

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STUDENT PREFERENCES FOR PERSONAL CONTACT IN A STUDENT-FACULTY ADVISING RELATIONSHIP

NACADA Journal ◽

10.12930/0271-9517-7.2.34 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 34-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Lynda L. Fielstein

Keyword(s):

Personal Relationship ◽

Personal Contact ◽

Developmental Advising ◽

Faculty Advising ◽

Student Preferences ◽

Faculty Advisor ◽

Advising Relationship

The author of this study states that its purpose is to “arrive at a clearer understanding of the type of relationship students want when interacting with a faculty advisor. “ Many researchers claim that a strong, personal relationship is preferred, but is this actually the case? Is developmental advising, which focuses on the integration of a student's social, physical, psychological, and cognitive needs, the form of advising students themselves prefer? The question is a significant one if we are to believe that advising – quality advising – plays a key role in student morale and retention.

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