I never imagined back in 1985 that someday I would be advising students in serious academic jeopardy at the University of Arizona. At that time, I was sporting a GPA well below a 2.0, living for my fraternity social events, and working at various nightclubs. I was also on academic probation. I had no worries about my academic future, mostly because I lacked the maturity to understand the real opportunity I had at the university. Moreover, I lacked the coping skills that I desperately needed to manage my life while attending college. I failed to “get it” and made many poor decisions.
I have changed a great deal since then. After a twelve-year absence, I returned to college in 1997 and completed a B.S. degree. I then completed an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, followed by an M.Ed. in Educational Technology. This December, I will complete an M.A. in Information Resources and Library Science. It took many years, but I learned the value of higher education, which helped me to become a lifelong learner.
Today, nearly twenty years after my own college experience, I sit in my office with students who live the kind of life I did during the 1980s. They come into my office saying all the right things and displaying what appears to be sincere concern, but, in the end, some really don't get it. Luckily, the best part of my job is that some do get it and eventually turn things around and graduate.
Several aspects of higher education have changed in those two decades since I was a college student. The obvious change is with technology. This new and very eager generation is connected, wireless, and looking for new ways to make the process easier. Other student changes include their racial and ethnic diversity, gender, enrollment status, age, residence, disability status, and sexual orientation (Gordon & Habley, 2000). These changes are important characteristics that advisers need to understand.
Even with these changes, students in danger of academic jeopardy still have some basic needs that can significantly impact their academic success. As an academic adviser, I need to understand that my actions are important to promoting student change. I also need to develop strategies to address the needs of today's very complex students. In the next five paragraphs, I will explain the needs that I believe these students have and explain the value of addressing these needs.
First, students need to feel important in the academic advising process. Their feelings as they embark toward academic failure need to be considered in order to change the trajectory toward success. It could be argued that far too often we as a society focus on the negative. A strength-based approach that involves building on what is already working can be an effective tool when advising students who are in academic jeopardy. It is important to investigate the successes they have had and expand upon them.
Second, students need to know that somebody cares. An effective academic adviser establishes a relationship with each student with one controlling expectation in mind: graduation. This familiar saying may sound simplistic but rings true: students rarely care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Third, students need to be rewarded for their efforts. Appropriate praise can be a powerful tool and can create more successes. These validations can help even the most struggling student to work harder to turn things around.
Fourth, students need to be contacted regularly. Communication can be a powerful asset to even the most experienced adviser. Call the student. E-mail the student. When you see the student on campus, say hi and ask how he or she is doing. At some institutions, there are literally thousands of students roaming the campus during the day. If you see your advisees, make their day and say hi to them.
Fifth, students need to be in a non-threatening relationship. A great way to ease a student's concerns is to find a common ground to create dialogue. I generally try to make a connection with a student based on something in his or her background. This gesture requires some research and also a desire to learn about new things. For example, I may make reference to a hometown sports team as we are making small talk on the walk to my office. This conversation is a nice transition into the content of the appointment. I might also refer to the student's plans for spring or fall break, holiday travel plans, or something else that is interesting to him or her. Students generally want to become connected to their college and to people there. Individualize the process, and you can create a powerful trust. When this connection occurs, many students tend to grasp the importance of succeeding in higher education.
s this reflection concludes, the value of the adviser must be reinforced. An adviser who seriously cares about student outcomes, enjoys interaction with students, and sincerely believes that each student can succeed will ultimately gain satisfaction from his or her experiences.