Academic advising has received a considerable amount of attention as a tool for student retention, development, and academic achievement in higher education. The faculty advisor model is the most commonly used advising model with over 75 percent of institutions utilizing faculty to deliver advising services. While research shows the positive impact the faculty-student advising relationship can have on retention and persistence, students regularly express dissatisfaction with their advising experiences. Academic advising literature often makes recommendations how faculty should advise based on the perspectives of the students, advising administrators, or professional advisors. To enhance academic advising services, institutions must understand advising from both the student and faculty points of view.

The purpose of this phenomenological, qualitative research study was to examine how faculty experiences shape their understanding of the role of an academic advisor. Interviews were conducted with eight full-time, tenured faculty members with responsibilities in advising from a medium-sized, private, liberal arts college in the Midwest. Four themes, each with multiple subthemes emerged from the analysis of the data. The four themes included: One-Dimensional Perspective, Unaware and Underprepared, "On-the-Job Training," and "Seeing People Feel Fulfilled." The findings from this study provide valuable insight into the lived experiences of faculty advisors, including the challenges and opportunities they encountered with advising.

This study has implications for both institutions and faculty advisors regarding training, development, support, resources, and reflection. This study adds a valuable voice to advising literature by sharing faculty advisors' experiences with and understanding of academic advising.