Date
5-20-2026
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration (PhD)
Chair
Terrell Elam
Keywords
higher education, student retention, faculty advisors, academic advising, Bean’s model of student attrition, qualitative inquiry, case study
Disciplines
Educational Leadership | Higher Education
Recommended Citation
Buchanan, Alice Lorraine, "The Faculty Advisor's Role in Student Retention and Success: A Case Study From the Student Perspective" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8490.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8490
Abstract
The purpose of this collective case study was to understand the role of faculty advisors in student retention of traditional full-time undergraduate students in their final year of study at a four-year university. Guided by Bean’s theoretical model of student attrition, this study examined how organizational interactions influence students’ attitudes, advising satisfaction, and subsequent intent to leave. The Central Research Question was: How do faculty advisors influence student retention for traditional full-time undergraduate students in their final year at a four-year university? The setting was a small, faith-based, highly residential, private university in the Midwestern United States, where faculty advisors are assigned to students within their declared major. Using a collective case study design, data triangulation across 10 participants’ individual interviews and survey instrument responses provided a longitudinal perspective on their experiences, alongside analysis of institutional documents. An adaptation of Yin’s cross-case synthesis procedure facilitated a cross-unit synthesis to analyze the perceived impact of faculty advising on final-year students’ experiences. Three themes were identified—institutional context, faculty advisor experience and methodology, and student integration, formation, and belonging—which subsequently catalyzed into three interpretive findings: The Relational Lottery, The Systemic Safety Net, and The Formative Compass. This student-centered perspective underscored the imperative of a holistic understanding of advising and the intentional design necessary for student success. Integrating these findings into institutional policy and practice offered a roadmap to reduce advising variability and stabilize the student experience, ultimately ensuring successful persistence toward the post-graduate horizon.
