Academic Advising in the Community College

Academic advising is the second most important function in the community college. If it is not conducted with the utmost efficiency and effectiveness, the most important function in the college—instruction—will fail to achieve its purpose of ensuring that students succeed in navigating the curriculum to completion.The purpose of academic advising is to help students select a program of study to meet their life and vocational goals. As such, academic advising is a central and important activity in the process of education. Academic advising occurs at least once each term for every student in the college; few student support functions occur as often or affect so many students. But while there is general agreement concerning the importance of academic advising for the efficient functioning of the institution and the effective functioning of the student, there is little agreement regarding the nature of academic advising and who should perform the function. In this seminal work on academic advising, the authors of three overarching chapters address the key issues and challenges of academic advising followed by the authors of four of the most innovative and successful programs of academic advising in the nation.

This book will be of value to all who serve in “democracy’s colleges.  After more than 50 years of practicing an open door policy that resulted in very high attrition of our freshman classes and embarrassingly low graduation rates, today’s colleges realize our students (the top 99% of the population) require mentoring, honest advising and direction to improve their chances of success in college and the pursuit of their dreams and ambitions.  This volume is prescriptive and focuses very much on “the how” of advising and mentoring.  A must for all trustees, administrators, faculty and staff., Student access and success are paramount to ensuring our nation has an educated populous into the future.  A part of that continuum begins with academic advising.  This book is a must read for everyone who is involved in assisting students in deigning their journey through the higher education system.  Many of the concepts presented in O’Banion’s 17th book have proven successful over years of application and have served as a clear process for advisors to follow.  By following the steps outlined in this book, students will save both time and money by not enrolling in courses for which they are not ready, or which are not a necessary part of their chosen curriculum.  KUDOS to Terry O’Banion for sharing this well-developed process for ensuring student success., Academic Advising in the Community College is a must read for leaders looking to reimagine, reengineer, or reinvigorate the systems and processes aimed at welcoming and guiding students on their paths through community colleges. Moreover, for advisors, this book is a grounding in historical anchors and modern imperatives surrounding their roles. O’Banion and his contributing authors do a masterful job of honoring the past even as they challenge us all to look to the future using solid research, compelling frameworks, and concrete case studies exploring student engagement, guided pathways, and more. Take the time to dive in and soak in the goodness. More important, use this book to engage your college community about how they can embrace advising as core to student success innovation.

Terry U. O’Banion has worked in the community college field for 59 years as one of the leading spokespersons on leadership, innovation, learning, and student success. President of the League for Innovation for 23 years, he has written 17 books and over 200 articles, consulted in over 1,000 community colleges, and has been recognized by five national awards established in his name.