 | "The most successful retention programs . . . rely on intensive student contacts
with advisors." |
| Since students need to bring "motivation, a positive attitude, and
persistence" to college with them, the college can help motivation by offering
life-skill seminars that blend self-help strategies with acquainting students with
relevant services on campus. |
| Colleges should build the services, the structured experiences, and the resources to
promote student interaction with each other and with nurturing faculty. |
| Showing the importance of advising includes cutting through red tape by individual
advisors and by the whole college. |
| Advising adults with complex lives is a complex process; if it stops at signing forms,
the college is not dedicated to retention. |
| Advising adults includes getting them to the services they need. |
| Advising adults means helping them figure out how to cope so they can reach their goals. |
| You can tell a college is dedicated to advising when administrative faculty and others
also take on advising assignments regularly, when blame is fixed on the systemic problem
rather than on individuals or groups, and when systemic problems are ameliorated by a
change in the college culture. |
Academic
Advising
1999