Student Club Advisors - Ready, Willing, But Not Able: Lessons Learned From Montclair Club Advisors
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Advisor
Milton Fuentes
Access Type
Event
Start Date
26-4-2024 2:15 PM
End Date
26-4-2024 3:15 PM
Description
Student Club Advisors are major contributors to the success and management of student organizations, granting both support and knowledge to student leaders. Specifically, they often play key roles in overseeing all operations of student clubs and providing students with the opportunity to grow socially and professionally. Despite advisors serving in such an important role, they receive very little preparation for this position. Micek (2013) noted that student club advisors often lack proper resources and training, leaving them ill-equipped to effectively support student organizations, revealing a need for additional training. Their lack of training is a detriment to student clubs, as advisors are dedicated to educating students on leadership, group facilitation, and professional skills. In this poster, we will discuss a study that focused on student club advisors at Montclair State University. The study surveyed 15 club advisors, assessing their reasons for being advisors, asking them about advice they would share with their peers, and inquiring about their training needs. Our findings revealed that the major struggles of student club advisors were a lack of training, difficulty garnering student engagement, and insufficient institutional funding and resources. Most advisors (53%) reported feeling unprepared to assume this complex role. Based on our study data, we will enumerate best practices Montclair State University and other campuses could adopt to better support club advisors.
Student Club Advisors - Ready, Willing, But Not Able: Lessons Learned From Montclair Club Advisors
Student Club Advisors are major contributors to the success and management of student organizations, granting both support and knowledge to student leaders. Specifically, they often play key roles in overseeing all operations of student clubs and providing students with the opportunity to grow socially and professionally. Despite advisors serving in such an important role, they receive very little preparation for this position. Micek (2013) noted that student club advisors often lack proper resources and training, leaving them ill-equipped to effectively support student organizations, revealing a need for additional training. Their lack of training is a detriment to student clubs, as advisors are dedicated to educating students on leadership, group facilitation, and professional skills. In this poster, we will discuss a study that focused on student club advisors at Montclair State University. The study surveyed 15 club advisors, assessing their reasons for being advisors, asking them about advice they would share with their peers, and inquiring about their training needs. Our findings revealed that the major struggles of student club advisors were a lack of training, difficulty garnering student engagement, and insufficient institutional funding and resources. Most advisors (53%) reported feeling unprepared to assume this complex role. Based on our study data, we will enumerate best practices Montclair State University and other campuses could adopt to better support club advisors.
Comments
Additional Authors: Heather Hernandez-Mozz, Maritza Lazo, Kiara Padmore, Vanessa Rodriguez, Leslie Simon, Christian Smith, Michelle M. Truffin