Letting the Future In: Faculty Advising as an Institutional Strategy

Abstract

This study examines the advising relationship of faculty advisors and student advisees at a public liberal arts college that is part of a multi-campus university system. The study was designed to capture and compare the perceptions that faculty and students had of their experience working together in an advising relationship. Data was derived from interview responses of students from a pre-identified second year cohort, and the corresponding interviews of the faculty advisors of the participating students. The interview responses were analyzed using an interpretive phenomenological approach, looking for emergent themes as well as shared and contrasting viewpoints. Elements such as trust, personalization, care, validation, socialization, value, and expertise were explored from both the student and advisor perspective. With both expected and unexpected findings, suggestions for future institutional practice and implications for policy and future research are offered to higher education practitioners and administrators.