Introduction

Albany State University (College) was founded in 1903 as the Albany Bible and Manual Training Institute. The university's original mission was to train teachers, teach basic academic skills, and train in the trades and industries, with special emphasis in domestic science and art. As the college continued to evolve to meet the changing needs of society, its mission expanded to include new programs (ASU Undergraduate Catalog, 2004-2007, p. 10).

Beginning in 1954, secondary-level programs were developed, including the undergraduate business program. In 1975, a graduate business program (MBA) was added in collaboration with an area college. Since the initiation of the business programs, academic advising has been available to each student (ASU Undergraduate Catalog, 2004-2007, p. 10). Albany State University specifically described the purpose of its academic advising program as a means to assist each student in planning a program of study in keeping with the student's educational and vocational objectives (ASU Undergraduate Catalog, 2004-2007, p. 41).

Smith (2003) indicated there were relatively few models of assessment or tools that advising offices could adopt to examine the effectiveness of the services provided. Accordingly, the University System of Georgia realized the need for a more expansive advising plan to support student success and to enhance retention. Light (2001) undergirded the board's efforts with his position that good advising may be the single most underestimated characteristic of a successful college experience (Hale, Graham, & Johnson, 2009). Accordingly, each of the colleges and universities in the University System of Georgia were asked to develop a comprehensive advising plan. To meet the mandate, Albany State University's College of Business formed a Student Advising Improvement Committee. The committee was charged with developing mission and vision statements on advising to support the university's advising mission and vision. Albany State University developed its advising mission, as follows:

Academic advising at Albany State University is an essential collaborative process that empowers students to succeed academically. The advising process guides students in making responsible academic and career choices, setting goals, and developing sound educational plans compatible with career aspirations (ASU, 2009). The College of Business then developed its advising mission as follows: ...to assist students in their academic, personal, and professional development.

Academic services will include tutoring, mentoring, time management, career selection, ethics and other services related to life goals and personal development. In cases where services are not directly available, advisers will be prepared to make suitable service referrals to enhance student well-being and overall development.

The mission was in keeping with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia's mandate that advising should not be limited only to course scheduling and registration. As with the advising mission, Albany State University developed its advising vision as one that:

envisions all those involved in the academic process as being highly motivated and competent, understanding that advising is essential to student success [a collaborative process]. Each student who attends the University will receive effective advisement by advisers who utilize a variety of resources and services available both on campus and in the community. All academic advisers will meet with their advisees on an ongoing basis, every semester, for the ultimate purpose of successful matriculation. (ASU, 2009, p. 3)

Accordingly, Albany State University's College of Business envisioned its advising processes to be highly structured, systematic, customer friendly, technologically oriented, and consistent with the multi-dimensional preparation needed by students in a global economy. To further enhance the advising process in the College of Business, its Student Advising Improvement Committee developed a series of guidelines that included faculty training on Albany State University policies, course requirements, technology (such as student records retrieval and registration software), and campus resources.

The Student Advising Improvement Committee also developed a listing and flow chart of advising procedures to support advising by current and newly appointed faculty and staff members. Over the course of a year, the committee also implemented procedures to support students with low grade-point averages (below 2.5 on a 4.0 scale), disseminated websites for talent and interest assessments, and developed a condensed listing of campus resources and support personnel. Albany State University also sponsored a series of National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) webinars to support effective advising.

To determine the effectiveness of the aforementioned process, the Student Advising Improvement Committee developed a Student Advising Assessment Survey. Selected results of the survey will be presented to examine the effectiveness of the advising process. Hale, Graham and Johnson (2009) stated that given the important role of academic advising in student retention, serious efforts to improve retention should be grounded in an evaluation of student perceptions, desires, and satisfaction with academic advising.

Theoretical Framework

Researchers and advisers alike have applied several theories of advising. Some of the theories include the adviser as a servant-leader (McClellan, 2007), the examination of a comprehensive assessment model (Smith, 2003), association as a factor in retention (Spady, 1971; Tinto, 1987; Pascarella and Terenzini, 1991; Astin, 1993), and the impact of college integration through faculty outreach and advising on student persistence (Crockett, 1985).

In the student-persistence model, the literature supports a correlation between student interaction, persistence and retention, and faculty outreach/advising.

To support models of student success, Crookston (1972) conceptualized academic advising as a form of teaching and described two styles of academic advising: developmental and prescriptive. Developmental advising is based on a (personal) relationship between the student and adviser and integrates academic, career, and personal goals into the advising process, rather than solely focusing on academic goals (Jordan, 2000).

Ender, Winston, and Miller (1984) defined developmental academic advising as:

a systematic process based on a close student adviser relationship intended to aid students in achieving educational, career, and personal goals through the utilization of the full range of institutional and community resources. It both stimulates and supports students in their quest for an enriched quality of life. Developmental academic advising relationships focus on identifying and accomplishing life goals, acquiring skills and attitudes that promote intellectual and personal growth, and sharing concerns for each other and for the academic community. (p. 19)

The Albany State University advising processes aim to embrace the developmental approach. The foundation of the developmental approach is its holistic and multifaceted perspective on human development.

Review of Literature

Ultimately, the success or failure of higher education is not explained by student attributes or faculty teaching efficiency in isolation, but by the complex interactions between students and the learning environments they experience (Entwistle, 1990). Thus, students are in need of comprehensive advising, counseling, and support services, including time management; efficient study style, habits, and skills; reading, writing, and lecture note-taking skills; and other support services. Such supports also help students to master the relevant subject and improve self-confidence, verbal and written communication, and academic performance and to be competitive and productive members of the community (Addus, Chen, & Khan, 2007).

When students graduate from a college or university, they are able to obtain higher paying jobs (DeBerard, Spielmans, & Julia, 2004) and provide societal benefits (Cantor, 2004). Tinto (1975, 1993) also suggested that students' instructional experiences affect their level of academic and social integration.

Tinto (2004) further concluded:

People with a college education are much more likely to participate effectively in the governance of the nation, contribute their time and money to community service, consume fewer public services, and commit fewer crimes. They also contribute more to economic growth and productivity, helping to create a larger economic pie for all to share. (p. 7)

Methodology

During the fall 2009 term, Albany State University's College of Business Student Advising Improvement Committee conducted its initial Student Advising Assessment. The survey tool was specifically designed to assess the student's perception of the benefits of the advising process, which was revamped to include a developmental model.

The survey consisted of ten (10) close-ended items in a six-point Likert format. Three open-ended items were also added to allow for student comments on the overall advising process. The survey was developed using five dimensions:

Attitude/Willingness to Help

The advisee's perception of the adviser's willingness to assist the advisee in areas beyond the curriculum and to provide help in planning and reviewing the advisee's progress toward graduation.

Knowledge

The advisee's perception of the adviser's knowledge of curriculum, academic requirements, prerequisites, and all procedures of academic regulations.

Availability

The advisee's perception of the level of ease required for an advisee to see or schedule an appointment with an adviser.

Quality of Advising

The advisee's perception of the adviser's ability to encourage academic excellence and communicate concerns about the advisee's academic progress. This dimension also included the advisee's perception of the adviser's level of preparation for the appointment and the adviser's ability to treat the advisee with respect.

Responsibility

This dimension was based on the advisee's willingness to follow through with the advising process to fulfill academic, career, and life goals.

Surveys were placed in central office/reception areas of the business college. Each of an estimated 450 enrolled business students, was invited to complete the anonymous survey following his /her advising session. All program majors were included—accounting, business information systems, marketing, and business administration—including management and healthcare administration.

Once completed, the surveys were placed in a ballot-style box. At the direction of the college's dean, no faculty members were allowed to distribute or receive the completed surveys. All completed surveys (N=124) were sent to the university's Office of Institutional Research for analysis. Approximately 27.5 percent of the business college's enrollment participated in the survey process. Even so, the surveys were analyzed in three phases: Phase 1 (22 surveys), Phase II (22 surveys), and Phase III (80 surveys). The results from Phase III were utilized to assess the advisee's level of satisfaction, since the sample size was significantly larger than the surveys in the two prior phases. The rationale for the use of phased analysis was unclear but likely related to time limitations. Of special note was the participation of students from all undergraduate classification levels in the survey process: first-year students–28.6 percent, sophomores–29.9 percent, juniors–31.2 percent, and seniors–10.4 percent. A total of 58.2 percent of the respondents were female, and 41.8 percent were male. While 50.9 percent of the respondents indicated a grade-point average between 2.00 and 2.99 on a 4.0 scale, 45.3 percent indicated a grade-point average between 3.00 and 3.99, and 3.8 percent of the respondents reported a grade-point average below 1.99 on a 4.00 scale.

Most (77.5 percent) of the advisees were between the ages of 17 and 25; 22.5 percent of the advisees were over the age of 25; 94.9 percent reported their ethnicity as Black, non-Hispanic; and 3.8 percent indicated their ethnicity as White, non-Hispanic; and 1.3 percent of the advisees reported their ethnicity as other.

Regarding the six dimensions, advisee responses were as follows:

Attitude, Willingness to Help:

The vast majority (60 percent strongly agreed and 27.5 percent agreed) of the advisees felt their advisers provided help in areas beyond the curriculum. The majority (64.6 percent strongly agreed and 29.1 percent agreed) of the advisees also reported that their advisers were helpful in planning and reviewing their progress toward graduation.

Knowledge

Overwhelmingly (68.8 percent strongly agreed and 27.5 percent agreed), the respondents reported their advisers were knowledgeable about their major and concentration requirements and knew where to get necessary information. Advisees also reported that their advisers were knowledgeable about Regents Test (mandated test by the University System of Georgia's Board of Regents) requirements (65.8 percent strongly agreed and 30.4 percent agreed). Advisee ratings of the advisers' provision of information and campus services were not as favorable as the other knowledge content areas (45 percent strongly agreed and 31.3 percent agreed).

Availability

The majority (62.5 percent strongly agreed and 25 percent agreed) of advisees felt their advisers were available and willing to make timely appointments.

Quality of Advising

A total of 60.3 percent of the respondents strongly agreed and 21.8 percent agreed their advisers helped them to complete university forms, such as course repeats, overrides, overloads, and transient forms. On a scale from 1 to 10, 53.8 percent of the respondents selected the highest score (10) as their level of willingness to recommend their College of Business adviser to classmates, while 22.5 percent of the advisees provided a rating of nine on the referral scale.

Student Responsibility

Sixty-five percent of the respondents strongly agreed they were well prepared (pencil, paper, and transcript) for their academic advising session. Sixty-two percent strongly agreed, and 29.1 percent agreed they were willing to follow through on the suggestions and procedures recommended by their advisers.

Discussion

Studies by researchers suggest that a new and innovative look at advising is needed in institutions of higher education in order to serve the diverse needs of students and make these institutions more effective in developing students (Abghari, 2007). Studies also indicate that more informal quantity and quality contact with faculty, especially contact focusing on intellectual or career-related issues, increases students' involvement, motivation, academic achievement, satisfaction with college, and their institutional persistence (Pascarella, 1980).

Such studies suggest that meaningful and developmental contact with faculty (advisers) promotes student success. In addition to the favorable numerical/percentage responses of the vast majority of respondents, advisees provided positive comments about the general advising process, especially in relation to knowledge and availability. Even so, one aspect of advising that may warrant additional attention is the knowledge of advisers about support services and service referral options. These ratings from respondents were not as favorable as those in the other categories. The expansion of advising to mirror a more holistic/developmental approach will likely support the retention, graduation, and success rates among advisees.

A longitudinal follow-up study would also be useful to determine the effectiveness of the developmental advising approach on such indices as overall satisfaction, retention, and graduation rates. The ratings or findings could be correlated with the traditional advising approach to determine changes over time.

Additional computer support systems to assist in college students with course selections would also be useful in the advising process (Murray, LeBlanc, & Rucks, 2000). Likewise, maintaining advisee-to-adviser ratios small enough to support personalized/developmental advising is important.

Other efforts to support quality advising may also include providing incentives and rewards for teachers who provide high-quality advising and also to students who seek advising assistance on a regular basis.