Advisors are from Mars. Faculty are from Venus…or are They Advisors are from Mars. Faculty are from Venus…or are They? Collaborative Advising to Support a Faculty Advising Model Sarah Timko-Jodlbauer, Salisbury University Stacy Edwards Outlaw, Elon University

Profile: Elon University Private master’s level university located in Elon, North Carolina 6,739 students (6,008 undergraduate students; 731 graduate students) Ethnic diversity: 18% Top states (undergrad): NC, MA, NJ, NY, CT, MD Tuition & fees: $44,599 Calendar: 4-1-4 (includes January term) 60+ majors Full-time faculty: 425

Academic Advising at Elon Incoming first-year students are placed into Elon 101, an academic advising seminar designed to help students adjust to the academic expectations at Elon.  Elon 101 instructors (faculty and professional staff) serve as the student’s academic advisor until the student officially declares his or her major.  Once a student officially declare a major, he or she is assigned to a faculty member in their major department. Academic Advising Center: staffed with four professional advisors . The center primarily serves students who have yet to declare a major and supplement the advising that occurs between faculty and their advisees. 

Faculty Advising Model Faculty serve as excellent resources for students who are considering a particular discipline (Reinarz, 2000). According to Baker and Griffin (2010), interaction with faculty: improves students’ development as thinkers and scholars Increases confidence in their own abilities Increases integration into the campus community Increases student interest in graduate education Promotes the success of students from underrepresented backgrounds

Faculty Advising Model Faculty advisors who willingly participate in advising become “better instructors because they are “forced to learn more about the institution and see the student in different ways” (O’Banion, 2009, p. 87).

Faculty Advising Model Faculty have to juggle multiple responsibilities...where does advising fit in? Adapted from Preparing Future Faculty, 2017 How to support the faculty advising model? Survey room for faculty advisors to discuss how advising fits in at their institutions. How does this fit with tenure? Is advising considered part service/teaching?

Profile: Salisbury University Public doctoral level university located in Salisbury, Maryland 8,748 students (7,867 undergraduate students; 887 graduate students) Ethnic diversity: 26.9% Out-of-state students: 16.7% Tuition & fees: In-State $9,582 Out-of-State $18,622 Calendar: 4-1-4 (includes January term) 43 Undergraduate Programs, 15 Graduate Programs Full-time faculty: 411

Academic Advising at Salisbury Incoming first-year students are placed with professional academic advisors. Professional Academic Advisors advise students within specific disciplines. Some majors have both a professional academic advisor and a faculty mentor/advisor. After the first year at Salisbury, he or she is assigned to a faculty member in their major department. Academic Advising Center: staffed with seven professional advisors. The center primarily serves first year students through the professional advising model.

Professional Advising Model Migden (1989) argues that professional advisors are “in the best position to meet student needs because they understand the needs of undecided students, are committed to the retention of students, are more accessible than faculty, and link students with other campus services” (p. 63).

Professional Advising Model Professional advisors may have high caseloads that can be overwhelming with too much student contact and too little time to provide even adequate advising (Reinarz, 2000; Tuttle, 2000). Professional advisors may lack teaching experience, knowledge, and involvement within a specific discipline. (Reinarz, 2000).

Activity

Activity Instructions Stand Up Walk around the room until you hear the music stop. Find a partner Introduce yourself: Name, Institution, Position, Campus Advising Model Discuss the question on the screen. Repeat steps 1-5

What are some advantages of your advising model? Question #1 What are some advantages of your advising model? Help from faculty Faculty mentor, not advisor Faculty getting to know students Professional advisors trained in social justice, etc. All OF US

What are some challenges of your advising model? Question #2 What are some challenges of your advising model? US v. THEM (Respect) Don’t want to move to “faculty mentor” Keeping everyone informed Faculty advising loads How to support multi major students

What support systems do you wish you had on campus to aid in advising? Question #3 What support systems do you wish you had on campus to aid in advising? Technology/Data More than Scheduler/upper administration understanding Training on technology/models Money

Question #4 What opportunities do you see for across-campus collaboration (i.e. faculty/professional advisors, career services, housing, admissions, etc.) Academic units Meetings about best practices; sharing across campus Training with other departments Partner with Orientation Online Orientation to learn more

Best practices for collaboration between faculty and professional advisors (Hamton, 2004; Krush & Winn, 2010) Faculty and professional advisors should strive to build effective relationships not only with each other but with colleagues across campus in various student services areas. Professional advisors can become liaisons with specific academic departments. Professionals can get to know the research and teaching interests of the faculty. Faculty advisors, alongside professional advisors, can participate in campus recruiting events.

Best practices for collaboration between faculty and professional advisors (Hamton, 2004; Krush & Winn, 2010) Professional advisors and faculty advisors can collaborate to assess student satisfaction with academic advising at their institutions. Professional advisors should constantly remind faculty advisors of their importance to students. (faculty are a critical component of the equation)

The Bottom Line High quality advising is an integral component of a student’s undergraduate experience (Hurt & Barro, 2006; Baker & Griffin, 2010). Research confirms that advising is a critical piece of retention and students are more likely to persevere when they are connected to a professional or faculty advisor. It’s not “us v. them”- need to find ways to collaborate in an effort to ensure student success.

Contact Information Sarah Timko-Jodlbauer, Salisbury University satimko-jodlbauer@salisbury.edu) Stacy Edwards Outlaw, Elon University soutlaw@elon.edu

References Baker, K.L., & Griffin, K.A. (2010). Beyond mentoring and advising: Toward understanding the role of faculty “developers” in student success. About Campus, 14(6) 2-8. Elon University (2017). Retrieved from www.elon.edu Hurt, R.L., & Barro, F. (2006). Advising implications of undergraduates’ motivations for entering the accounting profession. NACADA Journal, 26(1), 19-23. Krush, J.M., & Winn, S. (2010). Professional advisors and fauclty advisors: A shared goal of student success. Academic Advising Today, 33(4) Retrieved from http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-Today/View-Articles/Professional-Advisors-and-Faculty-Advisors-A-Shared-Goal-of-Student-Success.aspx Migden, J. (1989). The professional advisor. NACADA Journal, 9(1), 63–68

References O'Banion, T. (2009). An academic advising model. NACADA Journal, 29(1), 83-89. Preparing Future Faculty (2017). Retrieved from http://www.preparing-faculty.org/pffweb.roles.htm Reinarz, A. G. (2000). Delivering academic advising: Advisor types. In V. N. Gordon & W. R. Habley (Eds.), Academic advising: A comprehensive handbook (pp. 210–219). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Salisbury University (2017). Retrieved from www.salisbury.edu Tuttle, K.N. (2000). Academic advising. New Directions for Higher Education, 2000(111), 15- 24.