ACADEMIC ADVISING UPDATE
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

April 1998

Serving as a direct link between the students and the University, effective academic advisors assist individual students throughout their entire undergraduate academic careers. The value of skilled academic advising is acknowledged at Kansas State University in written policy (Section F, Faculty Handbook) and in faculty/advisor attitudes and actions. Clearly, students value strong advising, as demonstrated by Mortar Board's recognition in October of 1997 of several K-State advisors, regular discussion of advising issues in The Collegian during the past several years, and a focus on academic advising by the newly elected Student Body President.

Still, assessments in recent years indicate that academic advising can be improved and enhanced on our campus. Several steps are being taken to assure that outcome.

In response to a request by the provost, academic colleges submitted undergraduate advising plans during the spring and summer of 1997. These plans describe advising as already implemented in the colleges and departments, and outline plans to augment and enhance the current advising programs. The provost's review of departmental evaluation procedures in 1997 paid special attention to the inclusion of undergraduate student advising in evaluation and reward procedures. Results were summarized for each dean to use as a basis for strengthening the college's emphasis on the importance of work as a faculty advisor.

In FY 1998, resources for additional advisors and clerical help were allocated to the College of Arts and Sciences to support advising in the Open Option program for undergraduates who have not yet declared a major but need an academic home while they explore their opportunities. Advising these students is especially critical to their success in making appropriate academic decisions and is extraordinarily time-consuming. Another such allocation will be made in FY 1999.

Academic advisors must be familiar with various curricula and courses, program requirements, departmental and college regulations, proper academic procedures, and the goals and aspirations of the students whom they advise. Workshops for advisors are part of the effort to help advisors keep abreast on all these fronts. One workshop to be offered in May 1998 will include presentations by the staff of KSU's Educational and Personal Development Programs and representatives from ACT and NACADA. The Executive Office of NACADA (the National Academic Advising Association) is located at K-State and offers a useful array of advising resources and professional development that will be tapped.

Late in the spring of 1997, the provost charged the Office of Educational Advancement to oversee the development of : (1) an effective information system to make available materials and information related to advising and (2) a high quality data-driven system to assess advising effectiveness that will include feedback from students. Both efforts are well underway.

To help advisors remain up-to-date and broadly informed about academic programming at Kansas State, a multi-linked Web site will be online in June of 1998. Also available to students, this site will present information useful to those planning ahead for discussions with their advisors.

Assessment of advising continues to be part of the Senior Survey and one-year and four-year Alumni Surveys. At the end of the 1998-99 academic year, after data has been collected from each college three times, a longitudinal comparison of changes in satisfaction with advising will be conducted. In addition to this ongoing effort, a template to guide the development of assessment programs is being devised for use university-wide in the fall of 1998. Within the established guidelines, specific procedures for this assessment will be determined and conducted by departments and advising units, and reported to the appropriate dean and to the provost.