Synopses & Reviews
Faculty advising is an integral component of the higher education system, yet it is a largely unexamined activity. This book explores faculty advising as a contributor to student college success and provides information on how to organize, deliver, and improve overall faculty advising on today's campus. It addresses such faculty advising issues as accountability, training, delivery, evaluation, and recognition and reward.
Written for individuals who are responsible for the support or direction and coordination of faculty advising programs at the campus, college, or department level, this book will also assist individual faculty advisors in learning more about the important role they play in advising students. The wealth of information contained within these pages makes this an invaluable resource for all those involved in the advising process.
Contents include:
- Advising as teaching
- Faculty Advising: Practice and Promise
- The Importance of Faculty Advising: A CEO and CAO Perspective
- Expectations and Training of Faculty Advisors
- The Role of Evaluation and Reward in Faculty Advising
- Organizational Models and Delivery Systems for Faculty Advising
- Managing and Leading Faculty Advising to Promote Success
- Resources to Improve Faculty Advising on Campus
- Outstanding Faculty Advising Programs: Strategies That Work
- Evolution and Examination: Philosophical and Cultural Foundations for Faculty Advising
- Practical Legal Concepts for Faculty Advising
- Faculty Advising and Technology
Review
At any campus on any typical day, students and faculty members meet for purposes of advising. In recognition of the importance of this aspect of academic work, this edited book is a comprehensive compilation of chapters that address virtually all aspects of the process through which faculty members advise students. The preface states: "This book not only examines faculty advising as a potential contributor to student college success, but more important, provides information on how to organize, deliver, and improve overall faculty advising on the modern campus" (p. xv). Noting that faculty advising has not been the focus of much previous study, the editor has prepared this book for academic leaders--vice presidents for academic or student affairs, deans, department chairs, faculty development leaders, directors of advising offices, and faculty members who serve as advisors. Throughout the book, chapter authors emphasize the underlying premise that excellent advising contributes to many important outcomes--student persistence, motivation, satisfaction, cognitive development, and academic success and achievement.
The book begins with a conceptual framework through which to understand the advising process. Asserting that "good teaching and advising share the same principles" (p. 6), Kramer presents several key elements in "advising as teaching": vision, role, assessment and evaluation, skill development and campus collaboration, and technical interface. Stated more fully, institutions should indicate the purpose and the framework within which advising occurs. The roles and responsibilities of the institution, the advisor, and the student should be specified. Plans should be developed for assessing student learning and assessing the role of the institution in improving students' educational experiences. Faculty should be supported so that they know how to connect students with relevant campus services and resources. Additionally, advising should involve a mix of technologically supported opportunities and personalized links between faculty members and students.
The book argues for "intrusive" or "developmental advising," meaning that faculty members should take a proactive approach to connect with students and to encourage student growth and success. Such advising involves "three concepts of shared responsibility--aligning institutional and student goals, helping students increase their capacity to take charge of their educational career, and showing concern for students by asking questions that help them make connections" (p. 5).
Following the preface and first chapter, the book includes 11 more chapters that consider an impressive array of topics concerning faculty advising. These include chapters on the role of chief executive and academic officers in setting the institutional context within which advising occurs, the importance of setting expectations and providing training for faculty advisors, and the role of evaluation and reward in advising systems. Other chapters address organizational models and delivery systems for faculty advising, key factors to consider in ensuring the success and quality of advising, resources available nationally (including associations, centers, publications, and electronic materials) to support an institution's advising program, and examples of best practice.
The editor has included a chapter on legal issues relevant to advising as well as a chapter on the possibilities offered by technology and the pitfalls to avoid. The most interesting chapter, in my view, is written by Susan H. Frost and Karen E. Brown-Wheeler. They emphasize advising as "a vital and organic component of teaching at any university" and trace its cultural and philosophical foundations over time. Their discussion of historical patterns and future challenges for faculty advising is situated in a highly creative analysis of what they call "three parallel and mutually reinforcing achievements": "the evolution of the city, the evolution of the university, and the evolution of advising" (p. 223). As universities evolve into "global cities," they call for continued attention to the close alignment of advising with an institution's teaching mission and faculty culture.
Several key themes appear throughout the chapters. One such theme is that excellent faculty advising contributes to student success and institutional effectiveness. A second is that approaches to faculty advising should be consistent with an institution's culture and mission. A third is that, in addition to the attention given to advising by faculty members, effective faculty advising should be on the agenda for senior leaders, who can articulate the role of advising in the institution's mission.
The book deserves commendation for its thorough coverage of many issues related to faculty advising. I was also pleased to see throughout the book research findings and references to relevant literature to support assertions, suggestions, and conclusions. Another strength of the volume is the array of examples provided of training programs, evaluation strategies, rubrics, and checklists to assist with the design and assessment of faculty advising programs. I also appreciated the editor's effort to establish at the start a conceptual approach for thinking about advising. The book would be even stronger and more useful if the editor had organized the chapters into subsections with introductory comments to help the reader see how each chapter contributed to an aspect of the conceptual framework. A final chapter that highlighted key themes that appeared across the chapters also would have enhanced the coherence of the volume as a whole. Despite these shortcomings, however, I am sure that provosts and deans, student affairs leaders, and faculty advisors will find much guidance, inspiration, and practical information in this book to enhance institutional faculty advising plans. (Review of Higher Education, Winter 2005)
Review
"How I wish I had had this book earlier in my life as a faculty member and an administrator!"
—John N. Gardner, Executive Director, Policy Center on the First Year of College, Brevard College
Synopsis
The wealth of information contained within these pages makes this an invaluable resource for all those involved in the advising process.
Synopsis
Faculty advising is an integral component of the higher education system, yet it goes largely unexamined. This book explores faculty advising as a contributor to student college success and provides guidance on how to organize, deliver, and improve overall faculty advising on campus. It addresses such faculty advising issues as accountability, training, delivery, evaluation, recognition, and reward.
This book is written for individuals responsible for the support, direction, and coordination of faculty advising programs at the campus, college, or department level, along with deans and vice presidents of academic and student affairs. It features chapters on
- Advising as teaching
- Current status of faculty advising and where it is headed
- The importance of faculty advising and practical means to achieving a strong program
- Expectations and training of faculty advisors
- The role of evaluation and reward in faculty advising
- Seven organizational models and delivery systems for faculty advising
- Managing and leading faculty advising to promote success
- Resources to improve faculty advising on campus
- Examples of outstanding faculty advising programs
- Philosophical and cultural foundations for faculty advising
- Practical legal concepts for faculty advising
- Faculty advising and technology
The wealth of information contained within these pages makes this an invaluable resource for all those involved in the advising process.
About the Author
Gary L. Kramer is associate dean of student academic and advisement services and professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education at Brigham Young University. A former dean of students at Trident technical College in Charleston, South Carolina, he received his Ph.D. from Oregon State University. He has published 70 refereed journal articles, book chapters, book reviews, monographs, grant proposals, ERIC and institutional reports, as well as more than 50 scholarly papers in ten different refereed journals. he is also the editor of four monographs, the author of six monograph chapters, and chapters in books published by Jossey7-Bass and the Society for College and University Planning(SCUP). He has delivered more than 100 professional papers, including Keynote addresses for 11 different professional organizations, and edited a book on student academic services for Jossey-Bass. In addition to having served as the National Academic Advising Association's (NACADA) president, he has received the association's awards for researcher of the year, distinguished service, and excellence in the field.
Table of Contents
About the Editor.
About the Contributors.
National Academic Advising Association Endorsement.
American Association for Higher Education Endorsement.
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
1 Advising as teaching (Gary L. Kramer, Brigham Young University).
2 Faculty Advising: Practice and Promise (Wesley R. Habley, ACT).
3 The Importance of Faculty Advising: A CEO and CAO Perspective (Robert E. Glennen, Emporia State University).
4 Expectations and Training of Faculty Advisors (Faye Vowell & Phillip J. Farren, Western New Mexico University).
5 The Role of Evaluation and Reward in Faculty Advising (Victoria A. McGillin, Wheaton College).
6 Organizational Models and Delivery Systems for Faculty Advising (Margaret C. King, Schenectady County Community College).
7 Managing and Leading Faculty Advising to Promote Success (David H. Goldenberg, University of Hartford & Steve B. Permuth, University of South Florida).
8 Resources to Improve Faculty Advising on Campus (Betsy McCalla-Wriggins, Rowan University).
9 Outstanding Faculty Advising Programs: Strategies That Work (Franklin P. Wilbur, Syracuse University).
10 Evolution and Examination: Philosophical and Cultural Foundations for Faculty Advising (Susan H. Frost & Karen E. Brown-Wheeler, Emory University).
11 Practical Legal Concepts for Faculty Advising (Wesley R. Habley, ACT).
12 Faculty Advising and Technology (Eric R. White and Michael J. Leonard).
Bibliography.
Index.