Academic advising is a facet of academia that fosters the holistic development of the individual student. Faculty members have consistently played a role in advising students, but that role is not always clearly defined is relation to its alignment with institutional expectations, the specific needs of a program or the unique needs of an individual student. This results in faculty and students having different expectations of the advisory process. The Occupational and Physical Therapy programs at the University of Mississippi have their own unique cultures and needs. The student perceptions have been explored. The faculty perceptions were needed to provide further insights. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to investigate faculty perspectives of the academic advisory process within the OT and PT departments at UMMC. A qualitative investigation utilizing in-depth semi-structured interviews was utilized through the lens and framework of appreciative inquiry. Seventeen OT and PT faculty advisors participated in face-to-face interviews to reveal their perceptions regarding their role in the advisory process and identify their needs to promote an effective advisory process specific to their respective programs. Regarding the faculty role in the advisory process, two major themes of transition facilitator and academic facilitator emerged, with each revealing subthemes: personal and professional. Regarding the faculty needs to promote effective advising, three major themes of infrastructure, culture, and support emerged, with subthemes developed for each major theme. The balance of structured policy and procedures with respect for individuation and flexibility are key to developing and maintaining an effective advisory process specific to the OT and PT programs at UMMC. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]