NASPA Announces Campaign with Lumina Foundation

Washington, DC – June 15, 2026 – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) has partnered with Lumina Foundation to create the Ask an Advisor campaign, a practitioner-centered initiative designed to amplify the expertise of advisors and position them as influential voices in national conversations about student success. 

Academic advising is among the most impactful interventions available to support student success yet advisors remain largely absent from the policy and research conversations that shape the field. Ask an Advisor changes that by developing advisors as communications leaders and campus change agents.

By elevating the voices and visibility of advisors, the project aims to shift how institutions, policymakers, and the public understand how advising drives student success outcomes. Selected advisors will help produce a suite of narrative assets grounded in evidence-based advising principles, including video storytelling content, co-authored blog posts, and conference presentations. Additionally, participants will receive training and support to develop their communications skills and translate their daily practice into narratives that resonate with campus leaders, policymakers, and the public.

Ask an Advisor builds on NASPA's existing Advising Success Network and extends Lumina Foundation's ongoing investment in advising as a lever for students’ academic and career success. The initiative builds upon Lumina’s Goal 2040 vision, which calls for 75 percent of adults in the U.S. labor force to hold college degrees or other credentials of value by 2040. Advisors sit at the intersection of that ambition and daily student reality — connecting students to their institution, helping navigate structural barriers to degree progression, and championing redesign efforts that better serve today's learners.

"If we're serious about reaching Goal 2040, we need to be serious about academic and career advising. Advisors are the practitioners who meet students where they are, navigate the real barriers to degree completion, and redesign systems that were not built for today's learners. It's past time their voices shaped the policies and practices that affect their students," said Jhenai Chandler, NASPA’s Vice President for Research, Policy & Student Success. 

The Ask Your Advisor initiative will run from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. Additional information and how to apply will be available at NASPA.org in July 2026. Inquiries and questions may be directed to [email protected]. 

About NASPA: Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession. NASPA’s work provides high-quality professional development, advocacy, and research for 13,000 members in all 50 states, 25 countries, and 8 U.S. territories.

About Lumina Foundation: Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. We envision higher learning that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation’s talent needs through a broad range of credentials. We work toward a system that prepares people for informed citizenship and success in a global economy.