1. The Changing Role of
Faculty Advising at
Reynolds
Ja’Ken Caston
Doctoral Student
Morgan State University
12/11/2015

2. Mission
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Reynolds) provides
an accessible, quality education that develops students for
success in the workplace, prepares students for successful
transfer to colleges and universities, builds a skilled
workforce that contributes to regional economic
development, and promotes personal enrichment and
lifelong learning.
About Reynolds. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.reynolds.edu/who_we_are/about/mission.aspx

3. Our Students
 11, 861 STUDENTS
 3,322 FULL TIME
 8,540 PART TIME
 1,210 MEN FULL TIME
 2,112 WOMEN FULL TIME
 2,166 NON-DEGREE
Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a part of the U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/

4.  Complete a certificate program for career advancement
 Fulfill a personal interest/development
 Obtain an Associate’s Degree
 Transfer to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree
 Unsure why they are attending
Which group is the least likely to persist?

5. Desired Outcomes of Advising at
Reynolds
 Create a culture of completion
 Greater student engagement in campus life

6. 21st Century Advising
 Focuses on student led outcomes (e.g., career, personal growth,
status, etc.)
 Is ready to advise students when they are ready to be advised
 Is less about course selection; more about life choices
 Emphasizes engagement with student life and team building
 Understands the students academic and social needs
 Prioritizes the question, “What does THIS student need to be
successful in life?”
 Collaborates across departments and offices to ensure that
students can access the resources they need
Sapp, L.C. & Williams, S.A. (2015, December). Best practices in advising non-traditional students. Academic Advising Today, 38(4);

7. Challenges
 Enrollment
 Faculty have other responsibilities and/or noncompliant
 Students’ uncertainties
 Underprepared students
 Limited English proficiency
 Gap between what students want (e.g., finishing “on time,” etc.) and their
resources (e.g., scheduling limitations, etc.)
 Lack of understanding the role of advising
 Don’t want to be bothered with advising

8. Moving Forward
 Students should seek counseling at the career services, student life,
and enrollment services before being assigned to a faculty member
for advising.
 Faculty members must be trained to conduct probing interviews with
the goal of determining how to help students align their academic
pathway at Reynolds with their long term professional and personal
goals.
 All faculty and staff must be trained on the available resources and
programs for students that can help them meet their challenges.
 Identify and train student leaders with whom advisees can informally
meet between to discuss how to deal with challenges of collegiate
life.

9. Moving Forward (cont’d)
 Utilized a tiered intensity system for students at different phases of
development (e.g., traditional aged vs non-traditional aged; declared
major vs undeclared major; more than 21 credit vs less than 21
credits; etc.)
 Create a data capture and feedback system to determine the success
of advising and help to make changes in the process as necessary.
 Independently increase awareness of support services (e.g., tutoring,
health screenings, housing, child care, transportation, etc.).
 Identify a tool that can be used to assess student needs on an ongoing
basis .