• Centralized: where professional and faculty advisors are housed in one academic or administrative unit
  • Decentralized: professional or faculty advisors are located in their respective academic departments.
  • Shared: where some advisors meet with students in a central administrative unit (i.e., an advising center), while others advise students in the academic department of their major discipline

KSU is currently utilizing the shared model. Beginning October 1, 2016, we will transition into centralized advising. Research validates that centralized advising increases retention and improves students' university experience (ACT, 2010; Noel-Levitz, 2009; Swecker, Fifolt, & Searby, 2013; Tinto, 2012).

Centralized advising at Kentucky State University will:

  • Allow advisors to effectively deliver proactive advising in a consistent manner.
  • Allow retention initiatives to be implemented more effectively.
  • Concentrate the accountability for advising.
  • Allow faculty to focus on mentoring and graduate school preparation.

IV. Centralized Advising Roles and Responsibilities

There are six advisors in the Academic Advising Center (See Figure 3). Each student will have an advising team that will be composed of a Success Coach, an Academic Advisor and a Faculty Mentor. A Faculty Advising Liaison will be responsible for fostering communication and collaboration between Academic Advising and each academic department.

Success Coach

A Success Coach is professional advisor that will be responsible for monitoring the persistence, retention and graduation rates for a cohort of students (first-time, full-time students). Through UNV 101, individual meetings, small groups, interventions, workshops, and seminars, Success Coaches will be responsible for ensuring that all cognitive, metacognitive, and social factors affecting retention and success are addressed from freshman to senior year. Coaches will also ensure that all students are properly progressing in their career and professional school pathways.

Figure 1 3:1 Advising Team Model