Higher education institutions continue to struggle with student retention, career readiness, and underemployment among graduates. Traditional college advising models focus heavily on selecting a major, yet many students graduate with empty degrees that fail to translate into meaningful careers. In this episode of Changing Higher Ed®, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Scott Carlson and Dr. Ned Scott Laff, authors of Hacking College: Why the Major Really Doesn’t Matter and What Really Does, about how institutions can rethink academic advising, faculty engagement, and student success strategies to better serve today’s learners.

Carlson, a senior writer for the Chronicle of Higher Education, and Laff, who has over 35 years of experience in college and university settings helping students design successful undergraduate experiences, discuss how universities can shift away from a rigid, major-centric model to a personalized student success framework. They explain how students who lack career clarity often end up in underemployment, taking jobs unrelated to their degrees. Their research shows that institutions must evolve their advising structures to help students identify vocational purpose, leverage experiential learning, and navigate the hidden job market.

The Problem with Traditional Academic Advising

• The outdated focus on major selection leads students into rigid career paths, often misaligned with their strengths and interests.
• A one-size-fits-all advising model leaves first-generation and low-income students struggling to navigate the complexities of higher education.
• Limited faculty-student engagement prevents students from leveraging university resources and professional networks.
• Lack of career-aligned experiential learning results in students graduating without the necessary skills and industry connections.

Revolutionizing College-to-Career Transition

Carlson and Laff propose a new model where higher education leaders integrate career-focused advising and faculty mentorship into the student experience. This involves:

• Helping students explore hidden intellectualism—their deeper interests and skills that could shape their career trajectories.
• Connecting students with faculty and industry professionals to uncover career pathways beyond traditional job titles.
• Expanding experiential learning opportunities through internships, mentorships, and project-based learning.
• Teaching students to research the hidden job market to discover roles they might never encounter through a standard career fair.

Institutional Strategies for Student Success

For university presidents, boards, and executive leaders, improving student outcomes requires a fundamental shift in how advising and faculty engagement are structured. Institutions should:

• Encourage faculty to act as mentors, guiding students beyond coursework to explore real-world career applications.
• Train advisors to support students in creating flexible, goal-oriented academic plans that integrate experiential learning.
• Strengthen career services by building industry partnerships and embedding career readiness into academic programming.
• Utilize existing institutional resources—including government affairs, research opportunities, and alumni networks—to connect students with career pathways.

The Hidden Job Market and Career Readiness

Career exploration should begin early in a student’s academic journey. Institutions must help students develop the ability to recognize opportunities beyond traditional job titles by:

• Encouraging proactive networking with faculty, professionals, and industry leaders.
• Teaching students to research and navigate the hidden job market, where many opportunities exist outside of standard recruitment channels.
• Expanding experiential learning options, such as internships and project-based coursework, to provide practical experience that aligns with evolving workforce demands.

With AI-driven automation threatening traditional advising roles, institutions must act now to redefine how they support student career pathways. Colleges that fail to adapt will continue to see declining retention, underemployment, and dissatisfaction among graduates.

Five Takeaways for University Presidents and Boards

1. Be Open to Change – Institutions must actively remove barriers that prevent student success. The current advising model is failing many students, and colleges need to adopt a more flexible, student-centered approach that helps learners navigate their academic and career paths effectively.

2. Preserve Academic Variety – Colleges are eliminating liberal arts programs due to financial pressures, but this limits students' ability to create multidisciplinary educational experiences. Institutions should strive to maintain a diverse academic landscape that allows students to explore various career pathways.

3. Engage Directly with Students – University leaders should make an effort to understand student concerns firsthand. By informally engaging with students—whether in common areas or casual settings—presidents and board members can gain valuable insights into what students need to thrive.

4. Empower Students to Take Ownership of Their Education – Instead of following rigid degree structures, students should be encouraged to design their own academic experiences by integrating coursework, experiential learning, and industry engagement in ways that align with their career goals. Advisors and faculty should support this by shifting from a prescriptive model to one that helps students think critically about their education.

5. Rethink Institutional Priorities – Colleges can maintain their research and tenure agendas while also fostering a culture that encourages student success. Leaders should create systems that help students perceive higher education as an interconnected network of opportunities rather than a series of disconnected courses.

Higher education institutions that fail to evolve will continue to see declining retention and job placement rates. Listen in as Dr. Drumm McNaughton, Scott Carlson, and Dr. Ned Laff explore how colleges can implement meaningful advising reforms to improve student success, institutional sustainability, and long-term career outcomes. Institutions looking for solutions to align their academic programs with evolving student needs should explore Academic Realignment and Redesign strategies.

Read the podcast transcript on our website: https://changinghighered.com/transforming-college-advising-new-approach-to-student-success/

#AcademicAdvising #HigherEducation #StudentSuccess

 

About the Podcast Guests

Dr. Ned Scott Laff has over 35 years of experience in college and university settings, helping students design successful undergraduate experiences. He has taught both English and Honors courses and has broad interests in liberal arts education, the quality of undergraduate education, and the role of academic advising in liberal learning. He was Founding Director of the Center for the Junior Year at Governors State University; Director for Advising at Augustana College; the Director for General Education, Director of Contractual Studies, Director for Service-Learning and Director of the Center for Engaged Learning at Columbia College; former Academic Program Coordinator for Core Curriculum and Director for First Year Seminar at Loyola University Chicago. He has served as Director for Academic Program Development at Barat College of DePaul University; and as Associate Dean for Curriculum at Mundelein College of Loyola University Chicago.

Connect with Ned Scott Laff on LinkedIn →

Scott Carlson is a senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education who explores where higher education is headed. Since 1999, he has covered a range of issues for the publication: college management and finance, facilities, campus planning, energy, sustainability, libraries, workforce development, the value of a college degree, and other subjects. He has written such in-depth reports as “Sustaining the College Business Model,” “The Future of Work,” “The Right Mix of Academic Programs,” “The Campus as City,” and “The Outsourced University.” Carlson has won awards from the Education Writers Association and is a frequent speaker at colleges and conferences around the country. His work has also appeared in The Baltimore Sun and Baltimore City Paper, among other publications. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Connect with Scott Carlson on LinkedIn →

About the Podcast Host

Dr. Drumm McNaughton is the founder, CEO, and Principal Consultant at The Change Leader, Inc. A highly sought-after higher education consultant with 20+ years of experience, Dr. McNaughton works with leadership, management, and boards of U.S. and international institutions. His expertise spans key areas, including accreditation, governance, strategic planning, presidential onboarding, mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances. Dr. McNaughton’s approach combines a holistic methodology with a deep understanding of the contemporary and evolving challenges facing higher education institutions worldwide to ensure his clients succeed in their mission.

Connect with Drumm McNaughton on LinkedIn→