This digest is based on a full-length report (with the same title) on advisory committees to universities and colleges. Under decreased resources and increased pressures for more accountability, advisory committees are an effective way for colleges and universities to connect with their environments. An advisory committee is a group of volunteers that meets regularly on a long-term basis to provide advice and or support to an institution or one of its sub-units. They range from those that consult to university presidents on broad policy issues to committees that focus on specific tasks and decisions. Effective advisory committees meet regularly and work together to provide advice and support that contributes significantly to the program's or institution's improvements through this can take a range of forms depending on the individual circumstances of the committee and the institution. Whether advisory committees are effective is difficult to determine because of the range of definitions of effectiveness for particular groups and the scarcity of studies on the topic. The few existing studies are in the vocational education and community college sectors, and they document widespread existence of committees that exist on paper only. A committee is more likely to be effective if: (1) institutional representatives desire input, (2) committee members are knowledgeable, committed, and given some recognition; (3) committee processes are effective and meaningful; and (4) the expectations about the committee's role are clear. (Contains 12 references.) (JB)