Leaders of the Pack: Renewing your Relationship with Students Based on a Situational Model of Leadership

Presenters: Arin Ely and Christine Pike

     Leadership is a dialogue in which “leaders breathe life into the hopes and dreams of others and enable them to see the exciting possibilities that the future holds” (Kouzes & Posner, 1995, p. 11). Just as leaders influence followers in order to meet shared group goals and needs (Hackman and Johnson, 2004), academic advisors guide students’ “personal, academic, and career goals” (NACADA). To effectively guide students toward these goals, advisors, as leaders, must adapt their approach and power uses according to the diverse range of advisee interests, goals, and levels of maturity.
     This presentation will take a fresh look at how adapting leadership techniques and power can produce an exemplary advisor/advisee relationship. During this presentation, we will define the leader/follower relationship as it relates to academic advising. Participants will then have the opportunity to analyze their power styles and use a situational model of leadership as an interactive guide to discover which sources of power are most effective in different situations. The presentation will conclude with how participants can model the “five fundamental practices of exemplary leadership” through their restored approach to advising.
 

When You Are No Longer 19 and Still Have to Take Freshman English: A New Look at Advising Non-Traditional Students.

Presenters: Sheryl Gage and Ashley Hulme

     When facing the challenge of advising non-traditional students, advisors need to rejuvenate their approach when relating to these students. The special issues that non-traditional students face are full-time employment, family obligations, commuters to the college campus, and being veterans of the armed forces. During this interactive presentation, real life profiles will be examined and proposed solutions will be discussed. Additionally, we will strategize on the methods by which advisors can meet non-traditional students’ expectations. By gaining an awareness of the obstacles a non-traditional student encounters returning to school, advisors will be better prepared to support the student in achieving academic success.
 

Choosing the Right Business Major: No Minor Decision

     Students often face uncertainty and lack the necessary information to choose a business major that is right for them. The Academic Advising Center at the McCoy College of Business created a successful “Exploring Business Majors & Careers” presentation to help our business students choose a major. The purpose of this presentation is two-fold. The first part of this presentation will explain the format and logistics of “Exploring Business Majors & Careers” so that other academic advising centers can use this program model.   The second part of our presentation will convey the highlights of the information obtained at “Exploring Business Majors & Careers.”   Business students gained first-hand knowledge about business careers from our faculty. They learned about possible occupations with their degrees, potential salary ranges and work settings, and strategies to prepare them for careers in their major field of study.

Recharge your Advisors by Reinvigorating their Advising Interview Skills

Presenters: Chandra Bilson and Yvette Morales

     Effective academic advising requires a partnership between the advisor and the advisee. Many staff professionals including faculty who work primarily with students in an advising capacity utilize practical information in discussions of issues during their advising sessions. Effective communication skills are essential in establishing a partnership between the advisor and the advisee. Providing information in a meaningful way serves as a basis for decisions which could have a profound influence in a student’s life. Students are not simply deciding what courses to take. They are also deciding on their future. Arguably the most important need in academic advising is effective training. Research tells us that while exemplary practices exist for the development of advisors at many institutions much remains to be accomplished in order to lift the level of advising effectiveness. In our session we will utilize Wes Habley’s three major content components for effective advisor training (conceptual, informational and relational). We will breakdown the advising session to focus on the advisor’s interviewing skills.