Abstract
With the introduction of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, there is an influx of active-duty military and student veterans enrolling in postsecondary and graduate-level education. The role of an academic advisor increases significantly with this influx of enrollment. The purpose of this study was to determine how a graduate-level academic advisor perceives his or her role in advising military and student veterans. By using an adapted methodology of organizational microethnography, commonalities of graduate-level academic advisors to military and student veterans are defined and analytically described. Ethnographic data collection included individual interviews and focus group sessions. Academic advisors of military and student veterans serve as mentors, counselors, coaches, and educators—possessing commonalities of empathy, accessibility, availability, and approachability. In addition, academic advisors of military and student veterans contend with a variety of mental health issues experienced by their students.