Adult Learners as Consumers

Kenn Skorupa, Adult Learner Commission Chair

When we think of adult learners and how to approach them as admissions counselors, program advisors and instructors, several aspects of their adult status usually come to mind. Among these are the fact that adults play multiple roles in their lives, that they often have anxiety about returning to school and that many times they are experiencing some sort of life transition at the time they decide to return to school. One characteristic of current and prospective adult students that is often overlooked, particularly by the administration, is the fact that they are consumers and are generally looking for the most out of their time and money.

As educators, we don’t like to fashion ourselves as being sales personnel. If I wanted to get into sales, I would have gone into an industry where I could have actually made money. The irony is that when we, with our graduate degrees representing the university and all it has to offer, encourage potential adult students to go back to school to get a better job and make more money, the fact is that these adults are usually making more money than we are without a degree. So, if we really knew what we were talking about, we probably wouldn’t be having the conversation with the person in the first place.

But then again, money isn’t everything. The benefits of a college degree go way beyond the tangible aspects of time and money. But how do you convince a person so fixed on these commodities that they really will enjoy the process, that they will experience a great deal of pride and accomplishment and that their view of the world will be enlarged and enriched? For those people who do not enter your office believing these things, it is going to be a hard sell. And what about that change in perspective? It can be quite a difficult adjustment for some adults who achieve a good deal of personal growth in a relatively short time. “If a learner’s mate, friends, or coworkers are vested in particular ways of viewing the world, they may find it unsettling, at best, and threatening, at worst, to be challenged (by new) perspectives, (Taylor, Marienau and Fiddler, 2000).

This feeling of being threatened often presents itself during initial contacts with adult prospective students. The conversation goes a little like this. The student says, “You know, I don’t even need this degree. I mean, I have gotten along perfectly fine without it. It’s just a piece of paper.” At this point you feel an obligation to defend your background, your profession and the rest of the academic community. You nod your head and say, “Well . . . “ And if you are really in a surly mood, you say, “That’s true, but if you change your mind later, give us a call.” The reverse psychology thing usually
works in this situation. Often they proceed to come up with 8 to 10 convincing arguments for why they should actually do it.

One reason for this reluctance to return to school has to do with their previous experience of the power struggle they have had with educators. And unfortunately, this power struggle still exists in some classrooms. Taylor, Marienau and Fiddler (2000) state, “most of us learned how to be educators in learning environments where the authority figure took responsibility for nearly every aspect of the process, what was done, how it was done, and how it was evaluated (including) who spoke, when, and to
whom.” Few adults wish to invest a good deal of their resources into a situation that will not allow them the freedom to learn in a cooperative and interactive environment.

And then there’s the competition. How does your program compare to all others available out there? Well, that is a tough question. Often it is difficult just keeping abreast of all the available program options in your own institution, let alone those from other institutions. For adults, shopping for a college program is often no different than getting that new car, buying insurance or calling the travel agent. Josie Gibson, from New Mexico Highlands, tells how a recent prospect was looking for a hard-core sales pitch. “She wanted me to convince her to not attend the other schools rather than focus on what we had to offer,” Gibson said. In addition, adult students expect that you have all of the resources, staff and latest technology at your fingertips to provide instant answers and processing of requests. Little do they know about the budget realities that many academic institutions face. After all, what you are selling costs a fortune.

But what exactly is it that we are selling? It’s not a product. It’s not a service. What we are selling is an opportunity. We are offering them the opportunity to pay their tuition and then they have to do the work. While we can do everything possible to make their stay in our institution pleasant, seamless and supportive, they still must have the dedication, motivation and talent to create meaning and worth to what we are offering them. Dean Julian, Ed. D., N.C.C. from University of Pittsburgh, College of General Studies, says that adult learners have different psychological needs and perspectives than traditional-aged learners. “Adult students have a greater need for motivation, inspiration and guidance since they have more responsibilities than younger students whose primary responsibility is school,” Julian said. Julian goes on to say that adults respond better to low pressure and that trust is very important in the relationship with their advisors. Julian believes that many adult students have some degree of fear and stated, “When they verbalize their fears, they feel better about the investment.”

How else does this consumer mentality of adult students present itself? Janice Ford Freeman, from the University of Alabama, Birmingham says that you can see it in the attitudes these students have about instructors. Ford Freeman says that adult students will complain that the instructor is too easy or that they let the students out of class early or that the course content is poorly organized. She notes these complaints are seldom heard from traditional-aged students. In addition, Ford Freeman says that adult students often want to know as much as possible about a course and the instructor before taking it. Requests for syllabi, instructor ratings and the purpose of topics included in the curriculum are common from adult students.

And how does an advisor relate to adult students differently than traditional-aged students? “I am less directive with adults. I try to explain things in greater detail and find that my relationship with them is less formal,” Freeman said. Julie Fellers Hook, from Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne, agrees that adults are more consumer oriented. According to Hook, adult students research their decisions more, they often consider their time to be a more important investment than their money, they place greater emphasis on the reputation of the institution and they are much more assertive.

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), in a recent publication (2000), outlined their “Educational Principles That Work for Adults Who Work.” Included in their list of principles of what the institution should provide adult learners were the following: to overcome barriers of time, place, and tradition to create lifelong access; to address the career and life goals of adult learners; to provide an array of payment options; to assess skills acquired through the curriculum and experience; to provide multiple methods of instruction; to enhance student capabilities to be self-directed learners; to provide information technology to enhance the learning experience; and, to engage in strategic relationships and collaborations with employers and other organizations.

So, what does all of this tell us? How do we balance ”the customer is always right” with student responsibility? How do we provide the service that adults expect with resources directed primarily towards traditional-aged learners? How do we inspire trust, motivation and courage in our adult learners? How do we satisfy their desire to get the most they can for their investment?

First, we must become strong advocates for the direction of budgetary resources toward our growing population of adult students. And second is to remind yourself of how you felt the last time you were left on hold, the last time you were overcharged for something on your credit card or the last time you could not decide whether to invest your pension funds into one option or the other. Then take the time to listen to your students and remember to end each conversation with the question, “Is there anything
else I can do for you?”

References:

• Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (2000). Serving Adult Learners in Higher Education: Principles of Effectiveness. Chicago: Council for Adult and Experiential Learning. www.cael.org
• Developing Adult Learners by Kathleen Taylor, Catherine Marienau, and Morris Fiddler. Copyright 2000 by Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, CA.
  

Kenn Skorupa, Adult Learner Commission Chair
DePaul University
312-362-5794,

kskorupa@depaul.edu

Want to read more about these critical advising issues?

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President's Column

Dear Colleagues,

This is always a bittersweet time of year for me . . . the leaves on the buttonwood tree in our back yard are already turning brown and falling on the yard. The last lilies have bloomed and there is nothing else planted that I can pick and bring into the house for a fresh bouquet. Summer will soon be a distant memory . . . yet the fall always brings with it the excitement of new beginnings.

New beginnings take many forms. On campus, we see that excitement in the faces of our students . . .

• the freshman who is beginning a new adventure in both living and learning,
• the junior who returns to campus with a renewed focus after a stimulating summer internship,
• the dismissed sophomore who demonstrates in summer school that academic success really is a possibility and is so grateful to be given a second chance,
• the senior that describes contacts made in a summer job that offer possibilities of that “perfect job” after graduation.

At NACADA, we are also excited about a new beginning. At the conclusion of the fall conference in Salt Lake City, our association will be operating under the new organizational structure you as members approved last year. Serving on the new Board of Directors with me will be Ruth Darling, Buddy Ramos, Elaine Borrelli, Wes Habley, Jo Anne Huber, Nancy Lapp, Alan Welch, Eric White, and Roberta Flaherty. Our focus will be long range and strategic planning while the Council and Divisions will focus on direct service to our members and more operational issues. The Executive Office staff will also assume more responsibility as they continue to be the wonderful people who transform ideas into realities.

We also want to support you as you consider your own “new beginnings” . . . Whether you are new or experienced, full-time or faculty advisor, administrator or Dean, we want to provide you with opportunities to get recharged and to rekindle some excitement in your professional life.

Two specific activities you may want to consider and start planning for early this academic year are the new Advising Administrators’ Institute and the Summer Institute on Academic Advising. The Advising Administrators’ Institute is designed for those needing additional information on how to administer an advising initiative and is scheduled for San Antonio, Texas on Feb. 12–14, 2003. We already have 25 people registered so don’t wait too late to sign up. More details can be found at www.nacada.ksu.edu/Admin_Institute/AI.html.

The 16th Summer Institute was held in Colorado Springs July 7–12, 2002 and we had a record 283 participants and faculty. This is the largest ever institute and we even had additional people on the waiting list. So the Summer Institute Advisory Board is exploring various options so that we can accommodate this demand. As those decisions are made, we will announce it in the NACADA monthly update. Start now to consider bringing a team from your campus to next year’s event.

As you consider where you are and what your professional development needs are, I hope you will share your ideas. If you have a need, I know that there are many others within NACADA that have that same need. Together we can make a difference. We are limited only by our ideas. I have lots of those, as I am sure you do as well . . . please let me know what they are.

And, don’t forget . . . plan some exciting new beginnings for yourself this fall.

Betsy McCalla-Wriggins

President

(856) 256-4226

WRIGGINS@ROWAN.EDU

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Advising Students with Disabilities
Advising students with disabilities presents many challenges to the college advisor. However, skilled advising can go a long way towards insuring the success of a student with a disability. To effectively advise a student with a disability, it requires a thorough understanding of the student’s goals as well as the student’s disability, the barriers the institution may have inadvertently created and the resources the college provides that can be used to assist the student in pursuing his or her educational aspirations.

Advisors who become familiar with the difficulties imposed by a particular disability can logically deduce the importance of some advising practices. For example, if the student is taking medication, are there certain times of the day when the student is less alert? This could have important implications when developing a class schedule. In a similar fashion, students experiencing clinical depression often have more difficulty in the morning.

Information concerning the impact of various disabilities is particularly important in attempting to determine if the college poses structural, educational or bureaucratic barriers for a student. Many colleges have buildings that were constructed before federal laws regarding accessibility were implemented. Awareness of the campus could prevent enrolling a student who uses a wheel chair in a class that can only be accessed by a stairway. Depending upon the amount of time allowed to pass from one class to another, any student with a mobility issue might have difficulty with classes scheduled back to back in different buildings.

Educational barriers are less visible but no less demanding for students with disabilities. Students with learning disabilities often have difficulty with structure and organization. Instructors who break material down into small sequences and then present it in a logical step-by-step fashion serve them well. Advisors should attempt to learn something about the teaching style of various instructors and enroll students with disabilities accordingly.

It is also important for advisors to know the rules and regulations of their institution. Only if you know the rules are you in a position to take advantage of them for the benefit of the students with whom you are working. Financial aid and course substitutions are two obvious examples of areas that can be used to a student’s advantage. A student with a disability can receive a full Pell Grant even though the student is enrolled in less than twelve hours, if their disability warrants it. Other students may qualify for a course substitution. Advisors need to know the procedures on their campus for such things as obtaining a course substitution if they hope to assist students who qualify.

Finally, when working with a student who has a disability, an advisor would be wise to develop collaborative relationships with faculty, financial aid, counseling and other organizations within the college. This can be one of the most important tasks an advisor can undertake. Earlier it was suggested that a knowledge of the campus could prevent enrolling a student in a class they could not physically access. A working relationship with those in the college who schedule classes can preempt such a problem by insuring that additional sections of the course are available in classrooms that are accessible. In the unlikely event that only one section of a required course is being offered and the classroom is not accessible, strong allies can help to persuade the administration to move the course to an accessible classroom or create an additional accessible section.

There are two important allies an advisor should network with for assistance with such problems. The first is the individual designated by the college to enforce compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The second ally is the person or persons at the college responsible for establishing eligibility for accommodations, determining the nature of the accommodations needed by a particular student and helping to insure that the student receives the accommodations for which they are eligible. While the titles for these two potential allies may vary from one campus to another, federal law requires that they exist and that they be readily identifiable on any campus.

Advising students with disabilities may present many challenges, but meeting these challenges can provide long term rewards for you and the students you serve.

Leslie L. Hemphill
Cloud County Community College
785-243-1435
llmphill@cloud.edu

Want to read more about these critical advising issues?

Find annotated bibliographies of articles, books and web pages dealing with this and other Critical Issues in the NACADA National Clearinghouse for Academic Advising click here.

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Assessment of Advising: A Call for Wider Participation

Say “assessment” to most people and they think it’s like taking cough syrup—you don’t particularly like the taste, but you know it’s good for you. As the Assessment of Advising Interest Group (AAIG) co-chairs, we’d like to change this somewhat negative view of assessment. (Those of you already on the assessment bandwagon can stop reading now.)

We do not consider ourselves experts in the assessment field nor do we have a fully developed assessment program, but we aspire to create a place to “talk story” (as we say in Hawaii) about assessment with colleagues across the country. In creating this place, specifically this Interest Group, we have talked with the experts and top-rated program administrators as well as with advisors who are doing expert work with their programs. We are convinced that all advising stakeholders should be included in any assessment conversation. Here is some of what we’ve learned on this great (and still ongoing) assessment journey:

Tapping everyone’s expertise
As advisors we engage in hallway hypothesizing—“Seems like all the people who like engineering dislike these types of classes.” “Are students really being changed by this program?” Advisors raise issues of what needs to be, but perhaps currently is not, being assessed.

Advisors collect information all the time. In our daily conversations with students we ask purposeful questions and observe their behavior. We write advising notes, complete student information forms, and tabulate reports on student counts. The list is endless. We don’t advocate the collection of data for data’s sake. Instead just be aware of the wealth of information flowing through our offices each day. One assessment sage said that while formal instruments and procedures are good, they often confirm what we know by experience.

Assessment needs you!
“It’s not my job, let the administration or the institutional research do it.” Sound familiar? Yet advisors must be involved in the design stage of most advising assessments — where the questions are determined. Advisors have a broad view of the student’s educational experience, working on both sides of the curriculum-student development divide. We see first hand the learning and development that results from advising. We are also sensitive to the rhythms of the academic semester that can affect the quality and quantity of data collected.

If we are not involved, others will write the questions for us. We need to ensure that what is being measured is important and appropriate for our particular office or program.

How can you start?
Get an overview of assessment: take a class, go to a conference, read monographs. Or better yet, meet with your colleagues at the Assessment of Advising Interest Group (AAIG) meeting at the Salt Lake City National Conference this September. Join us as we continue our discussion of assessment practices and instruments that work. We’ll have small group discussions covering assessment of advisors, students, and programs/colleges. Bring an instrument, reference/study, and practice to share (10 copies). Learn about the new AAIG website that includes assessment site links, instruments, and practices.

We’ll also see if the assessment metaphor can be changed to something more pleasant – perhaps like sipping a fine wine, sharp and clean at first, with an earthy complexity at the end.

Lynne Higa and Michael Kirk-Kuwaye
Assessment of Advising Interest Group Co-Chairs
University of Hawaii at Manoa
808-956-4037/808-956-4041
lhiga@advisers.hawaii.edu
mk@advisers.hawaii.edu

Note:

Assessment of advising will be a special focus of the Salt Lake City Conference plenary speaker, Dr. Trudy Banta, Vice Chancellor for Planning & Institutional Improvement at IUPUI. Tuesday, October 1, 2002—8:30 am.

Want to read more about these critical advising issues?

Find annotated bibliographies of articles, books and web pages dealing with this and other Critical Issues in the NACADA National Clearinghouse for Academic Advising click here.

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Of Courage, Heroes, and the Compass within Compassion

I wonder how many of us have the kind of job that puts us in contact with those we consider to be heroes on a daily basis. I have a job like that. I’m a college advisor and many of my heroes are the students who come in to see me for direction every day.

Personal Tragedy vs. National Threat
I remember vividly one such student who stopped by last year. “Abby” had lost her home and her family business in a freak act of nature right around 9/11. A tornado had gone through the area and, aside from damage to a nearby power station, only her house and her family’s business next door were destroyed, forcing her, her two children, and her husband to relocate. The business would have to be closed for about a year. It was the kind of horrific event that would cause even the most tolerant of people to shake their fists at the sky and scream, “Why?!”

At a time when our entire nation reeled in disbelief and fear of further attacks, Abby was wracked with guilt, stemming from the fact that, on the one hand, the world was on a heightened state of alert for terrorists, while on the other hand, far from the destruction of 9/11, her family had almost been destroyed by an act of nature. With history being rewritten about the most dastardly attack on U.S. soil, her story was buried in the shadows cast by terrorism.

Abby’s heroism also went largely unnoticed. Somehow, stuck in the crotch of this irony of personal horror versus national threat, Abby made her mind up that the means to a solution was to return to her community college and finish her degree. I marveled at her tenacity and courage! When she came in to see me for direction, she was concerned about how to deal with the obstacles in the way of her goal: staying with family was wearing out its welcome; her daughter kept waking up from nightmares, while fearfully walking far from windows during the day; and strain on her marriage was compounding her fears. What does one offer a student to sharpen the concentration needed to study under such circumstances?

Campus Heroes
As I listened to Abby’s story, another part of my mind was churning on options that would help her develop an effective strategy. The immediate options were pretty obvious. But Abby needed much more than the routine referral approach—she needed something to make her feel empowered to win this battle life had forced her into. In short, she needed compassion with a sense of direction.

One of my role models for compassion is a fellow advisor I work next to, Joan Tirak. Joan lives out her beliefs like few people I have ever known. An active member of Pax Christi, which is renown for its activism in issues of peace and justice, Joan serves every student with her fullest attention and talent. I was especially moved by what she was able to do for one of her students, a refugee man from an African country whose people had suffered horrible massacres.

Red tape abounds for students from other countries, especially since 9/11, and this student had tried to work through a number of different people to achieve what he needed, only to be rebuffed at every contact. When Joan was able to reach the source of the problem and work out a solution, the man expressed such gratitude and happiness that the walls of our offices vibrated with the energy! I don’t know that I’ve ever seen any student so thankful for the work a campus colleague had done, hugging each other and laughing, as though a great victory had been won. He was reflecting the kind of heart this woman has. A model of compassionate action, Joan had become this man’s hero. They often see each other and he still beams with gratitude.

Another of my compassionate heroes on campus are financial aid advisors. They are routinely the pincushions for angry and disappointed students and their families. Gratitude is too little expressed by those they serve. While poking my head into the office of one of these under-appreciated public servants, we talked about recent vacation experiences. He described a hiking adventure where being so lost even his compass was of no use. The image of someone lost using a compass to find his or her way stayed with me for some time. In fact, it hit me like a lightning bolt as I pondered the word “compassion” for this article: compass is a part of compassion.

The Needle with Two Points
The Chinese are among the first people to have a recorded history of using a compass for navigation, on land and on sea. These first compasses relied on a natural magnet—a lodestone—to point in a consistent direction to set one’s bearings. The affection held for this device is still evident today in the Chinese words for lodestone: tzhu shih, literally translated as “loving stone.” Apparently the love spread to the west, as the French word for magnet, aimant, also means loving. One could argue that compassionate advisors are like magnets, attracting students who seek to use them for direction. Perhaps ideal advising involves not only compassion but, like a compass, it reveals a means for positive direction as well.

But that’s only half the story. As I pondered further the function of a compass, it occurred to me that the needle has two points, north and south. In my own experience as an advisor, I have learned a great deal from students and the challenges they have presented me. Not only do they rely upon me for care and direction, I often need them in the same way. “If one student has this problem,” I reason, “many others do as well.” Listening to my students and finding the means to help them achieve their goals often gives me a sense of direction where students in general are heading. We each are like a compass to the other, a sort of yin yang of advising.

Is This Kansas?
Which brings me back to Abby and the tornado. She came to me needing a compassionate ear and a plan for where to go from here. I flashed on the story of the Wizard of Oz and how Dorothy’s world had come unraveled by a tornado. One of the lessons she learned was to stand up and face what scares you. Ironically, of course, we discover the “terrible Wizard” is himself as frightened and apprehensive about life as anyone else. Dorothy discovers she’s her own best hero, since everything she needed, including the means to return home, was already with her—if only she believed.

Abby lit up at the suggestion that the solution to her nightmare life was already in her grasp. I praised her for rising above the clutter surrounding her and bringing herself to where another courageous step needed to be taken: the pursuit of her degree. When I suggested whatever it was inside her that impelled her to do that would also provide the direction toward everything she needs, she glowed with a smile and seemed finally at peace, more determined than ever to overcome the forces against her. She thanked me for helping her; I thanked her for her inspiration.

You are Here!
Vacationers at rest stops invariably consult a map with a little red arrow labeled “you are here.” Where are we as advisors, as educators, today? Let’s be like a compass to one another to compassionately point the way where service to students is concerned. Our compassion, our “common passion,” is learning. Let’s not merely dispense education but inspire others to seek new ways to learn. Let us be as courageous as firefighters and other rescue personnel confidently charging forward and providing the way to what people need. Let us draw our inspiration from the examples of those we serve—our students. In doing so, we will inevitably motivate them to become better achievers and life-long learners.

Tim A. Champarde, Lansing Community College
517-483-1904, Tim_Champarde@lansing.cc.mi.us

For Further Reading:

• An interesting and brief history of “magnetics” can be found at:
  www.ocean.washington.edu/people/grads/mpruis/magnetics/history/hist.html
• Books and articles abound on the subject of compassion. I have especially cherished the works of the Vietnamese Buddhist monk named Thich Nhat Hanh. Find more at his publisher’s Web site: www.parallax.org/
• Courage and integrity in education is masterfully portrayed in Parker J. Palmer’s book The Courage to Teach: www.josseybass.com/cda/product/0,,0787910589,00.html
• For an inspiring look at leading in the face of chaos, see Margaret Wheatley and Pema Chodron’s article, “It Starts With Uncertainty”: www.margaretwheatley.com/articles/uncertainty.html

Want to read more about these critical advising issues?

Find annotated bibliographies of articles, books and web pages dealing with this and other Critical Issues in the NACADA National Clearinghouse for Academic Advising click here.

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From the Executive Office

The world of NACADA continues to revolve and spin! We are working diligently to continue to expand, enhance, and improve the services we provide to our members, their institutions and students.

First, the number of NACADA participants at our professional development opportunities, as well as our membership, continues to grow. At the 2002 NACADA Academic Advising Summer Institute we had 283 participants and faculty take advantage of the intensive weeklong institute – an exciting part of this year’s institute was the number of teams from institutions across the country and internationally who took advantage of this opportunity to learn and develop an action plan to help improve advising on their campuses. Special thanks to Diane Matteson and Bev Martin from the Executive Office for the planning and organization prior to the institute and their hard work at the institute! Also a special thanks to Wes Habley, SI Director, and the great faculty Nancy King, Peggy King, Alice Reinarz, Eric White, Susan Campbell, John Burton, Jerry Ford, Tom Kerr, Charlie Nutt, Buddy Ramos, Tom Brown, Rusty Fox, Randy Jedele, Kim Roufs, Faye Vowell, Mike McCauley, Gary Kramer, and Betsy McCalla-Wriggins.

With this huge enrollment, we are presently exploring with the Summer Institute Advisory Board the possibility of hosting two institutes next summer.

Our membership to date is 6737, which is over 100 more members than our final count for 2001—our growth continues to demonstrate the importance of academic advising to student success in higher education. Additionally, registrations for the national conference in Salt Lake City are rolling in! John Mortenson and his committees have done a wonderful job in planning our 26th Annual Conference—we look forward to seeing many of you there!

There are several new initiatives that are in the works to be initiated for our membership in the upcoming months:

• 1st Annual Academic Advising Administrators’ Institute to be held in San Antonio, February 12–14, 2003– for information see the NACADA web site
• New and improved NACADA web site with a special “members only” section targeted for fall 2002
• On-line regional and national conference registration capability for 2003
• On-line membership renewal and publications/product ordering capabilities
• Opportunities for national and regional conference presenters to post their session handouts and materials on the NACADA web site following the conferences for conference participants to view or download information for sessions they were unable to attend
• Continued improvements and enhancements to the NACADA Clearinghouse including a focus on the Frequently Asked Questions section and including annotated bibliographies on these issues

We are continuing with these initiatives and many more to provide the highest quality services to our members. I encourage you to watch for the implementation of these initiatives and to contact me at any time if we can assist you or provide additional support and services.

Roberta “Bobbie” Flaherty
NACADA Executive Director
785-532-5717
nacada@ksu.edu

First Annual Academic Advising Administrators' Institute

February 12-14, 2003,

San Antonio, TX

The First Annual Academic Advising Administrators' Institute will be an intensive institute focused on the knowledge base for advising administrators. The institute will also provide extensive opportunities for seeking solutions for current administrative concerns, expanding your network of colleagues, and providing hands-on strategies for improving the advising program on your campus.

Topics:

• Advising Delivery Systems
• Assessment Programs
  
• Budget Management
  
• Components of Successful Advising Programs
  
• Evaluation and Reward
  
• Legal and Ethical Issues
  
• Success Planning Strategies
  
• Technology in Advising
  
• Advisor Training/Development
  

Who Should Attend

• New Advising Administrators
  
• Experienced Advising Administrators
  
• Chief Student Affairs Officers
  
• Chief Academic Affairs Officers
  
• Those aspiring for Advising Administrator Positions
  

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NACADA Service to Commission Awards

The Service to Commission Awards were recently established by NACADA. Each NACADA commission that has been in existence for a minimum of three years may select one individual each year to receive a NACADA Service to Commission Award. The recipient of this award will be an individual who has provided outstanding service, leadership, and commitment to a particular commission. A recognition plaque will be presented to the award recipient at the commission’s annual meeting held during the NACADA National Conference in the fall.

The criteria for the selection of a Service to Commission Award winner may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Active participation in commission and/or steering committee activities
• Length of commission membership
• Length of NACADA membership
• Presentations at national/regional/state conferences on commission-related topics
• Commission-related contributions to the NACADA Journal, Academic Advising Today, and other publications
• Contributions to the local campus in support of commission goals and objectives
• General willingness to work on commission needs and tasks such as
  • Recruiting NACADA members to participate in commission-related projects
  • Recruiting conference speakers to give presentations on commission-related topics
  • Evaluating commission-related conference proposals
• Other appropriate examples of contributions and commitment to the specific goals and objectives of the respective commission
• Membership in the commission for at least one full year prior to the date of the nomination submission.

General information on these awards can be found on the NACADA web site at www.nacada.ksu.edu/Awards/CommServiceAwards.html. The 2003 nomination form for this award will be available in late October 2002.

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NACADA Leadership Program

To assist our membership in learning as much as possible about NACADA and to grow in leadership within the organization, NACADA has in place the NACADA Leadership Program. This program is for members who wish to become more actively involved in their professional organization and move toward assuming leadership positions at all levels, state, regional, and/or national. Participants in the program are assigned to a NACADA leader, either past or present, who has a clear understanding of the organization, has been involved in various capacities as a leader in the organization, and who has a genuine interest in working with new members in cultivating their leadership skills and in assisting them in the goal of leadership within the organization.

If you are interested in learning more about NACADA and becoming more involved as a leader in any capacity, then becoming a part of this important leadership program is a must for you!

For more information please contact:

Charlie Nutt at: cnutt@ksu.edu or 785-532-5717

Julia Wolf at: jqwolf@ksu.edu or 785-532-5717

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NACADA Leadership Election Information

The next NACADA Leadership election will be held in March 2003. For a complete list of NACADA leadership opportunities available in the next election, visit the NACADA web site at www.nacada.ksu.edu/Associnfo/elections.html. You will find a link to this election information under the "New Information" section of the NACADA home page.

Nominations for the various positions can be submitted electronically using an online form on the NACADA web site. Forms will also be available in the NACADA display booth in the Exhibits area at the National Conference in Salt Lake City and can be submitted there as well. The deadline for submitting nominations to the Executive Office for the 2003 election is October 15, 2002.

More information about the election procedures will be sent to members this fall.

For more information please contact:

Charlie Nutt at: cnutt@ksu.edu or 785-532-5717

Julia Wolf at: jqwolf@ksu.edu or 785-532-5717

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NACADA Governance Restructuring

The close of the national conference in Salt Lake City will see the beginning of the new governance structure for NACADA. Two years ago, then President Buddy Ramos, charged a Task Force with reviewing and making recommendations for a more efficient governing structure that would provide opportunities for more members to be involved, relieve the volunteers of work that could be done by the executive office staff, provide for the continued growth of the organization, and shorten the response and development
time for programs to meet member needs. First a task force worked to determine the framework for such a governing structure and then a second task force worked on the details of its implementation. Now it is time to see it in action!

Grassroots involvement is a basis of the new organization so the new structure allows for many options for first time and continued involvement. Members may get involved on the Region level by serving on a regional conference or other regional committee, by serving on a committee within a Commission, or by serving on a National Committee. All Regions, Commissions, and Committees will elect chairpersons who will represent them within three respective Divisions (Regional, Commission, Administrative).

Members who have served as Region, Commission, or Committee Chairs are eligible to be elected to serve as Division Representatives who convene and lead their respective Divisions. There is also a second Division Representative who will be appointed to assist with Division leadership. These two Division Representatives from each Division then represent the Divisions on, and constitute, the NACADA Council along with the Vice President and the Executive Director. The Council reviews all proposals from the Divisions, integrates ideas among Divisions, and prioritizes recommendations to be forwarded to the NACADA Board of Directors.

Nine elected Board members and the Executive Director comprise the NACADA Board of Directors. They will act on recommendations from the NACADA Council based on the Strategic Plan that the Board is responsible for developing and maintaining and the financial implications of each proposal for the Association. The Association’s President and Vice President will be elected from among the Board of Director members.

So, it sounds like all the details are covered, but I’m sure we will run into some rough spots, some obvious and embarrassing omissions, and some joyous revelations as we begin to implement this plan for taking NACADA to new heights. Please volunteer to get involved and bear with us as we smooth the bumps! Your first step could be completing the volunteer form on our web site under “Association Information” at www.nacada.ksu.edu. We need you!

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Regional REPORT

Northeast Region (1)

At our office retreat today, I listened to our Director’s reports and was, once again, in awe. Lots of hard work and thought goes into everything we attempt to accomplish within our system but sometimes the results aren’t tangible. Teaching our students the value of connectedness and integrity is engraved in our day to day activities and our plans for programs, activities and publications but often we don’t take the time to share our successes and our concerns. As I prepare to welcome our students back after a busy summer, I find myself looking forward to my time with all of you in October in Salt Lake City. The national conference is OUR time for connecting with each other, sharing our successes and concerns, and reflecting on our work. I hope you will join us at the Northeast Region 1 Regional Meeting during the conference for an opportunity to hear all the Regional and organizational news, meet members of the Executive Board, and do a bit of reconnecting. There will be lots to experience—it should be a great conference!

In regional news, we are pleased to tell you that our own Kevin McKenna, Associate Dean at Clark University, has been honored by the Advising Administration Commission as the first recipient of the Advising Administration Service to the Commission Award. Kevin is a founding member of the Commission and our Region’s governance. Congratulations, Kevin!

The most recent Western New York Region 1 Drive -in was held on June 12 at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York. The topic was “ Advising Students with Disabilities”. Barbara Schreiber and Jean Landes hosted 33 attendees from 13 different institutions in Upstate New York. Ellen Arnold, Ed.D., gave a presentation entitled “Understanding the College Student with a Learning Disability” followed by a panel presentation with members from The Rochester Area Consortium for Students with Disabilities. Thanks to Barb and Jean for a great discussion and lunch! Please be sure to look for announcements of future drive-in conferences in your area.

Our next regional conference will find us meeting and celebrating on St. Patrick’s Day in Newport, Rhode Island, March 17–19, 2003. More details will be available at the National Conference and on the website soon.

Thanks for your patience and mark your calendars! Best wishes for the beginning of the new academic year and I look forward to seeing you in Salt Lake City!

Maura L. Ivanick

Region 1 Representative

(315) 443-2207

MLIVANIC@CAS.SYR.EDU

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Mid-Atlantic Region (2)

Congratulations to Kathy Aberman and Heather Whitfield from Shippensburg University for winning the “Best of Region” honors at our 2002 regional conference in Ocean City, Maryland. Kathy and Heather will be giving their presentation, “Aim High!” at the 2002 National Conference in Salt Lake City.

Congratulations are also in order for the Mid-Atlantic Region National Award winners. Eric R. White from Penn State receives the Virginia N. Gordon Award for Excellence in the Field of Advising at the National Conference this year. In the publications category, the following will receive awards at this year’s National Conference: Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, receives a Certificate of Merit in the Advisor Publications Category for their “Advising Handbook” and the University of Delaware receives an electronic publications award for their web site “CHEP Office of Student Support Services.”

Plans are well underway for the 2003 Regional Conference to be held April 2-4 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Sheraton Station Square. Look for up-to-date conference information from Conference Chair Steve Pajewski this fall, as well as other NACADA activities in Region 2, at http://shoes.intrasun.tcnj.edu/nacada/mid-atlantic/mid-atl.htm.

An exuberant welcome to our regional steering committee goes out to Jessica DiPietro from The George Washington University and Michael Tress from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Jessica will be serving as our first ever representative for the Washington, D.C. area and Michael replaces Bill Johnson as the New Jersey representative. Our steering committee is complete for the first time, so look for more great things to be happening in the region.

This will be the last newsletter article that I will write as the geographic representative for Region 2. After serving for four years it is my great pleasure to pass the responsibility on to Bill “Shoes” Johnson of The College of New Jersey. It has been a wonderful experience for me. I especially enjoyed and appreciated getting to meet and know so many of your from the region. I am so proud to have been able to serve you and I look forward to continuing my work in NACADA as a representative of the geographic reps to the newly formed national Council. These are very exciting times to be working in an organization that is progressing and changing as rapidly as NACADA and I continue to
welcome your ideas and thoughts about our future together.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the regional meeting in Salt Lake City in October!

Check out our regional web site for the latest news at: http://shoes.intrasun.tcnj.edu/nacada/mid-atlantic/mid-atl.htm

Terry Musser

Region 2 Representative

(814) 865-7576

TXM4@PSU.EDU

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Mid-South Region (3)

The latest news in Region 3 is the news! Micky Ward, University of South Carolina and Karen Thurmond, University of Memphis, have posted Volume 1, Number 1, of The Midsouth Messenger, the regional e-news for, by, and about our region. Go to www.people.memphis.edu/~kthurmnd/mmv1n1.htm to read more in-depth information about NACADA members in the Mid-South region as well as presentation notes from the 2002 regional conference in Charlotte. Congratulations to Maxie McRae, Central Piedmont Community College, for entering the winning e-news name, The Midsouth Messenger in the “name the Region 3 e-news” contest. Maxie will receive a renewed NACADA membership.

The Region 3 Advisory Board will be meeting in Charleston, South Carolina, September 13-15 to work on regional business and to finalize plans for the 2003 Region 3 conference. Yes, that’s right! We’re going back to Charleston, South Carolina in early spring for our conference. We met there many years ago and had a wonderful time. Charleston is a lively and beautiful place to meet. David Goss from the College of Charleston will be the conference chair and is finalizing details with the Embassy Hotel for the conference. Plan to join us for what will be both fun and educational. Check our regional website soon for information about proposal submission deadlines and registration information (www.people.memphis.edu/~kthurmnd/midsouth.htm).

We’d like to welcome Stan Coberly from West Virginia University to the Region 3 Advisory Board. We’re excited to have representation from the five midsouth states. We’re looking forward to West Virginia’s input. Yancy Villa-Calvo, Director of Academics at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee, will replace Deana Raffo as the Tennessee State Liaison to the Board. Deana has agreed to serve our board as Assistant Board Chair to focus on planning and coordinating state drive-ins, workshops, etc. Even more exciting, Deana became a new mom in May. Congratulations, Deana!

Finally, make plans to meet with other NACADA members from Region 3 in Salt Lake City at the National Conference this month, September 29 through October 2. Look for the Region 3 meeting time and place in the conference program and join us to learn more about getting involved in your region.

Julie Taylor

Region 3 Representative

(502) 852-2121

JULIET@LOUISVILLE.EDU

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Southeast Region (4)

Hello Region 4! I am looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the National Conference this month! Salt Lake promises to be yet another exceptional NACADA experience! Also remember to mark your calendars for our next Region Conference to be held March 9-11 at Pensacola Beach. Anna Shiplee at University of West Florida and her conference committee are preparing a great conference for us all!

For those who are not on the Region 4 email list, I want to share news of our success in the 2002 NACADA/ACT Awards. Region 4 members received 22 of the 90 national awards. That is an amazing 24%!!! It never ceases to amaze me how many great advisors, programs, publications, etc. we have in this region!

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you in Region 4 for making the past two years fun and productive. I have truly enjoyed being the Region 4 Representative. I believe this Southeast Region is indeed the best! It would be hard to match the professionalism, dedication, collaboration, generosity and hospitality that are so typical of our region. Great folks, indeed! I also want to welcome Glenn Kepic from University of Florida as the new Region 4 Representative. I know Glenn will do a great job and will soon find out how rewarding it is to represent this great region!

I look forward to seeing y’all soon!

Brian Glankler

Region 4 Representative

(770) 423-6219

BGLANKLE@KENNESAW.EDU

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Great Lakes Region (5)

As the dog days of summer spread over the Midwest, advisors throughout the region complete orientation and try to squeeze in their vacations before autumn brings a return of another anticipated academic year. During this time, the region would like to express its appreciation for all of the advisors who have worked so diligently and have received
awards and recognition from NACADA. These include Frank Ross, Gayle Hartleroad, Heather Ferguson, Rita Baker, Machelle Schroeder, and Larry Hill. Special recognition also goes to University College, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis for winning the Outstanding Institutional Advising Programs Awards with Advising in the Millennium: A Comprehensive Professional Development Series for Advisors. Congratulations also go to the winners of the Publication Awards. In the General Category these include: Purdue University Freshman Engineering Honors Program Brochure and Skills for Success! Skills Employers Look for and How to Develop Them Now! by The Career Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. And in the Electronic Category, there were also two programs recognized: Virtual Advising Center, by the Academic and Career Advisement Center, Northern Michigan and University and Major and Career Series by the Exploratory Student Resources, University
Division. More information is available at our Region V Web site at: www.nacada.ksu.edu/regions/region5/regionVawardwinners.htm.

George Steele

Region 5 Representative

(614) 995-3240

GSTEELE@OLN.ORG

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North Central Region (6)

The new organizational structure is designed to bring NACADA closer to the grassroots membership and to provide expanded opportunities for leadership development. To facilitate this, the regions that do not currently have a governing structure have been asked to create one.

At the 2001 National NACADA Conference Neil Marnoch, Kim Roufs, and Deb Noll volunteered to join a task force to develop a plan for Region 6. The following proposal was presented at the Regional Conference in May. The task force is inviting comments on the proposal through July 30. You may phone or email your comments, questions, and suggestions to me. Your responses, along with the feedback collected at the Regional Conference, will be reviewed by the task force as the final proposal is prepared. The final document will be presented for a vote of approval at the Regional Meeting at the National Conference in Salt Lake City this fall.

I am excited about this new phase that Region 6 is entering. I welcome your comments as you help to shape the future of Region 6.

Jane Jacobson

Region 6 Representative

515-294-4831

JRJACOB@IASTATE.EDU

Proposed Steering Committee for NACADA Region 6

Purpose of the Region 6 Steering Committee:

1. To provide a connection between the levels of the National Academic Advising Association.
2. To provide leadership development opportunities for members of Region 6 within the NACADA organizational structure.
   1. Identify and encourage emerging leaders
   2. Provide activities to assist in leadership development
   3. Provide leadership opportunities
      1. Regional conference leadership
      2. Participation in state drive-in programs
      3. Service on the Regional Steering Committee
      4. Participation at the national level of NACADA
3. Recruitment and retention of members within Region 6
4. Development of annual Regional budget and oversight of that budget.
5. Oversight of the annual Regional Conference. (Conference chair(s) has direct responsibility for the conference.)
6. Identification of regional concerns
7. Promotion of NACADA and its standards to institutions of higher education within Region 6
   

Structure of Regional Steering Committee:

The Steering Committee of Region 6 will consist of ten individuals who are current members of NACADA. It will include:

• Region Chair elected by the members of Region 6
  • Directly elected by the membership of Region 6
  • Serves 2-year term
• Current Regional Conference Chair
  
  • Appointed by Region Chair
• Regional Conference Chair for the next year
  • Appointed by Region Chair
• 7 representatives of the states and provinces in Region 6
  • Elected by the members of the state or province-Eastern Montana will be represented by the North Dakota representative
  • Serve 2-year terms
• The out going Regional Chair will serve one year as an ex-officio member
  

Election Process for State/Province Representatives

• Candidates may be self-nominated or nominated by a state/provincial advising organization
• All candidates for office must be members of NACADA.
• Elections will be held in the spring, coinciding with national NACADA elections
  • Election cycle for state/province representatives will be even years: Manitoba, North Dakota/Eastern Montana, Iowa. Odd years: Saskatchewan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska
    
• Terms of office will begin in the fall, following the national NACADA conference
  

Position Responsibilities:

Region Chair: The responsibilities for this position are defined by NACADA and are listed in the Regional Chair's Handbook. www.nacada.ksu.edu/Associnfo/regrepbk.html

Regional Conference Chair: The responsibilities for this position are defined by NACADA and are listed in the Regional Conference Chair's Handbook. www.nacada,ksu.edu/Associnfo/Handbook102001.doc. Should attend the National NACADA conference prior to the Regional Conference, if possible.

State/Province Representative:

1. Stay in touch with the advising issues within the state/province.
2. Organize one NACADA-sponsored state-wide/province-wide event each year. This could be a drive-in, a teleconference, or a workshop. Representative may delegate responsibility for event to other NACADA members in the state/province. This event provides an opportunity for NACADA members who cannot travel to a regional or national conference a chance to connect with NACADA.
3. Identify areas for potential growth of NACADA membership-institutions and special populations.
4. Encourage participation in the NACADA awards programs.
5. Write two articles each year for the NACADA newsletter high-lighting events or issues in the state/province.
6. Attend the national NACADA conference if possible.

Steering Committee Meetings

Annual meeting will be held prior to the start of the Regional Conference. Newly elected state/province representative and Regional Chair will be invited to attend, although they will not assume office until the fall.

Other meetings will be called as needed. Meetings may also be convened via teleconference and email.

Vacancies on the Steering Committee

If a member of the Steering Committee cannot complete his/her term for reasons of death, resignation, removal or any other reason, the members of the Steering Committee shall elect a successor to complete the term of office.

If no one is nominated to run for a state/provincial representative position, the Steering Committee may appoint someone to fill the position. This includes asking the current representative to remain in office.

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South Central Region (7)

The Region 7 Steering Committee met at the conference in St. Louis to write the Operating Principles for the Region and begin planning efforts for Region & activities and the 2003 conference in Baton Rouge.

The Operating Principles were completed via email and will have been presented to you by the time this newsletter is published. We are very excited about the online voting process because it is time efficient as well as a real money saver.

The Region 7 Conference was a huge success! There were a few grumbles about the hotel, otherwise feedback was very positive.

Paul Ivey, conference chair, and Frances Wood, president of LACADA, are working hard with the Louisiana group to give us another fantastic conference experience next year. The conference budget has been finalized and accepted by NACADA and all other matters concerning the conference are going full steam ahead. Plan to hear more about it later.

The new NACADA organizational structure will go into effect in October and everyone is working to be sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible.

The Steering Committee is currently studying the results of the survey and will prepare a report to be posted on the web soon.

Here are the names and email addresses of the Steering Committee:

• Region Representative
  • Harry Cook hbc103t@smsu.edu
• Arkansas
  • Thea Hoft mtmhoeft@ualr.edu
• Kansas
  • Patricia Griffin pgriffin@fhsu.edu
• Louisiana
  • Frances Wood fwood@selu.edu
• Missouri
  • Eileen O’Brien obrien@hssc.edu
• Oklahoma
  • Michelle Roberts mmcaward@ou.edu
• Texas
  • Rhonda Cannon rhonda.cannon@nhmccd.edu
• 2003 Conference Chair
  • Paul Ivey pivey1@lsu.edu
• 2002 Conference Chair
  • Leslie Yard lyard@stlscc.cc.mo.us
    

It is very important that you feel free to contact your Steering Committee representative if you have any questions about Region 7’s activities or if you would like to propose some activity or action in your area.We are here to serve your interests.

Harry Cook

Region 7 Representative

(417) 836-5258

HBC103T@SMSU.EDU

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Northwest Region (8)

Notes from the Northwest Web on upcoming dates. Oregon State University will be hosting a Drive-In Conference on Friday November 1st. Nancy King from Kennesaw State University (NACADA’s Consultant’s Bureau) will be the Keynote. The theme will be “Reaching all Populations”. From the tentative schedule it looks like an excellent opportunity to hear a great speaker and experience some innovative ideas in advising.

Regional Conference plans for our Pacific Region 9 and Northwest Region 8 Conference are rolling along. The Ramada Plaza Hotel Vancouver Airport hosted us for a planning session in July. It is going to be an exciting conference. Be sure to get on board and reserve the dates April 30 – May 2, 2003 for this Super Conference. We are
planning a surprise event for the opening on April 30. With participation of two active regions we are looking at the possibility of 6 breakouts for each session. Our Call for Proposals should go out in October so be thinking of something you would like to offer for a presentation. The Vancouver area is full of exciting things to do and we are encouraging people to bring the family and stay over the weekend. There is Whistler (ski resort and others) to visit, China Town, Science Center, Planetarium, the Aquarium, Ford Center for the Arts and shopping is EXCELLENT. The Resort is large, with an indoor pool and waterslide, and child care while parents use the facilities. Local restaurants have excellent food (we sampled them all). Watch for MORE INFORMATION.

Kay Reddell

Region 8 Representative

(360) 650-7310

KAY.REDDELL@WWU.EDU

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Pacific Region (9)

Greetings from Region 9! The Golden State, the Silver State and Paradise are all going through an extraordinary heat wave. Salt Lake City is going to be a wonderful break for all of us that can make it. Currently, we are working on an electronic newsletter for the Region, which I will send to our membership before the Salt Lake City Conference.

We are very excited about the joint regional conference in April-May 2003 at Vancouver, British Columbia. Evette Castillo and Kay Reddell, the co-conference chairs will bring us up to date at the Region 9 Meeting in Salt Lake City. We are expecting between 300 and 400 participants. I encourage members from other regions to try to go to this conference since Vancouver is such an exciting site and there are so many things to do in addition to our quality program.

I am trying very hard to meet with my community college colleagues especially in California to see if we can get them to join NACADA. We can learn a lot from them and see how we can assist community college students transfer from 2-year colleges to 4-year colleges and universities to pursue baccalaureate degrees.

Kazi Mamun

Region 9 Representative

(213) 740-0690

KAZI.MAMUN@MARSHALL.USC.EDU

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Rocky Mountain Region (10)

The Rocky Mountain Region X conference will take place February 26-28, at the Hilton Sedona Resort, in the beautiful red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. Anyone interested in helping plan the conference is encouraged to contact Paula Fuhst at Paula_Fuhst@yc.edu.

Congratulations!

Elaine R. Borrelli

Region 10 Representative

www.unm.edu/~borrelli/Advising/

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Guidelines for Newsletter Submission

Academic Advising Today is a quarterly publication of the National Academic Advising Association. Newsletter articles are generally quite short and informal. Original articles and opinion pieces that are directed to practicing advisors and advising administrators and have not been printed elsewhere are welcome. They are printed on a space-available basis and should not exceed 500 words. Articles may be sent to the editor, Brenda Hart, by e-mail at BGHART01@GWISE.EDU.

The deadlines for the newsletter are as follows:

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Commission REPORT

Engineering and Science Advising Commission

The Salt Lake City national meeting will mark several milestones for the Engineering and Science Advising Commission.

One is that Jill Johnson of Guelph University will take over as Commission Chair. She is well known as the chair of last year’s wonderful national meeting in Ottawa.The second is that for the first time, the commission will have sponsored sessions. They were selected from an excellent pool of proposals submitted by engineering and science advisors. Here is the line up:

• C33 ROSES at Michigan State University
  • King, Daniel
  • 9/30/02, 10:00 AM Grand America-Riviera
    
• C39 Integrating Academic Advising Into the Evaluation Process of Accrediting Bodies
  • Borrelli, Elaine
  • 9/30/02, 10:00 AM Grand America-Grand Salon
    
• C68 Coaching Students Toward Success
  • Welch, Alan
  • 9/30/02, 11:15 AM Grand America-Grand Salon
    
• D95 Academic Advising: Student Success—C to A
  • Scott Harris, Shirley
  • 9/30/02, 2:00 PM Grand America-Imperial Ballroom A
    
• C141 Coaching Engineering Students Back to Academic Success!
  • Schneider, Nancy
  • 10/1/02, 9:45 AM Little America-Uintah
    
• C263 Designing & Implementing a Centralized Engineering Advising Center: Year One
  • Sorensen, Jeanette
  • 10/2/02, 9:15 AM Grand America-Riviera
    

Several other sessions relevant to engineering/science advising are also on the schedule. One is my roundtable discussion titled “Improving Undergraduate Advising in Engineering: It’s Not Rocket Science.”

What will not change from previous years is that the commission meeting will be lively, well attended and rich with opportunities for networking, reaffirmation and investigation of trends and best practices in advising engineering, physical science and math students. I look forward to seeing old and new friends in Salt Lake City.

Don Woolston, Engineering and Science Advising
Commission Chair
University of Wisconsin–Madison
608-262-0684
woolston@engr.wisc.edu

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LGBTA Concerns Commission Recognizes Randy Jedele

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Allies Concerns Commission will be honoring Randy Jedele as the first recipient of our commission-sponsored award in Salt Lake City in October. Randy is currently an English Faculty member at Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa. He also serves as the co-coordinator for faculty academic advising, and coordinates learning communities on his campus.

Randy served as the first LGBTA Concerns Commission chairperson after we received commission status into NACADA at the San Diego National Conference in 1998. Since then Randy has been instrumental in presenting numerous conference presentations at national and regional conferences, as well as the NACADA Summer Institute. Randy has also written articles for the NACADA Newsletter addressing LGBTA issues. Most importantly, Randy has helped NACADA become more aware of the value of diversity and inclusiveness of the LGBT advising community and students on our campuses. We are very proud of Randy for his commitment and passion to the LGBTA community both in NACADA and across North America.

Randy is continuing his commitment to NACADA as the current Faculty Advising commission chairperson, as well as serving on numerous national board committees. Please join us in congratulating Randy Jedele as the first ever LGBTA Concerns Commission award winner!

Casey Self, LGBTA Commission Chair
Arizona State University
480-965-9255
casey.self@asu.edu

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