Who Are Athletic Advisors? State of the Profession

Abstract

The field of athletic advising has existed since the 1970s. In the early 1990s, the National Collegiate Athletic Association mandated that higher education institutions provide academic support for student-athletes. Few researchers have identified those serving as athletic advisors, so the literature features little data on advisor demographics, training, education, and work responsibilities. Therefore, the background and experiences of 277 members of the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics, who responded to a survey, were explored. Specifically, athletic advisor educational and training background, burnout levels, meaning of the profession as participants describe it, advice for prospective advisors, and the knowledge they wish they had gained before entering the field are addressed. Dramaturgy was utilized as a framework for analyzing this research.

Advising Student-Athletes for Success: Predicting the Academic Success and Persistence of Collegiate Student-Athletes

“…In a recent study focused on the profession of athletic advisors, Rubin (2017) surveyed 277 members of the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals. Rubin's findings revealed a lack of consistency in the educational background and training for the profession.…”

Defining and Describing Mid‐Level Administrators in Intercollegiate Athletics

“…The intense workplace demands associated with intercollegiate athletics, combined with ongoing pressure to accumulate the types of sport, social, and human capital required for career mobility, can cause physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion and result in administrators departing the profession. A 2017 survey of those working in student‐athlete development indicated that 91% had witnessed department colleagues experiencing burnout, and 60% said they personally had considered leaving college sports entirely for this reason (Rubin, 2017). Other researchers have found intercollegiate athletics trainers experience considerable stress associated with the job's time commitments and report higher levels of emotional exhaustion compared to people working in other helping professions such as doctors, nurses, and college faculty (Clapper & Harris, 2008; Hendrix, Acevedo, & Hebert, 2000).…”

Burnout Among Student-Athlete Services Professionals

“…People want their efforts to be appreciated (Pines & Aronson, 1988). Rubin's (2017) survey of student-athlete services professionals found, "Evaluation of athletic advisors and other student-athlete services professionals remains a major area of concern. Anecdotal evidence suggests that athletic advisors may not know or understand the criteria on which they are evaluated" (p. 45).…”