Advisors as Cultural Navigators: A Student Success Strategy Shea Ellingham Manager, Academic Advising Services Mount Royal University

Where is Mount Royal University?

MRU Fast Facts - 4 yr Undergraduate Average class size = 30 students 9600 full time (79% degree) 80% from Calgary (commuter) 22.5 Avg age 64% Female

Student profile (c. 2010) Mount Royal is a great place to start …. 100 history as a college 2-yr transfer institution Reputation as an access institution Mount Royal is a great place to start ….

University Entrance Option One year program Students can Take credit courses that transfer into a program, develop an academic strategy

At-risk Students “Academically underprepared students often have no idea how to go about earning a degree: they do not know what steps they must take or the particulars of what institutions expect of them.” (Miller & Murray, 2005)

Advising at MRU

Advising and Student Affairs Career Services Student Learning Academic Affairs Enrolment Services Faculties Accessibility Services Student Affairs & Campus Life Student Counselling Academic Advising Student Success Iniskim Centre

Advising evolved as we added programs Early days -- faculty only model Current state -- Combination of professional and faculty advisors across the institution Central office with primary focus on admissions advising for current students

Advising UEO students Intrusive advising Target 438 for 4.5 advisors Goal was to help students transition to a program Help them engage with their educational journey

“Our mission is to create a relationship of shared responsibility between Academic Advisors and students that support the development and implementation of educational plans that align with students’ goals.”

Developmental academic advising “a systematic process based on a close student-advisor relationship intended to aid students in achieving educational, career, and personal goals through the utilization of the full range of institutional and community resources. It both stimulates and supports students in their quest for a enriched quality of life” (Winston, Miller, Ender & Grites, 1984, p. 19)

Advisors’ role in student success Advisors are central to helping students set goals related to their education and to guide them to make a meaningful connection with the curriculum (Nash & Jang, 2013) Academic advisors may be the only person a student encounters who demonstrates a genuine interest in his/her success (Drake, 2011)

Advisors as cultural navigators Higher education has its own culture -- norms, values, language traditions Orientation, convocation, degree requirements, academic standards Advisors are the “hub of the wheel” providing students with links to resources across the institution (King & Kerr, 2005)

“ … the moment students feel they belong, they stay in college …” (Strayhorn, 2015)

Components of Academic Advising what the advisor understands about advising and does to achieve goals despite barriers Conceptual How the advisor connects to understand student needs, desires, goals Relational Informational What advisor needs to know to do their job (Folsom, Yoder & Joslin, 2015)

Advising and Student Affairs Career Services Student Learning Academic Affairs Enrolment Services Faculties Accessibility Services Student Affairs & Campus Life Student Counselling Academic Advising Student Success Iniskim Centre

Advising UEO students Register for classes & develop academic strategy Group and distance New Student Orientation 1-1 appointments to prepare for Winter registration and confirm academic strategy

Advising as teaching Establish the advisor-advisee relationship in a group setting Introduces students to the academic community, program planning, student services, registration Sets expectations for taking responsibility for their own education and encourages engagement with the academic planning process

63% of UEO students transition to a degree/diploma “The experience I had in advising was so positive and friendly that it set the bar for the kind of interactions I could expect from other services across campus. It was only because of the positive experience I had at advising that I felt that I could access other services on campus.”

Future Direction Program structure to allow students to sample program courses Small group advising Peer registration Early support

#ILOVETHIS PLACE Questions? Comments? Contact: sellingham@mtroyal.ca

References Drake, J.K. (2013) Advising as teaching and the advisor as teacher in theory and practice. In J.K. Drake, P. Jordan, & M.A. Miller, (Eds.).Academic advising approaches: Strategies that teach students to make the most of college. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Pp. 17 - 32. Finnie, R., Friker, T., Bozkurt, E., Poirier, W., Pavlic, D., Pratt, M. (2017) Academic Advising: Measuring the Effects of “Proactive” Interventions on Student Outcomes. Toronto: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. Folsom, P., Yoder, F., & Joslin, J.E. (Eds.). (2015). The new advisor guidebook: Mastering the art of academic advising (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Habley, W.R. (1987). Academic advising conferent: Outline and notes. The ACT National Center for the Advancement of Educational Practices (pp. 33-34). Iowa City, IA: ACT. Retrieved from www.nacada.ksu.edu/Portals/0/Clearinghouse/advisingissues/documents/AcademicAdvisingConferenceOutlineandNotes.pdf King, M.C. & Kerr, T.J. (2005). Academic Advising. In N.L. Upcraft, J.H. Gardner, B.O. Barefoot (Eds.). Challenging & Supporting the first year student: A handbook for improving the first year of college. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Pp. 320-338.

References (cont’d) Miller, M.A. (2016). Building upon the components of academic advising to facilitate change. In T. J. Grites, M.A. Miller, & J.G. Voller, (eds.). Beyond Foundations: developing as a master academic advisor. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Pp 43 - 64. Miller, M.A. & Murray, C. (2005). Advising academically underprepared students. Retrieved from NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web Site: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Academically-underprepared-students.aspx Nash, R.J. & Jang, J.J.J. (2013, September-October). The time has come to create meaning-making centers on college campuses. About Campus, 18(4)2-8. Strayhorn, T.L. (2015). Reframing academic advising for student success: From advisor to cultural navigator. NACADA Journal 35(1), 56-63. Walsh, P. (2003). Advising at-risk students. Retrieved from NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web Site: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/At-Risk-Students.aspx Winston, R.B., Jr., Miller, T.K., Ender, S.C., Grites, T.J. (Eds.). (1984). Developmental academic advising. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.