The Role of the Graduate-Level Academic Advisor for Military and Student Veterans: An Ethnographic Study.

摘要

The role of a graduate-level academic advisor is essential to all levels of higher education. With the introduction of the Post 9/11 GI Bill, there has been an influx of military and student veterans enrolling in postsecondary and graduate-level education programs. The role of the academic advisor has increased significantly with the influx of military and student veterans. This dissertation was designed to illuminate and analytically describe the perceptions of the role of a graduate-level academic advisor to military and student veterans at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC). The underdeveloped perspective of the individual graduate-level advisor was the focus of this study. An adapted methodology of organizational microethnography was used in this study. The overarching qualitative Research Question was to determine how a graduate-level academic advisor perceived his/her role in advising military and student veterans. The researcher was the primary collection vehicle for the study. Ethnographic data collection was derived from 11 individual semi-structured interviews and 2 focus group sessions. Data was analyzed using coding, reoccurring themes, and patterns for interpretation by using NVivo 10 QSR International qualitative software. The data was coded and categorized into 4 common themes. Graduate-level academic advisors to military and student veterans commonly possess the characteristic of empathy. Graduate-level academic advisors to military and student veterans make themselves accessible, available, and approachable to students they advise. Graduate-level academic advisors advise military and student veterans on a variety of mental health issues as well as administrative and academic matters. Military culture plays an enormous role in defining the duties and responsibilities of graduate-level academic advisors to military and student veterans as mentors, counselors, academic advisors, coaches, educators, administrators, career and life planners, role models, disciplinarians and coordinators. The study concluded that more research is required to address the substantial need of military and student veterans. This study adds to the growing body of knowledge of graduate-level academic advising of military and student veterans, benefiting the military, the faculty, the student veteran population, and academic institutions.