TITLE A Comparison of Faculty Academic Advising and Academic Advising by Professional Counselors. Final Report.

The purpose of this study was to obtain and compare perceptions of students relative to their academic advisement experiences with professional counselors and faculty advisors. A questionnaire was mailed to 225 present or past students of 3 community colleges in the states of Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas. Each student in the sample had experienced academic advisement from both a counselor and an academic advisor. Of the sample, 146 students responded by returning the completed questionnaire. In addition to the survey, a personal interview was conducted with 10 eligible students to provide validation for the questionnaire and supplementary information. The study revealed that counselors are significantly more concerned about students, more accepting of students, more genuine with students, more approachable to students, and more effective in meeting the advisement needs of students, tha