What's an Advisor to do?

Abstract

As we all know, academic advising is currently under intense scrutiny by institutions of higher education all over the country. Conferences devoted the subject abound, as do controversies about the best systems, methods, personnel, and so forth. In my own readings and discussions, I have discovered no general agreement or consensus as precisely what academic advisors should do. Therefore, 1 offer the following proposition as a working definition: Academic advisors should be impartial but enthusiastic in their commitment make available advisees the maximum amount of accurate and relevant factual information (both written and oral) bearing on academic matters, on the basis of which accurate and relevant factual information students should be encouraged make rational academic decisions and accept full responsibility for them. This proposition may seem stilted in style and general in content, but every word I have weighed and measured carefully. First, academic advisors must remain imparfial; that is, they grind no axes, push no pet courses, win no popularity polls. Their function is assist their advisees not air gripes or swell enrollments and/or egos. They must resist internal impulse or external pressure (from departments, individuals, or thumbscrews) publicize particular courses or programs, or favor individual students, inevitably at the expense of others equally deserving consideration. Impartiality by no means involves or implies indifference, however. Effective academic advisors enthusiastically commit themselves advising as a vital component in the educational welfare of all students. Beginning advisors usually start out full of enthusiasm, but soon develop zeal-leaks and martyr complexes when they discover how difficult the job is and how (traditionally) thankless. Unfortunately, the complexity is inescapable and goes with the territory. The thanklessness is, however, finally being alleviated on enlightened campuses. Nothing stimulates enthusiastic commitment better than rewards either spiritual or material. Both almost guarantee it. Rewards of any kind remain the exception, though, and the general rule remains that academic advisors can expect be blamed for everything and credited for nothing. The infinitive lo makeavailable was substituted consciously for an initial choice of to supply, but the subtle distinction may well exist only in my own mind. I want convey my conviction that academic advisors should avoid spoon-feeding their advisees. Advisors are not the source of all wisdom, nor can they be expected encompass all the tributaries. They should not have recite (over and over) every word in