Student Perspectives of Academic Advisors and Leader Development at the Graduate Level

Abstract Graduate-level academic advisors play an important role in setting the conditions for effective student learning. The advisor role may include more than administrative characteristics. The advisor role may include leader development features setting the conditions for lifelong learning affecting student leadership, scholarship, and practice. The purpose of this study was to obtain student descriptions of the graduate-level academic advisors at the United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) known as Staff Group Advisors (SGAs) who combine academic advisement with leader development coaching. The methodology for this research was an institutional microethnography. Data collection through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews provided themes describing the SGA role. Analyses of the findings suggested that the SGA role at CGSC possessed a dichotomous definition among students contributing to role confusion. The two definitions were leader developer/educator, which reflects the mission of the institution, and homeroom teacher/administrator, which does not. This research possesses the potential to contribute to the growing body of knowledge regarding graduate-level academic advising and leader development in an academic setting, because it emphasizes tailored advisor approaches to the unique needs of the student.