An evaluation of academic advisors' roles in effective retention

Creating an effective academic advising system essential to the educational process continues to be a challenge in many institutions of higher education; there is limited research on the roles of academic advisors and the influence it has on retention in today's 2-year colleges. Policy makers, administrators and advisors diligently attempt to understand, plan and develop quality academic advising programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of academic advisors and their role in retaining Black male students within a 2-year college. This qualitative study examined barriers that negatively influenced the rate of retention of African American male student, examined how academic advisors can overcome those barriers and proposed strategies to improve retention rates. This study reviewed literature to gain an understanding of the history of 2-year colleges, academic advising, Black students, and retention. Individual interviews were conducted of participants with knowledge and experiences about academic advising, and retention. The collected data were analyzed to identify recurring keywords and phrases to gain an understanding of how academic advisors interact with students and search for themes concerning issues that affect student retention and success. The results of this study revealed academic advisors' roles influence student success and retention, and barriers exist that negatively impact retention rates of students within 2-year colleges. A limitation of this study was the research was done at several 2-year colleges and a recommendation for further research was to conduct quantitative research to test the predictive value of similar variables, when developing strategies and goals.