Academic Advising's Integral Role in the Academic Success and Persistence of Students 

Webinar - Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Time is running out!  Don't miss the first Online Event of the 2007-08 Webinar Series!  NACADA President Susan Campbell and Interim Executive Director Charlie Nutt will:

• discuss recent research that clearly demonstrates the connection between quality academic advising and student persistence, and
• provide strategies for using this research to affect change in your institution's culture.

READ an overview Charlie Nutt wrote on this topic for the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources!

This is an excellent opportunity to engage all advising personnel, including faculty and administrators, in examining the importance of academic advising by arranging a group presentation and following it up with a discussion session. Registration closes on SEPTEMBER 4th, so don't delay - LEARN MORE and SIGN UP today!

Register for the entire 2007-08 series TODAY to receive the discount and free CDs!

Legal Issues in Academic Advising

Webinar - Friday, October 5, 2007

Policies, rules, and regulations put in place by the educational institution affect academic advisors every day, but who interprets for the advisors when they find themselves dealing with rules and regulations imposed by government bodies outside the educational institution?  In this Online broadcast, Steve Robinson (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) will address contentious issues that touch academic advisors on a daily basis, such as privacy, confidentiality, academic integrity, and the granting or denial of such tangible educational benefits as degree completion, admission to professional/graduate programs and possibly even employment post-graduation for our students. Join Steve as he discusses due process, law of agency, FERPA and more!  Learn more.

Plan to join your advising colleagues —enjoy the historical, cultural, dining, entertainment and retail attractions of Baltimore as you participate in one of the advising profession’s most valuable educational events of the year. The Annual Conference is a great source for knowledge, networking, and inspiration.

For details on items below, visit the Conference Homepage.

• The early discount deadline is fast approaching: Register by September 22 and save $55.00 - payment does not need to accompany your registration form, so sign up now!
• If you sent a registration form before Aug. 31, but haven’t received an email confirmation, call the Executive Office at (785) 532-5717 or email nacada@ksu.edu immediately.
• Two official hotels have availability - reservations must be made through the Housing Bureau, not by calling the hotels directly. After September 20, rooms and rates are based on availability. NACADA's room allocation at the various hotels may sell out before this date, so make your reservations as soon as possible. There is also information if you are interested in sharing hotel accommodations.
• If this is your first NACADA Annual Conference there are some special hints for you at the conference homepage.
•  A good way to get involved and meet new people is to VOLUNTEER for a couple of hours at the conference. Sign up by emailing Bethany Spore or Paula Ashby.
• If you are a presenter at the conference, check the homepage link "Upload Information for Presenters." It's not too soon to upload your session handout materials.
• Discounted tickets are available for opening night of the Baltimore Blast, Baltimore’s professional indoor soccer team. They play the Philadelphia KIXX, Friday, October 19 at 7:35 p.m. in the 1st Mariner Arena which is located within a short walking distance - just north of the Baltimore Convention Center.

JOIN THE CHOIR!
Do you know where our National Anthem was written? You are right - Baltimore! Join the choir in performing our National Anthem at the opening plenary session. We will practice at 5 p.m. on Thursday, October 18, get a quick bite to eat and then come back and perform at 7 p.m.

Contact Bruce Norris if you are interested, Bruce will share information with you regarding the sheet music. We have two opportunities to sing this year, join the choir for one or both performances; come join the fun!

The Annual Conference will be an excellent opportunity for you to collaborate with Commission and Interest Group members.

• Join us for the Commission and Interest Group Fair on Friday morning, October 19, 7:30-8:30 a.m. Visit the various tables and converse with the Chairs and members of the Commissions and Interest Groups.
• Annual Commission and Interest Group Meetings are scheduled throughout the Conference. Check your program for those meetings of interest to you, or visit the meeting schedule summary.
• Learn what is going on in the Commissions and Interest Groups - projects, activities, new initiatives!
• Volunteer to help with activities or serve on a committee within a Commission or Interest Group.
• Consider running for leadership positions within the Commissions.
• Service to Commission Awards are given by some of the Commissions - investigate and nominate a fellow Commission member!
• Attend one of the "Hot Topics" sessions presented by Commissions and Interest Groups during the last hour of the Conference on Sunday, October 21. Check your conference program for the specific meeting room for each session.
• Commission-sponsored presentations are scheduled throughout the Conference. Check your program for these highlighted sessions. Here's your chance to see some excellent presentations!
• Congratulate the Commission and Interest Group members who have received various NACADA awards! (Visit the websites below -- click on a specific Commission or Interest Group, and then on the "Awards" bullet in the left column.)
• Commissions
• Interest Groups

The following Potential Interest Groups will meet at the Annual Conference in Baltimore to determine their viability and level of interest among NACADA members. Click on the links below to learn more about these potential groups. If you are interested in one or more of these special interest areas, you should plan to attend the initial meeting scheduled as noted below for that group to show your support:

• Academic Coaching — Saturday, October 20, 2:00-3:00 p.m., Chair: Bill Johnson (University of North Carolina-Greensboro)
• Advising First-Year Students — Saturday, October 20, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Chair: Laura Mooney (Trocaire College)
• Advising Military Students & Dependents — Friday, October 19, 3:15-4:15 p.m., Chair: Lisa Keenan (University of North Carolina-Wilmington)

• Ethics & Legal Issues in Advising — Saturday, October 20, 3:15-4:15 .pm., Chair: Aura Rios Erickson (Shoreline Community College)
• History of Academic Advising — Saturday, October 20, 10: 15-11:15 a.m., Chair: Eric White (Penn State University)

NACADA members interested in these Potential Interest Groups but not planning to attend the Baltimore Conference are encouraged to send an e-mail prior to the Conference to the applicable contact person listed above, indicating their interest. Establishment of an Interest Group is dependent upon the number of members interested in the area of focus, so please be sure to express your interest.

Election information and printed nomination forms will be available in the NACADA booth in the Exhibits area at the Annual Conference in Baltimore and also will be printed in the back of the Conference program. Information is currently available online for the 2008 NACADA Leadership elections, including a list of positions to be elected, eligibility criteria, general election information, and an online nomination recommendation form.  Nomination forms can be submitted either electronically, sent by fax or mail, or turned in at the Conference. All nominations will be due to the Executive Office by Friday, November 2, 2007.

More information can be found here regarding overviews of NACADA Leadership positions. If you have any questions, or would like to inquire as to eligibility for a particular position for yourself or a colleague whom you wish to nominate, please contact the NACADA Executive Office at (785) 532-5717 or e-mail us.

Your participation in the nomination process for these Leadership positions is encouraged!

Following the tragedy at Virginia Tech, NACADA list serves were abuzz with discussions on how educational institutions respond to students showing signs of emotional distress. NACADA members emailed the Executive Office asking for resource material related to mental health issues and academic advising. As a result, the NACADA Webinar Advisory Board placed this topic at the top of its list for the 2007-08 Webinar season. We invite you to join Dan Wilcox (Kansas State University), Ruth Harper (South Dakota State University) and Jeffrey Herman (Lehigh Carbon Community College) on Tuesday, November 6, when they present:

College Student Mental Health: Information and Suggestions for Academic Advising

Find out what you can do to make a difference in students' lives and benefit the greater college community!  LEARN MORE and SIGN UP today!

Register for the entire 2007-08 Webinar Series TODAY to receive the discount and free CDs!

Join Us in San Diego

for the

Advising by Design Seminar, Administrators' Institute and Assessment Institute

at the

Doubletree Hotel San Diego-Mission Valley

Three NACADA events are scheduled back-to-back for February in San Diego. Information will be posted as it becomes available. A discount will be available to those participants signing up for multiple events. See the registration form for discount details. 

Registration postcards will be mailed to members the first week of October and also will be available at the Annual Conference. Visit the NACADA booth in Baltimore to pick up information about the three events and the San Diego area, or visit the websites listed below.

The September edition of our quarterly e-Publication, Academic Advising Today, was sent to all members on August 20. If you missed your email notification, you can find it here.

Authors have been hard at work preparing their articles for the December edition, and we are now discussing article topics for the March edition. If you are interested in sharing your thoughts with your colleagues in this format, check out the Guidelines today!

Featured this month in the Clearinghouse: "The Essential Steps for Developing the Content of an Effective Advisor Training and Development Program" by Susan Ford, Assistant Academic Dean, Thomas University. 

Turn around twice and it will be time to plan your fall training and development workshops. In this article Susan Ford provides the steps you can take to make your training and development sessions successful!

Want more information to help your new advisors? Check out The New Advisor Guidebook: Mastering the Art of Academic Advising Through the First Year & Beyond. This monograph features insightful contributions from more than 30 academic advising professionals who provide new advisors with the essentials needed to help students grow and make the most out of their college experiences.

Congratulations to the 2007 NACADA Annual Award recipients (including Outstanding Program Award winners from the University of Minnesota Duluth, pictured at left).

All award recipients will be formally honored during the NACADA Annual Conference in Baltimore this October. Click here for a complete listing of these winners. Photos of award recipients are linked to each name on the listing - perhaps you'll recognize them!

Be sure to look for the ad announcing NACADA award winners in the September 28, 2007, issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Information you can use! Check out the August 13 edition of The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education for two articles of interest to academic advisors: "Rendon Redefines Today's Underserved Student" and "Are Students Ready to Enter College?"

The author of "Rendon Redefines Today's Underserved Student" quotes Laura Rendon, Iowa State University professor, as she defines 5 categories of underserved students and provides information advisors can use in working with these student groups. In "Are Students Ready to Enter College?" Angela Provitera McGlynn, Mercer County Community College, provides strategies that can help advisors better serve incoming students based upon George Kuh's work.

NACADA Journal manuscripts requested!  Authors who would like a manuscript reviewed for possible publication in the NACADA Journal should email a copy to Journals@ksu.edu. The journal publishes articles that deal with the theory, research, and/or practice of academic advising in higher education. Potential authors of articles should consult the guidelines.  

The NACADA Journal also Web publishes reviews of books that would be of interest to academic advisors. Publishers periodically donate books for review and titles are available through the Book Review Website. Reviewers must be current NACADA members and are limited to one review per member year. Potential book reviewers should consult the guidelines.

August 2007 recipients of the Kansas State University Graduate Certificate in Academic Advising are:

LaDonna Bridges, Framingham State College
Gerhea Chuber
Marcus Peanort, Montgomery College
Vickie Rogers, Tidewater Community College
Amy Sannes, Concordia College-Moorhead

Congratulations on your achievement! For a list of all graduates who have received this certificate, click here. For more information about the Graduate Certificate in Academic Advising program click here.

Would you like to propose a topic for the 2008-09 Webinar Series?  The Webinar Advisory Board would like to hear what topics YOU would like to see presented in this format - and, they would also like you to see what considerations they will be addressing in choosing their topic list.

Review their rubric and submit your ideas. Submissions will be accepted until October 1.

Plan ahead for Spring 2008 Region Conferences.

Be sure to attend your Regional Meeting at the Annual Conference in Baltimore next month!  They are slated for 4:30-5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 19!  Add this meeting to your interactive schedule and join colleagues from your area!

Our annual Faculty Seminar and Summer Institutes were held in Burlington, Vermont, and Salt Lake City this summer. Thanks to all the faculty and the wonderful participants for making these dynamic events productive. An integral part of the Summer Institute experience is creating an Action Plan to refine or improve an aspect of advising on individual campuses. Click here to review some of the plans that were developed during this year's institutes! 

Kristin diNovi, Temple University, stated following the Burlington Institute: I am greatly appreciative of the whole experience which provided me with fresh and innovative ideas for improving my advising practices. I hope to infuse my staff with the same sense of excitement with which I left! 

Mark Coomer, Yakima Valley Community College, whose 19-member team attended the Salt Lake City Institute reported:  Our team came to NACADA with the charge of developing a new advising structure. NACADA helped us recognize the need for incremental change and how to go about reaching our goals over time, while making an effective impact now.

2008 Effectively Engaging Faculty in Academic Advising Seminar: June 19-20 in Portsmouth, Va.

2008 Summer Institutes on Academic Advising:  June 22-27 in Portsmouth, Va., and Tentative dates July 27-Aug. 1 in Austin, Texas

You may visit the Faculty Seminar and the Summer Institute website for a review of the program elements for this comprehensive consideration of academic advising! 

Does your institution have a Director of Advisor Development, a Director of Professional Development for Academic Advisors or similarly-titled position? The NACADA Executive Office staff has recently been hearing about some new positions on campuses with the primary responsibility of creating and/or coordinating training and development for full-time and faculty advisors. We are attempting to ascertain whether this is a growing phenomenon, and if so, how we can prepare to meet the needs of this group. We need your help!  If you have any information about a position of this type, or can assist us in connecting with someone who does, please tell us about it. Contact the Executive Office at nacada@ksu.edu, attention Charlie Nutt.

A new NACADA Publications Resource Guide describing NACADA's newest publications, CD media, and classics has been developed and is available in PDF format. Click here to view this booklet. Order now or visit the NACADA booth in Baltimore to peruse copies of these valuable advising resources.

Renewal forms were sent in July to those having membership expiration dates of September 1, 2007. If you have not completed and returned your renewal form, please do so at your earliest convenience.  You may wish to include your renewal form with your annual conference registration. Thank you for your continued support of NACADA.