Abstract:

The importance of the services provided by counseling centers and academic support services has been well-documented in American and European universities. Academic counseling services involve both counseling centers and academic support services operation in university premises. Counseling centers incorporate in their mission providing individual counseling and psychotherapy in order to ensure the psychological wellbeing of students; whereas academic support services aim to support students in making and executing educational life plans (Creamer, 2000). Empirical evidence indicates that students who receive services from counseling and academic support services benefit in terms of academic performance (Grillo & Leist, 2013), emotional health and overall well-being (Sharkin, 2011). Institutions of higher education that employ these student-oriented services also draw on multiple advantages in terms of crises management, student retention, improved academic performance and overall positive learning climate (Bishop, 1995). As the student population in Albania is becoming more diverse in terms of identity, implementing support services in universities and higher education institutions is becoming a necessity. This international experience, however, is not fully translated in the Albanian higher education system, where the role of these supportive services is limited and often times downplayed, with only a few higher education institutions nationwide fully implementing them. This argumentative paper emphasizes the need for these services in Albanian universities by adopting a holistic perspective of role of higher education institutions on student development. We explore the various ways, utilizing a range of models, that university counseling and academic support centers abroad have mobilized to respond to student needs. We then present experience from the counseling center and academic support services implemented at an American-based university in Tirana, Albania. The quantitative data on the characteristics and concerns of the students who have utilized these services during the years 2011-2017, along with what the support services are doing to respond to the challenge of students’ needs. Finally, we present a framework for planning, executing and evaluating student support services such as counseling and academic support centers in Albanian higher education institutions.

Keywords:

Higher education, academic counseling services, academic support services, academic success, student well-being.