The relationship between academic advising and student attrition was examined at a private liberal arts college. A cohort analysis of students entering the college between 1971 and 1975 indicated that faculty members in the first year of their contracts had relatively more of their new student advisees subsequently withdraw than did the same faculty members in later years of their contracts or did experienced faculty members in the same year. The results were considered by a college-wide retention study committee in efforts to reduce student attrition. (BD)