1. Strengthening relationships
Impacting Student Success through Faculty/Advisor Collaboration
Ellen Sorg & Angie McGinnis, Owens Community College-Findlay Campus

2. Faculty/advisor relationships matter!
Research notes that strong relationships between advisors and faculty lead to higher levels of:
Academic Success
Intellectual Development
Retention

3. Research shows . . .
According to reports from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, “faculty members play a key role in opening up their academic discipline to students. Once students declare a major they are provided access to faculty advisors/mentors who can support them in their major planning and progression toward their career. As they consider research and internship opportunities, future careers, as well as graduate and professional schools, students often seek the expertise and insight only faculty can provide.”
BUT
Advisors are “less intimidating than faculty, who are inaccessible to a certain extent” (Selingo). According to the research compiled by Jeffrey Selingo regarding Temple University’s advising model, students tend to get more time in an appointment when meeting with academic advisors rather than faculty. The session focuses on more than just a class schedule; for instance, course sequencing is discussed, campus resources may be noted, and students may discuss their majors and minors. Further, advisors are offered training specific to the college’s multiple programs and changes that have occurred.

4. Not Only That . . .
According to the American College Personnel Association’s “Student Learning Imperative,”
Opportunities for activity inside and outside the classroom lead to gains in student success
Advisors should work “to make ‘seamless’ what are often perceived by students to be disjointed, unconnected experiences by bridging organizational boundaries and forging collaborative partnerships with faculty and others to enhance student learning.”
Research cited in an article by Charlie Nutt (Executive Director of NACADA) expands:
“It is the people who come face-to-face with students on a regular basis who provide the positive growth experiences for students that enable them to identify their goals and talents and learn how to put them to use. The caring attitude of college personnel is viewed as the most potent retention force on a campus.”
Also, efforts to retain students should include all parts of the campus while also “building strong and effective connections between the advising program and the various components of campus.”

5. A Message to Students:

6. The Student matter (s)
Based on current research in her book The College Fear Factor: How Students and Professors Misunderstand One Another, Rebecca Cox posits that many students, particularly at community colleges, enter college with numerous fears.

7. “Quitting is the ultimate fear management strategy.”
Results of fear
As Rebecca Cox puts it:
“Quitting is the ultimate fear management strategy.”

8. We need each other!
Clearly, the faculty/advisor relationship is important. Students often need the expertise of both the faculty members and the academic advisors in order to succeed and persist.

9. Connections to poverty
One guiding principle noted in Bridges Out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities by Philip DeVol, Ruby Payne, and Terie Dreussi Smith is:
No significant learning
occurs without a
significant relationship.
–Dr. James Comer

10. Differences in Language
Points to consider
The Bridges Out of Poverty program points to several factors that impact a student’s ability to succeed:
Mental Models
Hidden Rules
Differences in Language
Available Resources

11. What we are doing now Advisor-faculty conversation sessions
Advising newsletter
Co-sponsored events
Community garden
Faculty breakfast
Classroom presentations
Collaboration on class schedule
Food pantry project

12. Electronic Newsletter From Advising for Faculty

13. Spring Fling 2016

14. Chili Cook-Off 2015

15. Owens-Findlay Campus Garden

16. What we hope to do Increase attendance at collaborative events
Include more time for social interaction between faculty and advisors
Attend more department meetings where many faculty are present

17. Your ideas!
What are some ways advisors and faculty interact and collaborate at your institution?
What are some rewards or challenges you see in implementing collaborative relationships with faculty?

18. Questions?

19. For more info . . .
American College Personnel Association. “The Student Learning Imperative: Implications for Student
Affairs.” ACPA Web. 1 June 2016.
Cox, Rebecca. The College Fear Factor: How Students and Professors Misunderstand
One Another. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, Print.
Nutt, Charlie. “Academic Advising and Student Retention and Persistence.” NACADA Clearinghouse of
Academic Advising Resources Web. 1 June 2016.
Selingo, Jerry. “Who Advises Best, Pros or Profs?” The New York Times 13 April 2014: ED8. Print.
University of Minnesota Twin Cities. “Task Force on Undergraduate Academic Advising.” Web.
1June 2016.
Ellen Sorg,
Angie McGinnis,