Biology faculty at an East Coast university believed their undergraduate students were not being well served by the existing academic advising program. The purpose of this mixed methods project study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the academic advising model in a biology department. Guided by system-based organizational theory, a learning organization model, and holistic theory emphasizing an individual's journey of academic and personal growth, an online survey, student focus groups, and faculty interviews were used to collect data, which developed recommendations for improving undergraduate academic advising in the biology department. Using Survey Monkey, 35 surveys were returned. Frequency tables, ANOVAs, and t tests produced the results of the survey. The results of the ANOVAs and t tests indicated statically significant differences (p < 0.05) between what students determined were important academic advising elements and how they viewed the supported given to them from academic advising. All student respondents agreed that all criteria of academic advising were important, though some criteria were more important than others. Qualitative axial coding was used to extract pertinent data from 5 interviews and 3 focus groups. The results from the interviews and focus groups indicated that the role of mentor should remain at the faculty level, guiding students in what they can do with their degrees and discussing options that students may not have considered. The proposed model for academic advising may improve student success rates for undergraduates enrolled in the biology department at the current institution, as well as in science-oriented programs at other institutions, by providing better guidance to those who serve them in academic advising. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]