Guide and Shape the construction of an effective mission
statement for advising programs.
(a) “Developmental academic advising is . . . a systematic
process based on a close
student-advisor 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”
(Winston, Miller, Ender, & Grites, &
Associates, 1984, p. 538)
(b) “The formation of relationships that assure that at
least one educator has close enough
contact with each student to assess and influence the quality of
that student’s educational
experience is realistic only through a systematic process, such as an
academic advising
program. It is unrealistic to expect each instructor, even with
small classes, to form
personal relationships of sufficient duration and depth with each student
in his or her
class to accomplish this” (Winston, Miller, Ender, & Grites,
& Associates, 1984, p. 538).
(c) “Developmental academic advising is not primarily
an administrative function, not
obtaining a signature to schedule classes, not a conference
held once a term, not a paper
relationship, not supplementary to the educational process, [and]
not synonymous with
faculty member” (Ender, 1983, p. 10).
(d) “Academic advising can be understood best and more
easily reconceptualized if the
process of academic advising and the scheduling of classes and
registration are separated.
Class scheduling should no be confused with educational
planning. Developmental
academic advising becomes a more realistic goal when separated from
class scheduling
because advising can then go on all during the academic year, not
just during the few
weeks prior to registration each new term. Advising programs, however, that
emphasize
registration and record keeping, while neglecting attention to students’
educational and
personal experiences in the institution, are missing an excellent
opportunity to influence
directly and immediately the quality of students’ education and are
also highly
inefficient, since they are most likely employing highly educated
(expensive) personnel
who
are performing essentially clerical tasks” (Winston, Miller, Ender, & Grites, &
Associates, 1984, p. 542).