An examination of perceived levels of job satisfaction among academic advisors of student athletes at selected American colleges and universities: Influences of gender, organizational climate, reporting structure and years of experienc

Athletic and academic staff reductions, delays in facility maintenance and construction, and reduced athletic budgets are problems that athletics administrators commonly face. Also, with the increasing pressure of Title IX, institutions are faced with decisions regarding what men's sports they must delete, and what women's sports to add in order to satisfy gender equity standards. Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 states, that "no person in the U. S. shall, on the basis of sex be excluded from participation in, or denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal aid." Additionally, many athletic administrators, advisors, and coaches have encountered a decrease in professional mobility and dwindling opportunities for advancement, which may be related to the lack of department growth and financial reduction in athletic programs. This necessitates a need to investigate the factors pertaining to the perceived levels of job satisfaction of college academic advisors relating to organizational climate.;A comparison of the perception of the levels of job satisfaction between athletics academic advisors with an academic reporting structure and academic advisors with an athletics department reporting structure will be studied in order to identify any commonalties or differences between the two groups. These relationships will be discussed in order to explain the levels of perceived job satisfaction found within the population studied.;The data generated from this study reveal relationships between supervision, reporting structure, gender, and perceived job satisfaction among athletics academic advisors. Specifically, female athletics academic advisors have a lower level of satisfaction with supervision methods than do male athletics academic advisors. Years of experience in the advising profession do not play a significant role in the overall perception of job satisfaction of athletics academic advisors. However, reporting structure has a significant effect on the level of perceived job satisfaction. Athletics advisors reporting within an academic affairs department tend to be more satisfied with their work than do athletics advisors that report within an athletics department.