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 “Even though it should be a campus-wide issue, as advisers we have a unique opportunity to aid in retention. I feel that it is a huge responsibility, and one that cannot be taken lightly. It just makes sense that students will keep returning to a place where they feel welcome, a place where someone will listen and help facilitate problem solving. How could it not affect retention if on the other hand, students receive poor customer service, we are too busy to really listen, and offer sincere understanding. I believe that advisers must realize this responsibility and be careful not to underestimate the impact they may have on retention figures. Likewise, institutions must value the skills that their advisers possess and give them adequate support, training and tools to do high quality advising.”~ Robin Nosworthy, Bellevue University, September 5 “While the relationship is close, it should be about 50/50. There are many variables in each situation that the adviser cannot control or direct. Remember too, that the student needs help, not pressure. The institution also has regulations that have to be observed (right or wrong in some cases) while helping the student to make an informed decision. Consider also parental rights, even though we no longer act in loco parentis. A necessary narrow line must sometimes be walked by the adviser. It is essential that any adviser 'have his, or her stuff together' while helping the student to make a choice of schools. The institution also has a responsibility to be honest with the student in order to retain him/her. No institution should be foolish enough to hang the total responsibility of retention on the advising unit – it belongs to all, from the president to the grounds keeper!”~ Alvin S. Bynum, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (Dean Emeritus), September 7 “This issue may be inextricably linked to the interplay of values between Adviser, Institution and Student. Institutional values that emerge in environments where student enrollment fuels funding may inevitably influence educational goals. I think a comment made by an administrator early in my graduate career is relevant in this discussion. 'When I look at students, I see dollar signs,' said John Administrator. At the time, I thought, 'What a peculiar way of looking at students. After all, I'm not studying marketing or economics; I'm studying the development and counseling of human beings.' I asked myself, 'What does dollar signs have to do with this?''Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.' -Will Durant I work to retain students, especially if it's in their best interests, but I have to believe that what is good for the student is good for the institution, regardless of what the numbers say.” ~ Blake Miller, Penn State – Abington, September 10 “Of course most knee-jerk responses (including my own) would emphatically state that there is a strong relationship between academic advising and retention. However, when we look at our literature, we find that most studies of this relationship are correlational and most conclusions are intuitive. We have little hard evidence that academic advising directly affects retention. We need to produce such evidence.As I reflected on the issue, I reminded myself that retention is but one measure of institutional success. More important ones include academic, professional and post-graduate successes. Of course, these can only happen if students are retained. Further, I see the role of the adviser as an educator, a facilitator, a guide and one who provides support, challenge and even confrontation at times. Success in this role cannot (and should not) be measured by retention rates, certainly not at the level of an individual adviser. To whom is the adviser responsible ... I think both the student and the institution. That dual responsibility is one of the reasons why advising is so much fun, especially in helping students identify alternatives – in courses, majors, careers, etc. – and sometimes leaving the institution is an appropriate alternative. I guess I view my primary responsibility as an academic adviser is, perhaps, to myself. That is, I want my students to leave saying 'He made me think about what I'm doing; he helped me understand why I'm doing it; and he let me decide what to do.' I want my institution to say 'He was honest, fair and compassionate with every student, and his advice always maintained the integrity of the institution.' If I continue to strive for those results, retention will likely follow (but I still can't prove it).” ~ Tom Grites, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, September 17 The Mentor is published by Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies Available online at www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/ Privacy and Legal Statements | Copyright | © The Pennsylvania State University | All rights reserved | |
