We're Doing What Now?: How Historical Understandings Inform Today's Planning for the Future

Ryan Scheckel (Texas Tech University)

Monday, April 7, 2025 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM

MEANING

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Session Outline

When did academic advising become "a thing"? How did we get to here and now? Where in the world are we even going? Knowing your history isn't just for trivia competitions and fact-a-day calendars. Discover the surprising truths about academic advising, personal tutoring, and their place in the larger contexts of higher education, not just in the West, but around the world! Consider implications for a future that might be best understood by examining its histories... yeah, that's plural for a reason.

While there are many reasons why historical understandings of our work can be of benefit, this session will focus on three of note:

1. Contextualizing Contemporary Practices

Examining the history of advising and tutoring helps professionals understand how and why current practices, policies, and philosophies developed. By tracing the evolution of practice—its shifts from prescriptive to developmental and holistic models—advisors can recognize the influences of broader educational trends and societal changes. This awareness fosters a more informed approach to advising that acknowledges both historical successes and past challenges.

2. Informing Future Innovations

Historical methodologies allow advisors and tutors to critically assess past approaches and their impact on student success. By understanding what has worked (or not) over time, advisors can make both data- and context-informed decisions that shape the future of the field. This perspective helps avoid repeating past mistakes while also reinvigorating valuable educational traditions that may have been lost or overlooked.

3. Strengthening Professional Identity and Advocacy

A historical understanding of advising and tutoring reinforces its significance within higher education contexts. By recognizing the field’s roots, we can better articulate the value of the work, advocate for institutional support, and contribute to the ongoing maturation of the field. This knowledge empowers advisors and tutors to engage in meaningful discussions about their role within the academy and beyond.

This session understands that not only are we not all are trained in historical methodologies, some of us didn't actually enjoy history as learners. We will, however, examine the ways six specific historical methodologies can bring the power of history to bear in practice, including intellectual, institutional, and oral histories, archival research, comparative analyses, and historiography.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of attending this session, participants will 1) better understand the history of advising and personal tutoring work and 2) identify ways in which historical methodologies can be used to further the appreciation for and understanding of that work.

Bibliography

Preliminary References

American Council on Education. Committee on Student Personnel work, & Williamson, E. G. (1949). The student personnel point of view. Washington, D.C.: ACE.
Beatty, J. D. (1991). The National Academic Advising Association: A brief narrative history. NACADA Journal, 11(1), 5–25.
Bełtkiewicz, W.K. (April, 2018). Medieval foundations of a 21st century profession: The value of historical narratives to academic advising [Presentation]. NACADA Theory, Philosophy, & History of Advising Community Online Talk. https://mediasite.k-state.edu/mediasite/Play/ef9259588c7d4396a833bd07f83aed201d?playFrom=0000
Cate, M.,& Miller, M.A.(2015). Academic advising within the academy: History, mission, and role. In P. Folsom, F. Yoder, & J. E. Joslin (Eds.), The new advisor guidebook: Mastering the art of academic advising. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Cohen, A. M., & Kisker, C. B. (2010). The shaping of American higher education, emergence and growth of the contemporary system (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub.
Cook, S. (1999). A chronology of academic advising in America. The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal, 1(2).
Cook, S. (2009). Important events in the development of academic advising in the United States. NACADA Journal, 29(2), 18-40.
Frost, S. H. (2000). Historical and philosophical foundations for academic advising. In Gordon, V., & Habley, W. (Eds.). Academic advising: A comprehensive handbook (pp. 3-17). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass IncPub.
Gordon, V. N. (1992). Handbook of academic advising. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
Himes, H., & Schulenberg, J. (2016). The evolution of academic advising as a practice and as a profession. In T. J. Grites, M. A. Miller, & J. Givans Voller (Eds.), Beyond foundations: Developing
Kuhn, T. L. (2008). Historical foundations for academic advising. In Gordon, V. N., Habley, W. R., & Grites, T. J. (Eds.). Academic advising: A comprehensive handbook (2nd ed., pp. 3-16). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub.

Competencies
This session addresses the following competencies of the UKAT Professional Framework for Advising and Tutoring