Research has well established the importance of academic advisors to students from underrepresented backgrounds, but less work has been done on advising that highlights the identities of the schools that educate them, the 859 minority serving institutions (MSIs) that enroll 35% of all undergrads in the U.S. Now, a new report from the Rutgers Center for MSIs has been released to fill that gap, painting a picture of advising at MSIs and offering recommendations for further development.
The report is based on questionnaires answered by 32 academic advising leaders from a diverse set of MSIs. Colleges from different regions and sectors were included as well as those with varying levels of enrollment and student backgrounds. One conclusion was overwhelmingly clear: these schools put exceptional effort into their advising.
Dr. Gabriel O. Bermea, visiting scholar at the Rutgers Center for MSIs
Dr. Marybeth Gasman, executive director of the Rutgers Center for MSIs and a co-author of the report, agreed.
“MSIs have unique ways of working with students,” she said in an email to Diverse. “They are used to working with low-income, first gen, and students of color in ways that make them experts.”
Because of this concern for their students, MSIs have done a good job centering their voices in conversations about advising. What gets less attention, according to the report, are the voices of advisors themselves.
“It’s important to recognize that you also need the advisor feedback,” said Bermea. “Advisor feedback can provide some of that additional insight into what could be our goals, what are we working towards, how do we elevate the work of academic advising on this campus. Those questions can be around budgets, professional development support, [and] assessment practices.”
