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

2. Where is Mount Royal University?

4. 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

5. 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 ….

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

7. 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)

8. Advising at MRU

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. “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.”

13. 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)

14. 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)

15. 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)

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

17. 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)

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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.”

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

23. #ILOVETHIS PLACE
Questions? Comments? Contact:

24. 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
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 ). Iowa City, IA: ACT. Retrieved from
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

25. 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
Miller, M.A. & Murray, C. (2005). Advising academically underprepared students. Retrieved from NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web Site:
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),
Walsh, P. (2003). Advising at-risk students. Retrieved from NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web Site:
Winston, R.B., Jr., Miller, T.K., Ender, S.C., Grites, T.J. (Eds.). (1984). Developmental academic advising. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.