Much like the needs of the student and advisor, a philosophy of advising should be ethical and dynamic, for the individuals involved are not static. Rather, this philosophy, like the people it represents, needs to adapt to an ever-changing landscape. Still, certain principles that support the institutional values and empower the student/advisor interaction can be espoused. In conjunction with the liberal arts tradition itself, it is important for the student to be seen as a whole person. Furthermore, it is important that the student’s layered goals be valued while encouraging students to make informed decisions about the classes and experiences that will help them to achieve those goals even if they change during the process. Thus, as an advisor, I must fulfill multiple equally important roles.
Mentor:
As an advisor, I need to be a responsible advocate for the student. An advisor can and should draw upon the experiences that encouraged her/his success. An advisor can and should encourage the student to look beyond the here and now and into the future. An advisor should encourage the student to take the responsibility needed to make the necessary decisions regarding coursework, professional activities, and social interactions that will help the student mature as an individual, citizen, and future professional.
Idealist:
As an advisor, I should encourage productive risk taking for the student. Particularly in connection to the liberal arts tradition, an advisor should encourage the student to seek out new experiences. An advisor should also encourage an interaction with differing values sets through course selection, student organizations, and, where appropriate, off-campus interaction via service, civic participation, and international experiences. An advisor also needs to respect the informed decisions of the student. This means that an advisor should work with the student to develop and research personal, professional, and curricular goals. However, though it may seem counterproductive at times to the role of mentor or realist, there will be times when an advisor needs to be supportive of decisions that she/he may not have personally made as long as those decisions will not place the student in a situation that can harm her or him physically, psychologically, and ethically. In other words, there are times when a student needs to be allowed to fail for there is great value in learning from disappointment and success. Also, while the advisor will want what’s best for the student, it is only the student that can truly know what that is.
Realist:
While an advisor can and should encourage students to experiment with and develop personal, professional, and curricular goals, there will be points at which the I must be a realist. Though students have the right to productively fail, an advisor may also need to help the student see the consequences, both positive and negative, of the decisions she/he is making. In the end, though, it is important for the student to be responsible for the decisions in order to encourage the critical and creative engagement that is necessary for success beyond the college experience.
Scheduler and Gatekeeper:
As an advisor, I should help students make informed decisions about experiences outside of the classroom; however, it is important to equally value the role of scheduler and gatekeeper. An advisor needs to have a strong understanding of academic programs and requirements that are necessary for graduation. An advisor should help the student balance their desires with the institutional values that take shape via the graduation requirements. This also means that the advisor needs to take seriously her/his role as gatekeeper, not is the sense of keeping students out, but advocating for the students successful passage through the gate. While balancing the role of idealist and realist, an advisor needs guide the student through the sometimes confusing sets of requirements while encouraging the student to make the necessary decisions at every possible turn rather than forcing a particular path.
Listener and Guide
Though often not a personal friend, as an advisor, I may have a deeper relationship with a student than some traditional cursory interactions. Thus, an advisor may know more about the student’s needs, fears, and problems than many others on campus. An advisor needs to have strong knowledge of the services on campus. An advisor needs to not be afraid of suggesting that a student make use of tutoring services, career services, or counseling services. The advisor needs to maintain the professional and ethical distance that is appropriate, but an advisor must also know when and where students need to go for help.
Beyond intervention-based services, I need to understand other opportunities that will be helpful to students through honors organizations, financial services, residence life, activities councils, professional organizations, and service-based organizations. While the advisor may not know the specific details of each, she/he should have a strong knowledge of the types of organizations found on and off campus as well as who the student should contact to take advantage of those opportunities. Merely suggesting the opportunities, though, is not enough. An advisor should also follow-up from time to time regarding the student’s use of the organizations. Once again, while the student can and should make the decision regarding what is appropriate for her or his situation, the advisor needs to be able to discuss the ramifications of those decisions.
These are all important roles for an advisor. There are also roles that are not part of the relationship. As an advisor, I am not a recruiter. While an advisor may have certain disciplinary allegiances, those allegiances should not be imposed on the student. An advisor is not a counselor. While an advisor may know several important details from the student’s life, the advisor should not dispense emotional, legal, or medical advice. An advisor is not a parent. While the advisor will have an emotional connection to the student and vested interest in the student’s success, the student is a legal adult (or will soon be) and needs to respected as such. An advisor is not the ultimate authority. While a specific course of action may seem the best for a given situation, it is the student that is ultimately responsible for her or his decisions.
A strong student/advisor relationship will be collaborative in nature, caring, and nurturing. However, the goal of advising, just like the goal in the liberal arts tradition, is to empower a student to make competent, informed decisions that can lead the student in identifying goals, achieving success, and interacting with others in various situations.