The New Advisor Guidebook: Mastering the Art of Academic Advising (2nd ed.) ed. by Pat Folsom, Franklin Yoder, and Jennifer E. Joslin (review)

Given that many higher education institutions provide little to no training for new (or experienced) academic advisors, it is clear that The New Advisor Guidebook (2nd ed.), edited by Pat Folsom, Franklin Yoder, and Jennifer E. Joslin, is an important addition to the academic advising literature. Although this is technically the second edition, it is a substantial upgrade to the first edition which first appeared in 2007 as a NACADA monograph that was edited by Folsom. This edition for new advisors is the first in a sequence of three books produced through a partnership between NACADA and Jossey-Bass that seeks to meet the needs of beginning, intermediate (year 2 and beyond), and advanced (over 3 years) academic advisors. The Guidebook seeks to provide new faculty and professional advisors the information and skills they need to be effective in their jobs. The six parts of the book are undergirded by Habley’s (1995) three essential advising components: conceptual (part 2), informational (part 3), and relational (part 4). Each chapter includes basic terms, information, concepts, as well as strategies and case studies to bring the information shared to life.

The first part of the book has one chapter. Folsom makes the case that academic advising involves much more than just registering for classes. She deftly sets up Habley’s (1995) conceptual, informational, and relational components as the framework for presenting NACADA’s advisor competencies list in “The New Advisor Development Chart.” This chart “identifies essential topics and proficiencies for effective advising – the knowledge and skills advisors need to demonstrate in effective practice” (p. 8). I strongly concur with Folsom’s statement that “At first glance, new advisors may find the scope of the chart overwhelming” (p. 9). As an advisor for over 25 years, I found the chart with three columns (Foundations, Year 1, and Year 3, and Beyond: Foundational Mastery) to be indeed overwhelming and a bit humbling. However, there is value in the chart if used appropriately to help guide the work of new advisors and the people charged with training them. It may have been less overwhelming for new advisors if the chart was broken down and the appropriate foundations were presented before or after the part or chapter that covered particular competencies. In this way, the chart might have served as a framework for the information presented in each chapter. It would also have been helpful to add in another column to the chart that maps to the location where the competency information is covered in the book, although the format of the chapters did not consistently align with the chart is some sections.

The conceptual component is covered in part 2 of the book and features chapters on the history, mission, and role of advising, ethical issues, and theories pertinent to advising. Chapter 2, written by Patrick Cate and Marsha A. Miller, provides new advisors an appropriate understanding of the historical foundations of advising and its place within the broader context of higher education. However, I have long advocated that NACADA endorse an official definition of academic advising, although this was not the authors’ assignment or responsibility. Defining academic advising is certainly not an easy task, but in the absence of an agreed-upon definition, too many others inside and outside the academy mistakenly perceive that academic advising is equivalent to registering for classes. Providing a definition endorsed by NACADA would help give academic advisors the language to educate others about the important roles they play on college campuses beyond registering students for classes. Chapter 3, penned by Joanne K. Damminger, provides an important overview of the NACADA Core Values, CAS Standards, and Marc Lowenstein’s ethical guidelines, as well as a 10-step ethical decision-making framework. Kathleen (Kim) Roufs, in writing chapter 4, touches on a number of important foundational...