History
It is the philosophy of Shippensburg University that good academic advising enhances the retention and satisfaction of students. Academic advising facilitates student development and helps students determine important goals and directions necessary for the decision-making process. In addition, advisors are the link to the academic system and its rules and regulations.
In an effort to improve campus-wide advising services in 1990, the President established the Commission on Academic Advising with the Dean of Special Academic Programs as chairperson. The Commission began its work by gathering information about current advising practices on campus and by asking the academic community to identify their advising/advisor development needs. The Commission also sent several faculty members to NACADA national and regional conferences, and it sponsored at least one major advisor development workshop each year. Speakers with national reputations in advising circles such as Virginia Gordon, Wes Habley, Susan Frost, and Eric White were brought to campus.
In April 1997, Commission members conducted in-depth, structured interviews to determine the success of the Academic Advising Plan. In general, the report noted that the quality and effectiveness of advising varied across campus. Most chairs recognized the importance of advising and stated that the Plan provided information and structure to the process. However, faculty reported that students frequently do not understand their role in the advising process and that good advising is neither recognized nor rewarded in the faculty promotion and tenure process.
Although some of the initial Commission-sponsored workshops attracted good audiences, most who attended were faculty and administrators who already had strong advising skills. Commission activities were never able to generate interest or draw faculty from those who would most benefit from its activities. In addition, there was no assessment of how the Commission's activities benefited students. After eight years, Commission membership declined and attendance at the advisor development programs dwindled.
Efforts to assess advisement from the students' perspective occurred in 1995 and 1997. On two separate occasions, the Office of Institutional Research administered the Noel/Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) to seniors and sophomores. The SSI measures student satisfaction in a variety of areas including Academic Advising Effectiveness, Campus Climate, Campus Support Services, Concern for the Individual, Institutional Effectiveness, Safety and Security, and Student Centeredness. Academic Advising Effectiveness is defined in the SSI as "…the comprehensiveness of the academic advising program at SU. Academic advisors are evaluated on the basis of their knowledge, competence, and personal concern for students' success, as well as on their approachability" (Institutional Research and Planning Report, Vol. 95-96, No.8, June, 1996).
Results from both the 1995 and 1997 surveys indicate that student satisfaction at Shippensburg University is very high with the highest areas of undergraduate satisfaction in Institutional Effectiveness, Academic Advising, and Student Centeredness. Seniors were somewhat more satisfied than sophomores.
In spring 2000, the President charged the new Dean of Academic Programs and Services with the task of improving advisement campus-wide. She solicited input from members of the campus community and members of the old Commission. The Advisor Development and Resource Team was established and developed a comprehensive action plan and a time line to address advising concerns.
The action plan (in appedix) appraches advisement from three perspectives: student, parent and faculty. The intent is to raise the visibility of and increase the discussion about advising on campus. The President's Cabinet approved the action plan in June 2001. Major activities to date include the development of a campus-wide advising newsletter for faculty, a series of advisor development workshops presented each semester, an advising brochure for students, a marketing campaign that includes posters and a newspaper ad and this advising training manual for faculty.
In 2002, the Provost and the President created an Advising Excellence Award administered by the ADRT. A $5000 cash prize is awarded annually to the department that best demonstrates advising excellence as documented in supporting materials. The department is to use the funds for the advancement of undergraduate teaching and learning. The 2002 recipients was the Geography/Earth Science Department. The 2003 recipient was the Department of Art. Each department received recognition in FACT and at the President's kick-off program in August. In addition, the departments' names are inscribed on the campus-wide award plaque located in the library. Award materials for both programs are available in the library.
As a result of the campus visit in 1999, the Middle States Evaluation team recommended that the institution assess advisement across the institution because students report that some faculty advisors ignore their responsibilities, do not provide adequate advice, are frequently unavailable, or seem pressed for time.
In fall 2003, the university administered the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to a random sample of first-year and senior students. Academic Advising was rated at the average for all Master's institutions by both first year and senior students. However, anecdotal information from students indicates that they are still not satisfied with advisement.
In spring 2004, four faculty members (one from each college and a representative of ADRT) attended a conference on assessing advisement, which was sponsored by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA). The four faculty members presented their recommendations to the dean's council and the ABSCUF Executive Committee.
In fall 2004, the provost expects to appoint a committee of faculty and students to review the issues involved in advising and to develop appropriate assessment guidelines and/or instruments.
