A model of faculty advising suggests that the tasks performed by faculty advisors are explained by three conceptual constructs differing in levels of complexity and type of skill. The three constructs identify a routine set of tasks termed Providing Information and two complex sets of tasks termed Developing Academic and Educational Goals, and Providing Personal Support. However, no empirical data exist to support this model. To test the model, a sample consisting of 481 University of Vermont undergraduate students rated their advisors on the three sets of items. The data were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses using maximum likelihood procedures with the LISREL model. The existence of the three categories of advising tasks was confirmed. The nature and complexity of advising tasks must be addressed when assessing faculty advisor performance and designing development activities for advisors.

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