USU grads say advising needs work, advisers say they’re trying
Lara Gale, Copy Editor
According to a survey of last year’s graduating seniors, academic advising is floundering at Utah State University.
A slim majority of students agreed with positive statements the survey offered about their advisers.
Nearly one in three said they felt neutrally or negatively about advisers’ interest in student welfare, and more than 47 percent were either neutral or disagreed that their advisers helped them make academic or career decisions.
Over the years, surveys have consistently shown advising rated lower by graduating students than other university services, according to USU Assessment.
Advisers have taken the survey into account and will discuss it at their next meeting, but not all student problems can be fixed by improving the advising end, said John Mortensen, director of advising and transition services for USU.
“The student is ultimately responsible for his own education,” he said.
He said students need to see advisers more as a tool and less as someone who should be there to fix all of a student’s educational problems.
“The adviser is just there as a resource to help them make the most of their time at the university,” Mortensen said.
The survey didn’t ask students how often or recently they met with their advisers, or whether they had made an appointment or just walked into the office, and either question might have helped clarify the problem, Mortensen said.
“A lot of times the first time we see a student is when they bring in their application for graduation,” said Kandy Baumgardner, associate dean of the College of Science.
She said a student’s feelings about advising are often based on how well the student has done in preparing for graduation.
“If everything’s fine, they’re happy,” Baumgardner said. “But if it’s not they’re going to be upset.”
Among meetings, newsletters, e-mails and an anually-updated handbook, advisers have the most up-to-date information on university policies for students to take advantage of, Mortenson said. They can help students make the most efficient use of their time at USU.
USU doesn’t require students to see an adviser, and this might give students the impression that it isn’t important, Mortenson said.
“I’m sure there are a lot of students who have made it all the way through without their adviser,” he said. “It’s just they might have gotten through a lot faster and avoided hang-ups if they had gone to an adviser.”