Yet the 1960s witnessed an intellectual and cultural paradigm shift in the way higher education in the USA looked at academic advising. Since then, it became apparent that the need existed for personal, vocational, and academic advising for both men and women. By the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, academic advising focused on academically assisting students and retaining them in higher education.

During the 1970s, studies began to link academic advising to student retention. In 1976, California held the first state-wide advising conference. The first national conference was held in the U.S. just one year later. Since then, academic advising has become a process of utmost importance that guides students through a crucial part of their personal and academic life.

Predominant Academic Advising Models

The literature on academic advising centralizes two models: A prescriptive, authoritarian model which considers students as voiceless, empty vessels, immature, irresponsible and with no life experience to be validated. According to this model, students are not important to the process of academic planning as the advisor assumes the role of a planner and the only trusted designer of what should be done. The other predominant model is descriptive in nature. It assumes that students have a voice to be honored and are capable of making decisions for themselves.

The advisor, in the descriptive model, is a coach, a mentor, and a facilitator who works with the students in co-exploring and co-developing meaningful degree plans that address and assess their academic and professional needs and goals. This descriptive model, developed by Terry O’Banion in 1972, also is developmental in nature.