Academic advising has been researched and linked to student retention and completion in numerous studies. New state initiatives, legislative funding pressure, and financial aid changes have increased pressure on accurate, timely, and intrusive advising to increase timely graduation and student success. As academic advising played a vital role in student success, questions arose pertaining to best practices and organization for advising programs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate academic advising programs at three regional universities in a university system using Crockett's Academic Advising Audit. The study sought to determine individual program strengths, areas for improvement, development of individualized action plans, and identification of common advising protocols for the university system to adopt and recommend for academic advising programs. A qualitative case study of institutional advising programs was implemented using Crockett's Academic Advising Audit. This survey instrument was used in data collection and in the identification of advising program characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and commonalities. The survey instrument allowed collection of general advising program demographics, advising in departments or units, centralized advising, and institutional effectiveness perceptions. The completion of the audits was followed with interviews that enriched qualitative data and evaluated the survey results based on Crockett's audit guidelines. The data was analyzed and organized for themes, strengths, weaknesses, and best practices for a preliminary model were developed. The study showed differences between institutions within the same university system that included academic advising program hierarchy, policy, and services within a centralized advising center and in the academic colleges. Evaluation of the campus academic advising programs, individually and in comparison, yielded three themes: communication, dedication, and consistency. These themes were evaluated and used in conjunction with Crockett's Academic Advising Audit, to develop recommendations for the individual universities and system, best practices, and a preliminary academic advising program model. This study identified key components for academic advising program success and model development. These components were: coordinated, consistent, and dedicated leadership; focus on the student's development and needs; consistent processes and practices across campus that were easily communicated and understood; and a collaborative culture of academic advising university wide. [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.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]