About | Academic and Career Engagement

Academic advising is one of the more important activities we engage in at Kansas State University. Advisors support students in their educational planning, teach them how to navigate college and university resources, and encourage them to take responsibility for decisions about their academic progress.

K-State’s decentralized academic advising system is unified by a shared set of academic advising expectations. Every student at K-State is assigned to an academic advisor in their college or department. Students are expected to meet with their advisor at least once a semester and they can easily schedule an appointments through Navigate.

Academic advisors and students work together to support specific learning outcomes and the student's academic and career goals. You can learn more about learning outcomes and responsibilities in the Advising Syllabus which was developed in 2015. Additionally, K-State has several awards and recognition to show our appreciation of advisors.

Structure

All students at Kansas State University are assigned an academic advisor they are required to meet with each semester prior to registration.

K-State Online students are advised by advisors in their college or by an advisor in the K-State Online Student Success and Advising unit. SSA is also responsible for assisting with retention and student success efforts for all K-State students seeking their degrees online.

K-State has a de-centralized advising model where each college varies in how advising is structured. There are a variety of advising models from college centralization with professional advisors, to faculty advisors and decentralization by academic department. All advisors have a common training, utilize common technology, and adhere to a coordinated advising system university-wide with the goal of providing a cohesive advising experience for all students.

NACADA Outcomes Survey for Academic Advising

Available April 14-May 5, 2025

The NACADA Outcomes Survey for Academic Advising is designed by NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising. The survey will be administered to both current K-State undergraduate students and all K-State academic advisors who advise undergraduate students. The purpose of the survey is to help us understand if we are meeting the learning outcomes for academic advising and perceptions of the effectiveness of academic advising at Kansas State University.

Survey Distribution

The survey will be sent to approximately 14,000 Kansas State University undergraduate degree-seeking students and 700 faculty or staff with academic advising duties via an email to their K-State email account from NACADA. The survey takes about 10-15 minutes to complete, with some open-ended questions at the end to share experiences.

Survey Results

The data collected from K-State students and academic advisors will be instrumental in analyzing current advising practices and strategizing for needed improvements. We believe student success is strongly connected to academic advising practices. Academic Advising is an important part of the Next-Gen Strategic Plan and the Next-Gen Strategic Enrollment Plan.

FAQ

Q: How am I able to access the survey?

A: Students and advisors who are invited to take the survey will receive an email from NACADA with a secure survey link on Monday, April 14. Frequent email reminders will be sent to participants who have not completed the survey.

Q: Who is conducting this survey?

A: Academic Advising at K-State is coordinating with NACADA The Global Community for Academic Advising’s Center for Research. NACADA has designed and piloted the surveys with dozens of institutions and further tested as part of the Excellence in Academic Advising program.

Q: Who will see my survey responses?

A: Individual answers will not be visible to K-State staff, only aggregated (combined) results will be reviewed.

Q: How will the survey results be used?

A: K-State personnel will use the survey results to assess current advising practices and advising interactions with students and advisors to discover actionable results. Learning focused outcomes are closely linked to key elements in the Nine Conditions of Excellence in Academic Advising.

Q: Who can I contact if I have additional questions?

A: For further information, please contact Pamela Erickson, Executive Director of Academic Advising, at perick@ksu.edu