The idea of forming a state-wide organization for academic advisors was first presented in 1992 by Grace Butler, an advisor at the University of Missouri-Columbia.  She enlisted the help of Mizzou’s Advisors Forum.  This small group envisioned an organization that would enable advisors to share information and ideas about helping transfer students, international students; advising athletes, non-traditional students and those who change majors; advising a diverse student population; and recognizing serious emotional problems in students.  Advisors from other Missouri colleges and universities were contacted and MACADA was born with 86 charter members from 20 institutions.

The first official meeting of MACADA was held in April 1993 at Central Missouri State University.  The theme was “Academic Advising for Career Choices” with 84 attendees.  Officers were elected, proposed by-laws presented and an afternoon program around the theme was held.   The first issue of The Macada News was introduced shortly thereafter.

The first annual conference was held in 1993 at the Rickman Conference Center, Jefferson City, with the theme “Evaluating Advising.”  The second annual conference in 1994 found the group again gathered at Rickman for “Ethics in Advising.”  

March 1995 marked the beginning of MACADA: The Network by Harry Blaine Cook.

A change of location to the Inn at Grand Glaize, Osage Beach, marked the third annual conference in September 1995.  A group of over 100 attendees gathered to discuss “Strengthening the Advising Process.”   Dr. Mabel Grimes was the keynote speaker, “Life Is Too Short--Eat Dessert First!”    The first annual Pacesetter Award, instituted to honor an up-line administrator who has demonstrated dedication to academic advising, was presented at this conference.  

MACADA became an official affiliate member of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) in October 1995.

“Professional and Faculty Advisors:  Building Bridges to Better Serve Students” was the theme of the fourth annual conference in September 1996.  Dr. Rick Hardy was the keynote speaker on the topic “The Unsung Heroes of American Higher Education.”

The 1997 conference featured “Connections, Interactions, Transitions:  The Advisor’s Role.”  This conference also marked the presentation of the first annual Outstanding Advisor Award intended to recognize excellence in advising and underscore the importance of academic advising to the rest of the academic community.   Beverly Brennan spoke on the 5 C’s of Communication.

The Holiday Inn Resort & Conference Center, Lake of the Ozarks, became the site for the sixth annual MACADA Conference in 1998, titled “Back To Basics:  Nuts and Bolts Issues in Advising.”   The keynote speaker was Bernadette Dignan who presented “Smile Therapy with Humor, Fun & Play” followed by a good dose of humor from a hilarious skit about advising.

Beginning in 1998-99, MACADA started to take an active role in the Statewide Transfer & Articulation Conference held each February in Columbia, Missouri.  This involvement has continued through the presentation of concurrent sessions and school poster displays.   Feedback to the board has shown positive perceptions of advising by up-line administrators starting to emerge.

The 1999 MACADA conference centered around the theme “Students Say the Darndest Things:  Advising Expectations and Perceptions.”  The keynote speaker was Alan Shiller from Webster University who presented “Non-Verbal Communication: We Do More Than We Say.”   

September 2000 saw MACADA still at Holiday Inn for the eighth annual conference with the theme “The Role of Communication in Advising:  Is That Your Final Answer?”  Jeff Arbus and Sandy MacDonald from Sault College, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, presented “Effective Confrontation Skills Training for Academic Advisors.”

There has been steady growth in the organization over the past eight years.  MACADA reached its membership goal of “200 in 2000” with exactly 200 members from 38 institutions

MACADA’s ninth annual conference was held September 20 and 21, 2001 at the Holiday Inn at the Lake of the Ozarks. The theme for the conference was “Best Practices in Advising for a New Millennium.”  Steve Birdine, President of Affirmations in Action, presented two keynote sessions focusing on “Encouraging Academic Excellence in Students of Color” and “Moving Your Diversity Dialog from ‘Talk’ to ‘Action’”.

On May 30-June 1, 2002, MACADA served as host for the NACADA Region 7 Conference at the Millenium Hotel in downtown St. Louis, with Leslie Yard, St. Louis Community College-Meramec serving as Conference Chair.   Manuel “Buddy” Ramos, Ed.D, Client Executive of PeopleSoft, presented the keynote address at a dinner at the St. Louis Zoo.  Actor Patrick Lee performed as William Clark at the conference luncheon.

The Tan-Tar-A resort at The Lake of the Ozarks welcomed MACADA’s 10th Annual Conference on September 19 and 20, 2002. The conference theme was “A Decade of Advising Development.”  Robert Stein, Associate Commissioner, Coordinating Board on Higher Education, addressed the General Session on Missouri’s 42-Hour General Education Block.
 
“Accentuate the Positive: Promoting Innovative Advising Strategies,” MACADA’s 11th conference, was held at the Tan-Tar-A on the shores of Lake of the Ozarks. Conference dates were September 18-19, 2003. Members were updated on the “Missouri Student Assistance Resource Services (MOSTARS) by Dan Peterson, Director of Missouri Student Financial Assistance, and “The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) aka Buckley Amendment” by Tim Sullivan, Assistant Registrar, University of Missouri-Kansas City.

MACADA returned to Tan-Tar-A at the Lake of the Ozarks on September 16-17, 2004 for the 12th annual conference, “No Theme Required”.  Dr. Edward Leoni, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation at Southeast Missouri State University, also known as “Dr. Lifestyle”, gave the keynote address:  “Lifestyle Enhancement”.

The 13th annual conference, “Advising Harmony: Finding Your Balance” was once again held at Tan-Tar-A at Lake of the Ozarks on September 15-16, 2005.  “Problem Students, Problem Parents, and Problem Colleagues:  There’s Always at Least One! Conflict Management in Academic Advising” was the keynote speech presented by Dr. Charlene Berquist, Director, Center for Dispute Resolution at Missouri State University.

 “Setting the Pace for Advising,” the 14th annual conference, took place at Tan-Tar-A at Lake of the Ozarks on September 14-15, 2006.  The keynote speech was “Setting the Pace:  Leading the Race”, presented by Terri Blevins, Academic Counselor at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, followed by a plenary speech entitled “Listening Skills for Advisors”given by  Harry Cook, Academic Advisor at Missouri State University. The Best of Conference Award was given at the end of the conference to Joe Morris,  SOAR Coordinator and Cindy Fiedler, Transfer Advisor, Missouri State University for their session entitled:  “Parasitic or Symbiotic:  Perceptions of Parental Involvement.”

September 13 -14, 2007 were the dates of the 15th annual conference, again at Tan-Tar-A at Lake of the Ozarks, with the theme of “Advising Decisions:  Beyond the Magic 8 Ball”. Keynote speaker, Dewey Thompson, of the Missouri Training Institute, College of Business, University of Missouri-Columbia, addressed “Generational Differences”. Tyann Cherry, Bethany Keller and Thuy Witt, Webster University, were voted the the Best of MACADA Conference Award for their presentation, "Advising in a Tekkie Age."

March 3 -5, 2008, MACADA hosted 347 people from 8 states for the NACADA Region VII Conference:  “Setting the Stage for Student Success, Academic Advising in the Spotlight” at the Chateau on the Lake, Branson, Missouri.  The Conference Co-Chairs were Lisa Runyan, University of Central Missouri and Harry Cook, Missouri State University, assisted by a conference committee of MACADA Executive Board members.  The keynote speaker was Paul Weeks, Vice President for State Programs in Educational Services, ACT, Inc., who spoke on “Setting the Stage…for Sanity.” Optional entertainment excursions were offered for the Titanic museum or the Legends in Concert show.

In June 2008, MACADA President Harry Cook announced the establishment of an archive of MACADA records in the Archives at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection (WHMC) at the University of Missouri.  Grace Butler, founding member of MACADA, graciously agreed to assist in creating the initial archive collection through MACADA past minutes, reports, conference materials and annual reports, which had been handed down from secretary to secretary. An announcement was also placed in the MCADA news inviting members to donate historical MACADA materials.  This archive will allow members who are interested in researching MACADA history to have access to actual MACADA documents, and will safely preserve the records for future reference.  Access may be granted with a day or two advance request to the WHMC.

History of Executive Board Members

History of Award Winners