Evidence of advising or some sort of organized institutional guidance for students can be traced back to the earliest days of American higher education. In the earliest historical accounts, this was delivered from faculty or from more senior students in the formal or informal role of peer leaders (Cohen & Kisker, 2009). As advising, most often in the domain of academics, became codified as a formalized student support activity at colleges and universities and a profession of primary-role advisers emerged, it became a fixture in the practice and scholarship of higher education (Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, 2019; Fox & Martin, 2017; Hunter et al., 2007). However, advising has evolved and changed in its activity and impact. In its early years of professionalism and practice on campuses across the country, it was often framed as more student service than academic support. The range of activities in which advisor and advisee engaged included course selection and academic planning, student compliance with academic policy, and overall examination of progression metrics. Depending upon where a student was in their academic trajectory, advising might also include discussions of major exploration and selection, consideration of transfer timelines, or counsel regarding poor performance, probation, and academic recovery. Further, as a front-line professional, advisors were often among the first professionals with whom new students engaged and, thus, had the opportunity to serve as ambassadors of the institution, identify the differences between high school counselors and academic advisors at the collegiate level, and, in the best of circumstances, help forge a connection and community between the student and the institution. Although these activities remain foundational to academic advising, expansion in institutional type, access, student diversity, and pathways into and through higher education have introduced other responsibilities and opportunities to advising that have moved it beyond a focus on transactional services and into holistic student support (Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, 2019). For instance, many conversations about academic exploration and trajectory are, at their core, issues of identity exploration, skill development, and personal growth. As such, a conversation with an advisor about changing a major is much more than the completion of paperwork and represents a reframing of a student's sense of self, nature of their relationships, articulation and achievement of short- and long-term goals, as well as a transition of their place in their communities both in and beyond the campus. In another example, course selection and academic planning, key activities of an advising interaction, are prime opportunities to develop skills and build competencies toward 21st century learning outcomes such as communication, financial literacy, global citizenship, leadership, problem-solving as well as knowledge of a discipline (Rhodes, 2010). Further, advancements in student tracking, progression, and early alerts, systems that are often managed by advisors, are opportunities for students to define and pursue goals and to utilize data-driven decision making. The mentorship and guidance of advisors in these activities is a critical component of and advocate for student learning and success (Greenfield et al., 2013). Most recently, academic advisors have been recognized as key partners in a coordinated, comprehensive, and intentional approach to student transition, learning, development, and success (Young, 2019). They represent an important node in the network of support on campus, especially as a bridge between student and academic affairs. Further, advising has become a tool for equity both as a vehicle for differentiated student support for a diverse undergraduate student body but also as a place where traditionally underrepresented and historically marginalized communities are able to be heard and supported in a one-on-one setting. In an era of socio-political tensions and racial violence, advising is often a safe space where students’ lived experiences and “stories” are told and heard, especially for students who have been historically marginalized in higher education such as low-income, Black, Latino/a, Native American, Asian/Pacific Islander, and first-generation students (Harper, 2020; keynote address at the 2020 AAC&U Annual Conference). As such, advising has the potential to serve a leadership role in our field, especially at this time when we are emerging from a crisis spawned by the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustices. Advising is in the process of realizing its potential as a promising practice for student learning, development, equity, and success. However, to do so, it must shed outdated yet persistent models for and beliefs about advising as a transactional practice rather than a holistic approach that is a “bright star in the integrated constellation of student supports at an institution;” inclusive of “academic, career, and personal goals;” and attending to issues of financial, emotional, and interpersonal well-being as well as academic success (Advising Success Network, 2021). This volume of New Directions in Higher Education will highlight how advising has advanced as a practice, an area of scholarship, and a lever for equity and transformation in higher education. It will illustrate the evolution of advising as a critical tool for pedagogy and practice in support of student success and a driver of change in our field. The intention of this publication is to inspire institutions to leverage advising as a promising practice informed by new standards of practice, current data, and emerging ideals for student equity and success. Chapter one situates the volume and the topic of advising as a promising practice with a theory of change. This theory is posited by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as part of their solutions network approach to their postsecondary success strategy. One focus within that strategy is on the development of advising as a tool for student success and equity, which is outlined in this first chapter and further articulated by core partners of the Advising Success Network in subsequent chapters. Chapters two through four each interrogate different levers for transformation in advising and its emergence as a promising practice. In chapter two, colleagues from NACADA, the Global Community for Academic Advising chart the development and changes in the profession and practice of advising over the years and into the future. A representative from EDUCAUSE, outlines the influence and impact of technology supports and tools to the implementation and advancement of advising and what that represents in terms of challenges and opportunities. In chapter four, Drs. Young and Wen, both previously affiliated with the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, outline a research agenda for advising that reframes our consideration of it as a tool for student success and equity. In chapters, five and six, we are introduced to two institutional case studies of advising redesign. Accounts from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and from Benedict College illustrate how two very different campuses utilize similar levers for advising transformation, such as technology, collaboration, leadership, and data, toward a similar goal of student-centered outcomes, including retention and engagement. Finally, chapter seven draws from several national data sets to examine advising not just as a promising practice but also to make the claim that it is an emerging high-impact practice. Drawing from program- and student-level national data collected by the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and the National Survey of Student Engagement, the authors interrogate the principles and implementation of advising against the eight key characteristics of AAC&U's high-impact practices. In sum, this volume will honor the rich history of advising practice and scholarship while also evaluating it as a tool for academic success and educational equity. As advising advances and grows in scope and scale, it represents a promising practice, grounding force, and space of leadership for higher education to manage current challenges and carve out future opportunities. Jennifer R. Keup is the Executive Director at the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition