Academic advising has been a recognized field of work for well over 50 years. Yet, debates continue about its status as a profession. To date, administrator perceptions of the role (purposes, outcomes, and functions) of academic advising have not been extensively studied. This dissertation reflected a study of administrators within the Florida College System with the purpose of understanding how administrator views of the role of academic advising relate to what is espoused in publications from NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising. Additionally, this dissertation explored how institutional characteristics relate to the administrators' views. Findings indicated that administrators' top purposes, outcomes, and functions of academic advising were related to generating positive academic outcomes, namely retention and completion. Some institutional characteristics were related to subtle differences regarding administrators' views of the role of academic advising. More sophisticated and professionalized aspects of the role of the academic advisor were not as highly prioritized. This indicates a disparity between what NACADA communicates to be the role of the advisor and the beliefs of administrators. [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.]