Many advising centers already review data regularly, but are they collecting and reviewing the right data? Generic questions like, “Are you satisfied with advising?” may look helpful on a report, yet they rarely guide meaningful change. If satisfaction dips from 4.2 to 3.9, what exactly should the team do differently tomorrow? A data-informed advising center begins by asking: What do we truly care about improving? Then it designs one or two focused questions that generate ac

Academic advising plays a powerful role in shaping the experience of online and non-traditional students. A recent article in the Journal of Appreciative Education makes a compelling case for how institutions can elevate virtual advising from transactional to transformational. New Research In “Enhancing the Online Student Experience through Appreciative Advising,” found in the Journal of Appreciative Education , four advising leaders and researchers from SUNY Empire State Col

Academic advising is mission-critical for students navigating the tricky transfer from a community college to a four-year university. A new study in The Mentor makes a compelling case for rethinking how we support those students. In “A New Transfer Advising Model to Promote Increased Student Transfer Success,” researchers Sarah Wieland and Audrey Amrein-Beardsley investigate an advising strategy designed to increase the success of underserved transfer students. The tradition

Since academic advising started as a distinct practice in higher education, advising has operated on a simple assumption: one advisor, one student, one conversation. That assumption no longer holds in the era of AI. Today’s students rarely arrive at advising appointments alone, even if they physically sit across from you by themselves. They arrive having already consulted another voice. Increasingly, that voice is their trusted personal assistant: Artificial intelligence . Ch

If you're applying for a new job in higher education this year, you'll need to impress the newest member of the hiring committee: Artificial intelligence. Many institutions of all shapes and sizes are now using applicant tracking systems (ATS) to help screen resumes. Some institutions even use AI-assisted ranking to identify top applicants before a human ever reads the file. For academic advisors, this shift matters. If your resume is written primarily as a list of duties rat

Let's face it. The spring semester carries a different psychological weight than the fall. Fall is fresh. New planners. New syllabi. New intentions. But spring is heavier. Some students feel affirmed by their excellent fall semester grades. Others feel shaken. Academic probation notifications land. Financial aid recalculations hit. Motivation dips under winter fatigue. And the colder weather or reduced daylight makes it harder to get to class on some days. Advising in the spr

Every year, colleges and universities across the country pause to celebrate something powerful: access to higher education. TRIO Day is a national celebration held in late February to recognize the impact of federal TRIO programs and the students they serve. It’s a day of advocacy, storytelling, service, and pride, highlighting how education can change the trajectory of a life. A Little History TRIO programs were created as part of the War on Poverty when the Economic Opport

In the evolving world of hiring, a new term is gaining traction: the “paper ceiling.” The phrase is used to describe workers who are limited in their opportunities because they don't have "the paper," a college diploma. For example, the organization Opportunity@Work describes it as: “the invisible barrier that comes at every turn for workers without a bachelor’s degree,” who are "separated by degree screens, algorithms, stereotypes, and even professional networks. The organi

If you have read recent headlines, you might feel the world of college graduates is under siege: stories of plummeting job prospects, rising unemployment, and degrees that no longer “pay off.” But as the team at the University of Richmond Career Services observes, the data tell a much more nuanced tale. In their blog , “What the Headlines Get Wrong about the Job Market for College Grads,” the author reminds us that although unemployment for new graduates may be higher than de

Between adolescence and full adulthood lies a distinct and fascinating life stage that shapes nearly every college student’s decision, motivation, and identity exploration. Psychologist Jeffrey Arnett coined the term emerging adulthood to describe the period spanning ages 18 to 25. For career coaches, understanding this developmental theory can help us better guide students, recognizing the unique characteristics and stressors of this important life stage. Understanding Emer

For many students, the road to a college degree feels long and overwhelming. Between balancing coursework, jobs, family responsibilities, and financial pressures, the finish line can seem far away. Advisors often see students discouraged not by a lack of ability, but by a lack of recognition along the way. That’s where micro-celebrations come in. By intentionally celebrating small wins, advisors can boost student motivation, reinforce progress, and build momentum toward large

The registration rush is over. The long days of back-to-back appointments, urgent emails, and last-minute schedule changes have finally quieted. But before diving headfirst into the next set of priorities, it’s worth pausing to ask: How are you doing? Advisors and student-success professionals often sprint through registration season like marathoners who forget to stop running even after the finish line. The danger is that without intentional recovery, the stress lingers, pro