What I Wish I knew:

Advising for Beginners

CASE ASAP, 2014 St. Louis, MO

Bowling Green State University
Saturday, August 9, 2014
10am-10:45am
Julie Palmer-Graduate Intern
Kelly Basden Lawrie-Assistant Director for Alumni and Development

AGRE
E
DISAGREE

Today we will
Explore & discuss basic principles of advising
Learn & discuss strategies to better

understand where your group is at

Reflect on how to balance student/group
development with University expectations

There are basic advising

principles we all should follow
as advisors
NASPA
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators
CAS Statement of Shared Ethical Principles
Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education
Advising & Helping Competency Area
Addresses the knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to providing
counseling and advising
support, direction, feedback, critique, referral,
and guidance to individuals and groups.

Ground Rules
Dont behave like an undergrad youre an

advisor, not a member

DO serve as a historian, a mentor, an appropriate adult

and professional role model

Dont date your students
DO connect with them and learn about them.
If you have romantic feelings handle them accordingly.
Dont drink with your students, buy them drinks,

go to their parties, or bars where they will be

DO model appropriate and healthy ways to consume and

talk about alcohol.

Ground Rules Contd

Dont misuse departmental, office,

organization, or university funds.

DO help your organization develop a budget and

teach officers how to manage it.

If someone isnt a fit for the group help find

them a place or counsel them out

Dont talk poorly about students with other students
Dont have favorites or encourage cliques
DO make a connection with that student and help

them feel valued. Everyone has a strength(s) it just

may not be in the group you advise.

Ground Rules Contd

Accountability
Just as important in advising as it is supervising.
We cannot expect students to learn and grow if we

dont hold them accountable.

Policies & Constitutions
No one should understand the University policies and
organizations constitution better than the advisor.
Training
Opportunity for members to evaluate the organization
Orientation, training, expectations, semester

calendars, accountability measures,

assessment/feedback opportunities

Sometimes it depends more on where your group

is at, than what YOUR skill level is as an advisor

Situational Leadership
Hershey & Blanchard (1996)
A leaders style should be determined by the maturity of followers
This model stresses that the role of the leaders should play in order to be most effective
depends on:

the amount of direction leaders deliver

the amount of socio-emotional support they give

to followers
and the maturity or readiness of followers to
complete specific tasks.

(Hersey, Blanchard, &

Johnson 1996).

Situational Leadership
Continued
The authors (Hersey and Blanchard) define four leadership styles
This model stresses that the role of the leaders should play in order to be most effective depends on:

Telling group is low in ability, low in willingness and needs

direction
Selling group ability is low, but its willing and trying
Participating most effective when a group has developed an
ability to perform the task; however they have not yet had the
opportunity to develop confidence by performing the task
alone.
Delegating - this style is most effective when the group has
developed the ability to perform the task, and have the
necessary confidence, willingness, and readiness.
(Hersey et al., 1996).

Situational Advising
Kathleen E. Allen (1983)
Advisors effectiveness and influence will shift as their styles react to
environmental factors on campus.
Allen suggests that three factors can affect styles of advisors:

Universities expectations of advisors

ensure success by direct involvement or merely serve as a resource?
Student groups expectations of the advisors
These may even contradict the expectations of the university
Selling group ability is low, but its willing and trying

Level of Students Development

Measured in ability, commitments, willingness to accept responsibility, and
interpersonal skill
Not to be confused with chronological age
Infancy low ability. Advisor serves as program directors.
Adolescence increasing ability. Advisor serve as program teacher/director.
Young Adulthood demonstrate competency in programming skills, etc. Advisor
serve as advisor/teacher.
Maturity high level of skill, strong commitment. Advisor serves as consultant.
(Allen, 1983).

Situational Advising/Supervising

Quadrant 3:

Quadrant 2:

Student: Young adult

Student: Adolescence stage

Advisor: Advisor/Teacher

Advisor: Program
Teacher/Director

Quadrant 4:

Quadrant 1:

Student: Maturity stage

Student: Infancy stage of

development

Advisor: Program consultant

Advisor: Program Director

At the end of the day student development matters

more than efficienciesbut a balance of both is
essential.

Questions & Conversation

What current challenges are you facing as an advisor?

What thoughts do you have that you would like to share?

Thank you!