Enhancing Students’ College Experience with Specific Advising Suggestions.

Richard J. Light, Harvard University.

Note: Richard Light, author of the book Making the Most of College, will deliver the opening keynote address, October 2, 2003 at the NACADA national conference in Dallas.

Good advising may be the single most underestimated characteristic of a successful college experience as noted by evidence gathered from 1,600 one-on-one undergraduate interviews. Several of the overarching findings from these interviews are "actionable" by advisors. I look forward to sharing details from these findings with you at the NACADA national conference. However, since June brings freshman enrollment in many areas, I thought that you might benefit from a brief summary of the findings most applicable to advising incoming students.

1. Interactive relationships organized around academic work are vital.

A common wisdom exists that the best advice for students, in addition to attending classes and doing homework, is: get involved in campus activities. This is excellent advice that I continue to share with my own advisees. Yet there is a different kind of involvement, a more subtle kind that is stressed by the happiest and academically most successful undergraduates.

Nearly without exception, these students have at least one, and often more than one, intense relationship built around academic work with other people. Some have it with a professor. Others have it with an advisor. Some build it with a group of fellow students outside of the classroom. The critical point is that this relationship is not merely social. Nearly without exception, students who feel they have yet to ‘find themselves’ report that they have not developed such relationships.

To build these relationships, advisors should encourage students to work in small study groups outside of classes. While this may be easier to implement on residential campuses than on commuter campuses, it is still important for students to meet and work collaboratively on their academic assignments especially for classes in math, engineering, the sciences, and courses requiring writing.

2. Students value strong writing skills. Many benefit enormously from specific suggestions.

Of all the skills students want to strengthen, writing is mentioned three times more than any other. Students who improve their writing describe an intense and fairly specific process working with a professor, a writing teacher, or most often with a small group of fellow students who meet regularly to critique on another's writing. The longer this work-related engagement lasts, the greater the improvement.

A key finding that differentiates students who improve their writing from those who improve little, is how they cope with requests from a faculty member to “revise” their work based upon the faculty member’s comments and suggestions. The unspoken fact is that many first year college students simply don’t know HOW to revise! If they did, they would have done a better job in the first place! Helping students learn how to revise, may seem somewhat out of an advisor's “job description,” but may turn out to be one of the most productive interactions students can have with an advisor.

3. Choose a portfolio of classes wisely - consider class size.

Many new students choose individual courses based upon the familiar or the intriguing. Yet choosing individual courses is different from putting together a group of courses that can lead to a productive term. My most thoughtful student interviewees call this process, “choosing a portfolio.” I will adopt their term.

In a review of first year students' portfolios, a striking feature emerges, the importance of class size. Although some students take class size into account when choosing a course, a significant minority don't. This could be a mistake. Students who choose at least one small course each term have, on the average, a significantly better overall experience than those who don’t. These differences carry through the students' college careers.

4. Some undergraduates are thrilled with their college experience, while others are disappointed.

This observation won’t surprise any advisor. Yet a powerful finding from the 1,600 interviews shows that nearly every graduate unhappy with their academic experience reports using a specific strategy for course selection. They describe it with regret. These students chose classes in their freshman year to “get the requirements out of the way.” As a result, they elected to take only large, basic courses that go over disciplines familiar from high school. Nearly all such classes are large, regardless of size of college. Courses such as Introductory Biology and General Psychology do not often spark the passion that comes from speaking in class or writing for a professor.

This simple observation has major implications for advisors. When talking with first year students, advise them not to just choose large, introductory courses during first and second years at college. Instead, capitalize on the strengths of each student and encourage them to “stretch” and take at least one smaller, more focused, more challenging class where they will have to talk, write, and become engaged.

These are some of the concrete and ‘actionable’ advising suggestions that I look forward to sharing at our Annual Meeting. It is important to emphasize that these suggestions come directly from undergraduates. At a time of tight budgets, nearly all cost little to implement.

What better way to honor our students, than to ask them about their college experiences? By taking what they say seriously, we can implement ideas that can help students succeed and prosper on our campuses.

---

Mark G. Yudof to address 2003 NACADA Conference

In addition to Richard Light’s opening keynote address, we will also hear from Mark G. Yudof, chancellor of the 15-campus University of Texas System since August, 2002, delivering a keynote address Saturday, October 4, 8:30 a.m. As an administrator, he is a strong advocate of quality academic advising services and understands how difficult the advising role is and realizes how under-appreciated hard-working advisors often are.

---

President's Column

Dear Colleagues,

When preparing to write this, I began to reflect on this past year. It certainly has been a year of challenges. Budget problems seem to be widespread and the war in Iraq has had an impact on everyone...some in very personal ways with a family member being deployed.

However, for our association, we have had many successes and it is important to celebrate those…especially at a time like this, when we all need some "good news.”

In February we held our first Academic Advising Administrators’ Institute (AI) in San Antonio. This two-day intensive program was so well received that we added a second session of the Institute and over 350 people participated in this new program. We are currently making plans for a 2004 AI and that date and location will soon be posted on the website.

Recognizing that not every administrator can attend a meeting of this length, we also offered an Administrator's Pre-Conference Workshop at five of our regional meetings this spring. Response has been so positive that we plan to offer these every year at each of the regional meetings.

Another initiative that was piloted at the Region Two Conference was a Faculty Advising Pre-Conference Workshop. Response to this was also very positive and this will be expanded to other regions next year as well. Participants also suggested that we offer this workshop to campuses. We are currently discussing that as a possibility and will keep you posted.

We are currently in the final planning stages for the 17th Annual Academic Advising Summer Institutes (SI). We had so much demand last year that we are offering two in 2003. The first SI is scheduled in San Diego in late June and the second will be held in the Chicago area the end of July.

We are also midway through our first year in the new governance structure of our association. At our mid-year meeting, the board members spent a day discussing strategic planning and the direction of our association. I think it is very significant that we reaffirmed that NACADA is an association committed to enhancing the role of advising on our campuses.

Independent of the individual positions that we each hold on our campuses, we all are seeking to create an environment where we can support each other and our students. I encourage you to seek out your colleagues…faculty, full-time advisors, administrators….and celebrate the great things you are doing in your corner of the world. Then tell others about those successes. We all enjoy hearing more "good news".

Betsy McCalla-Wriggins
NACADA President
Rowan University
856-256-4226
Wriggins@rowan.edu

---

Letting Up and Letting Go

Cynthia Sarver, Academic Advisor

According to research conducted by Dr. Philip Gardner, Director of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University, many of today’s college students are the product of parents who have protected and sheltered their children from a dangerous world and have raised their children to see themselves as very special. These millennial students are confident and achievement-oriented, but feel pressured to succeed both academically and professionally (2003). As a result, many young adults enter college today with a sense of entitlement, a strong dependency on their parents, and the expectation that the university will hold their hand throughout their college career. What many of our academic advisers find during the Freshman Academic Orientation Program at Michigan State is that parents want to continue to hold the hand of their new college student and the student doesn’t necessarily want to let go.

Understandably, many parents would like to be involved in the academic decision-making that takes place during freshman orientation. After all, parents know their children the best. They are also accustomed to being the lead advocate for their children. However, as students make the transition from high school to college, they must learn to advocate for themselves and to take responsibility for making wise decisions with the help of academic advisers, faculty, and other campus professionals. The first step in this process occurs at orientation when academic advisers and students together create a freshman year program that meets the educational and career goals of the student.

To educate parents regarding the importance of the adviser-student relationship, the MSU Academic Orientation Program Office will distribute the following message to parents this summer:

“The academic advisor/student relationship is critical to academic success. Students begin to develop this relationship at Orientation. Academic advising meetings and computer enrollment are, therefore, only for students. Note that while they are computer enrolling, students are not permitted to use cell phones to contact parents. We respectfully ask parents to wait until the entire orientation program is completed before meeting with their student.”

However, the Academic Orientation Program Office recognizes the importance of keeping parents in the loop in a variety of ways. Parents are invited to attend a separate Parent’s Orientation Program that addresses the academic, social, emotional, and transitional issues their freshmen may face. They also hear from university and community speakers and have an opportunity to voice their concerns. And in the evening, academic advisers and faculty are invited to join parents for casual conversation during dinner. In addition, parents periodically receive newsletters that address freshman year issues.

Perhaps these measures will help parents to let up and let go—to trust their student with the freedom to make responsible decisions and to begin a journey of personal growth.

Cynthia Sarver
Michigan State University
517-432-1352
sarverc@egr.msu.edu

Resource:
Gardner, Philip, & Johnston, Kevin. “Why Don’t You Teach the Way I Want to Learn?” (2003). MSU Lilly Faculty Seminar Program.

---

Best of Regions 2003!

Here’s your chance to get the feel of “visiting” another regional conference or see the session you missed at your regional that everybody was raving about! The cream of the 2003 Regional crop will be offered at the National Conference in Dallas! They will be noted as “Best of Region” in the conference brochure and the program, so plan to attend sessions of interest to you! Over 1830 persons attended the eight regional conferences held across the U.S. this year, choosing from over 200 sessions to award the “Best of Region” designation to these ten quality presentations.

---

Region 1

They Don't have to Eat Bugs! So What's so Hard About Surviving the First Year?

Susan M. Kolls
Northeastern University

Many challenges face incoming first-year students.

There are experiences that offset the negative, but how does the combination impact persistence? What in a student's background makes them better able to cope, or less able? How do you get faculty, peer mentors and advisor's to think about factors that impact first year students?

Experience this training exercise where participants first, determine their student's level of persistence, then walk a student through a year of positive and negative impacts, and finally determine their student's level of success.

Join me for lively discussion, debate and laughs as participants assume a student role and play a game of chance to see what can happen during a student's first year of college.

---

Region 2

Is it appropriate to use humor in an advising setting?

Jeff Gardner

Can humor provide value to an interaction typically viewed as serious? Are there practical limitations on the use of humor? While the answer to these questions appears to be "yes", the issue still merits discussion. This session will address the use of humor for advisors. Relevant research will be reviewed, suggestions for implementing humor offered, and boundaries / parameters for usage discussed. Small, non-toxic samples of humor will also be provided. This session will be appropriate for the humor-impaired, as well as for those advisors who have already "crossed the line."

---

Region 3

Advising Assessment Made Easy

Pam Cash, Lucy Robbins and Jeff Walters
University of North Carolina at Greensboro

How does student satisfaction with advising rank at your institution? Do results differ from the institutional level to the individual level? Many institutions already evaluate overall advising satisfaction as a part of the overall institutional effectiveness measurements, but there is little evaluation done of individual advisors. In this session, you will see how institutional surveys can be adapted to evaluate individual faculty and professional advisors. This easy assessment tool provides quick and useful feedback. Included is a comparison of the results of institutional and individual surveys and theories regarding the significant differences in results from different measurement tools. Examples of paper and web based evaluations, methods of data collection reports will be provided.

---

Region 4

What’s an Advisor to Do? Coping with Job Stressors

Beatrice Logan and Annie Truman
Georgia State University

Traffic, registration, students, meetings, faculty, reports, deadlines, budget constraints!!!
Are all these things cluttering your mind? Do you feel like, ‘not another student,’ and you haven’t seen your first one for the day? Do you feel overwhelmed, short-tempered, or less productive? Do you find yourself not giving students your best? You may be experiencing ADVISOR burn out!

Whether we love our work or not, we are all subject to a wide variety of pressures. A life without any stress would be dull and stagnant. A life with too much of it is depressing and dangerous. This session presents realistic stress reduction techniques to minimize stress in the work environment. Attendees will have an opportunity to discuss and practice selected stress busters that will aid in gaining power over stress and creating a new sense of peace, purpose, and commitment.

---

Region 5

Strategic Planning in Academic Advising Services

Jo Meier and Jeff Gehrke
University of Wisconsin-Madison

In this session, we will highlight how the initiation, implementation, and follow-up of the strategic planning process has improved our academic advising services. Participants will learn how the staff in an academic advising and administrative services office revised their mission statement, created a vision for the future, delineated strategic priorities, and framed short- and long-term goals. The plan we created has become the guiding force behind day-to-day decision-making, long-term goal setting, and resource allocation for our office.

---

Region 6

Jon DeVries, Jr. and Danielle Tisinger
University of Minnesota

This interactive session will engage participants in using and creating strategies to understand students at various stages in their academic and social development. Participants will increase their abilities to understand, anticipate and then respond to student attitudes relating to their psychosocial and cognitive-structural developmental stages. Psychosocial and cognitive-structural student development theories suggest that student needs change as they progress from their first year to graduation. The practitioner's goal is to provide a balance of support and challenge to help students develop new skills and attitudes in their academic and social environments. This session will provide scenarios followed by group discussion to help participants generate a toolbox of practical solutions for engaging students at their level of development. These techniques will be useful in advising and classroom settings, as well as in other student programming arenas.

---

Region 7

Advising College Freshmen About Health Issues in a Classroom Setting

Michelle Bates
Southeastern Louisiana State University

This session will focus on three health issues that college students encounter:
• the freshman fifteen
• alcohol education
• sexually transmitted diseases

It will include demonstrations of activities that facilitate practical application of these health issues. After each demonstration, there will be small group discussions on the effect of the activity on the students. Discussions will be directed toward alternative ways to approach these sensitive subjects. Participants will leave with many innovative activities that can be implemented in the classroom.

---

Region 8

Redesigning the Model of Advising Services: A Collaborative Research Project

Patrick Ross
Malaspina University College

Malaspina University-College serves approximately 10,000 students who participate in a range of comprehensive programs from Applied Studies (Trades) to university degrees. In February 2002, the Executive endorsed the Dean of Student Service’s proposal to thoroughly examine its existing Advising Services with the mandate to recommend an improved model of Advising for the future.

An inclusive committee was formed where intensive debate and thorough research occurred. A report, “Advising Services at Malaspina University-College: Strategic Directions”; was produced. This workshop is intended to review that report, highlight key advising issues, and examine the recommendations. It is proposed that many post-secondary institutions will have similar concerns and benefit from the presentation and debate.

---

Region 9

Transition Advising: Advising Students into a Second or Third Choice Major

Kazi Mamun and Monique Sosa
University of Southern California

When a student is faced with the sudden reality that the first choice major is no longer an option for them, it becomes the job of the academic advisor to support and guide the student in redirecting his or her path towards new educational goals. This session will look at ways to help students explore their educational goals, and support the students' shift in perception of second choice major to the new first choice major. Examples will be shared to show how one campus is taking steps to support undergraduate students through transition.

---

Region 10

Outcomes Assessment: A Process You and Your Staff Will Enjoy

Leslie Park, Sharon Aiken-Wisnieski
University of Utah

Few advising centers have attempted the process of outcomes assessment because it appears intimidating. However, it is important to have data indicating that academic advising impacts the overall success of a student in Higher Education. This session will demonstrate how to use a fun team approach to start an outcomes assessment process at your advising center. We will begin with an introduction about outcomes assessment and then discuss different activities your office can do to facilitate the creation of a mission statement and identifying expected outcomes. Everyone will depart the presentation with a team model for initiating outcomes assessment for an academic advisement center. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned professional you are sure to get something from this workshop!

---

From Mormons to Metaphors: The Unique Progress of the New Faculty Advisor Commission

Tim Champarde, Faculty Advisor Commission Chair

As of this writing it has been a mere seven months since the Faculty Advisor Commission was officially instituted with an elected chair at the national conference in Salt Lake City. Perhaps it was the spirit of the Mormons that helped launch the FAC to celestial heights, but much credit goes to some down-to-earth angels who have guided this effort along for several years. Charlie Nutt, Randy Jedele, and Kathy Stockwell in particular helped establish viable goals when the FAC was an evolving interest group. They have provided essential transition guidance for this new commission.

Recently elected FAC Chair Tim Champardé was joined by Charlie and Kathy at a special breakfast presentation at the combined Region 5/6 Conference in Madison, Wisconsin March 23-25. Fifteen new members signed up to join the listserv for the FAC, bringing the total membership to 385, and offered many excellent ideas for increasing the support of faculty advisors in NACADA, i.e., “faculty need to make more presentations”, “we should train trainers to present at other organizations.”

The following week in Pittsburgh, Tim, Kathy, and Charlie unveiled the new four-hour faculty advisor workshop at the Region 2 Conference which had as its theme “The Advising-Faculty Connection.” Thirteen very satisfied attendees evaluated the pre-conference workshop, honoring it with one of the highest overall ratings of any NACADA presentation ever made. Comments from participants: “This will be very helpful getting a faculty training program started. Thank you!” “It was real and inspiring.”

The unique strategy of utilizing metaphor as an advising tool appears to have hit the target dead center. The rationale emphasizes that faculty generally rely on the use of metaphor as an effective teaching tool, and can comfortably shift into an advising mode using the same tool. Role play exercises in the workshop gave participants the hands-on experience to apply the concept. Many participants deserved academy awards for their performances, which added to the fun and the learning value of the workshop.

The next six months will be characterized by planning and encouragement. Tim, Kathy, and Charlie will provide an encore presentation of the metaphor pre-conference workshop in Dallas in October. An article exploring how metaphor is being utilized as an effective learning dynamic is being researched for submission to the NACADA Journal. Everyone is being invited and encouraged to make an all-out effort to get more faculty involved in NACADA.

Finally, Dr. Richard Light, author of Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds, has been chosen as this year’s national conference keynote speaker. His work is rich with detail about what students like about college, and specifically what has been most helpful from faculty and advisors. Tim will facilitate Dr. Light’s follow up presentation, so bring your books and your questions to what should prove to be a very exciting event. Contact Tim Champardé for more details Tim_Champarde@lcc.edu

Tim Champardé’
Lansing Community College
517-483-1905
Tim_Champarde@lcc.edu
NACADA Commissions & Interest Groups

---

Commissions Advance NACADA Goals

Tim Champarde’s contribution to this newsletter highlights the positive outcomes of NACADA members who see needs of other advisors and then use the Commission branch of NACADA to devise effective professional development activities and articles which help others increase their advising skills or answer important questions.

The NACADA Commissions and Interest Groups provide members an opportunity to join others with similar academic or specific student population interests in advising and benefit from:

Commission membership assumes a commitment to active participation in programming and activities. Members are encouraged to select the two commissions to which they are able to devote time and energy. Currently, there are 16 commissions and 15 interest groups from which to choose. See the Commission & Interest Group section of the NACADA website for descriptions!

Join two commission and two interest groups when you join or renew your NACADA membership or e-mail us at nacada@ksu.edu!

---

Great Idea!—“Advising Notes”

Eileen Fishman, Student Advisor, Kate Gleason College of Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology, reported at the Northeast Region 1 conference she gleaned the following idea from Teresa Downing, Coordinator of Academic Advising at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire. Electronic “Advising Notes” are used to communicate with faculty advisors who’s busy schedules benefit from having a short, colorful, e-mail “cheat sheet”. These NOTES address advising issues timed to the current quarterly/semester calendar, describe advising skills and techniques and spotlight a particular campus resource. Because the Notes are e-mailed, they are less likely to be misplaced, can be read at faculty’s convenience and saved for electronic searches when they need the information.

This idea was shared during Region 1’s “Conversations After Dinner”, an informal gathering the first evening of the conference. Eileen has implemented this on her campus as well, and has found it very well received! Samples of these NOTES can be found on the NACADA Resources .

NACADA Member Career Services Committee Reinstated

At the Mid-Year Board Meeting, the NACADA Member Career Services Task Force was officially re-instated as a committee under the administrative division. Jenny Bloom (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) was named the chair and she is in the process of putting together a committee that will include representatives from each of the ten NACADA regions. The committee will soon begin implementing a number of exciting new initiatives. Jenny Bloom and Nancy Archer Martin, a leading higher education executive search consultant, will be penning a new column tentatively called "Career Coaches Corner" which will answer NACADA members’ questions on career-related topics. Please e-mail your questions to Jenny at jlbloom@uiuc.edu. Learn how write compelling cover letters, handle difficult interview scenarios, and how to successfully transition into a new position. You ask the questions and we will provide the answers. You can sign your questions anonymously in true “Dear Abby” style.

Additionally, at the 2003 National Conference we will have a Member Career Services table where you will have the opportunity to have your CV and/or cover letter critiqued. We will also facilitate on-site interviews for interested institutions and prospective job candidates. Just a reminder that there are listings of current positions available on the NACADA website. If you have any questions about the NACADA Member Career Services Committee or would like to volunteer to help us, please contact Jenny Bloom.

Jenny Bloom, Chair Member Services Committee
University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign
217-244-1512
jlbloom@uiuc.edu.

---

From the Executive Office

The Executive Office is often asked to explain the “benefits” of NACADA membership and it is easy to enumerate the various resources that the association provides – from conferences to monographs, but it is more difficult to explain the “rest of the story”.

Let’s say your institution has already purchased all of NACADA’s written resources and the videos, and you are unable to attend any of the professional development events this next year. Why should you part with $50? My response would be “Why do you buy Girl Scout cookies?” and “Why do you give to the American Cancer Society?” Could it be to support the underlying work of those organizations? After all, are the cookies alone worth what you pay and will your donation to the Cancer Society make you cancer free? So, what will your $50 NACADA dues do for you?

Would you like for advising to be more highly valued on your campus? Would you like to be recognized on your campus as a “professional” and rewarded accordingly? As a faculty member, would you like to be recognized for good advising as well as good teaching and would you like to be recognized for the time you spend advising students? Would you like for the administration to better understand the value of “effective advising”? Would you like to maintain your financial support in times of budget cuts? Would you like for there to be more research on advising issues? Then NACADA dues are how you can help. Not only does NACADA provide resources for your direct individual support, but it also works to build awareness and respect for the profession as a whole.

In addition, involvement in your profession can be one of the most rewarding aspects of your career. It provides an opportunity for you to contribute to the research and literature of the field, to impact decisions regarding the type of resources needed and to be developed in the field, to promote the growing recognition of the field, and to make lifelong friendships with those who share your values from across North America and throughout the world!

NACADA strives to provide a forum for discussion, debate, and the exchange of ideas pertaining to academic advising through a growing number of events (national conference, regional conferences, Academic Advising Summer Institute, and the Administrators’ Institute) and resources. Be sure to watch the NACADA web site for an ever growing compilation of advising information and resources.

So, the next time you are wondering what you get for that $50 (one of the lowest dues amounts among higher education associations), I encourage you to think beyond the obvious and continue to support the work of the association as it strives to impact the positive development of students through the support of academic advising. I invite you to please join us at any or all of our events and get involved with the work of the association. I promise you that the more you give to your association, the more you will receive!

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

Upcoming Professional Development Events
Academic Advising Summer Institutes
EVENT	DATE	LOCATION
Summer Institute	June 22-27, 2003	Town and Country Resort San Diego, CA
Summer Institute	July 27-Aug 1, 2003	Pheasant Run Resort St. Charles, IL (suburb of Chicago)
National Conference
	Conference Date
27th National Conference Dallas, Texas	October 2 - 5, 2003
Regional Conferences
Region	Organizers	Location Conference Date
Region 1 Northeast	Beth Higgins (207) 780-4632 Gail Stepina (603) 862-3885	Burlington, VT Mar. 24-26, 2004
Region 2 Mid-Atlantic	Bill Johnson (609) 771-2882	Princeton, NJ March 2004
Region 3 Mid-South	Stan Coberly (304) 424-8307	Charleston, WV April 2004
Region 4 Southeast	Charles Gates (662) 915-5970	Univ.of Mississippi, MS March 7-9, 2004
Region 5 Great Lakes	Kristi Bloom (217) 265-8150	Chicago, IL April 22-24, 2004
Region 6 North Central	Tonia Baxter (612) 659-7153	St. Paul, MN April 2004
Region 7 South Central	Jill Anderson-Hieb (785) 864-0173	Overland Park, KS May 27-29, 2004
Region 8 Northwest	Jason Boyd (206) 543-7547	Seattle, WA April 2004
Region 9 Pacific	Gwen Fleming (626) 584-5425	Pasadena, CA April 2004
Region 10 Rocky Mountain	Debra Bryant (453) 652-7691	St. George, UT March 3-5, 2004

---

NACADA Technology in Advising Commission

Electronic Publication Awards

The winners of the 2003 Electronic Publication Awards have been selected and will be recognized at NACADA's annual awards ceremony at the upcoming national conference in Dallas. Institutions that will receive certificates of merit are Mississippi State University, University of Albany, University of Central Florida, and University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Two institutions will receive the Electronic Publication Awards: Georgia Perimeter College and the University of Kentucky. A list of all twenty-four nominations for this year’s award, with links to their respective Web sites when applicable, is available on the Commission’s Web site.

Many thanks to Margaret Alderman (University of South Florida), Rhonda Cannon (North Harris College), Andrea Irby (North Carolina State University), Kim Rotundo (Northern Michigan University), Jane Stringer (Temple University), and Kim Yackoski (University of Delaware) for serving on the 2003 Electronic Publication Awards selection committee.

New Commission Chair Elected

Congratulations to Andrea Irby (NC State) on her election as incoming chair of the Technology in Advising Commission. Andrea has been very involved with Tech Commission activities and has been a member of the commission’s steering committee for several years. She is the director of NC State’s Advising Central, a “virtual advising center” for undergraduates. Andrea will take office following the NACADA national conference in Dallas. I look forward to continuing to work with Andrea over the next few months as she prepares to take over the leadership of the commission as well as during her two years as commission chair.

Notes from Salt Lake City

(The following information was inadvertently omitted from the February 1, 2003, edition of the NACADA Academic Advising News.)

The 2002 Electronic Publication Awards (EPA) were presented at the NACADA national conference Awards Ceremony in Salt Lake City. The Technology Commission’s EPA review committee evaluated sixteen electronic publication nominations last year and selected four Web sites and one CD as award winners. A complete list of all EPA nominees with links to their Web pages (when available) and additional highlights can be found on the Tech Commission’s Web site at www.psu.edu/dus/ncta/awards02.htm.

Outstanding Electronic Publications

Certificates of Merit

Over forty-five technology-related conference sessions were offered in Salt Lake City. Five of those had been selected as commission-sponsored sessions based on the commission's annual review of proposal abstracts and evaluations from previous conference presentations. Each sponsored session was introduced by a member of the Tech Commission’s steering committee. The five Technology Commission-sponsored sessions and their presenters were:

In addition, one of the technology-related sessions presented at the Salt Lake City conference had been voted “Best of Region” at a NACADA regional conference last spring. This session and its presenters were:

Congratulations to the 2002 Electronic Publication Award winners and presenters of the Technology Commission-sponsored sessions and Best of Region session.

For additional information about the Technology in Advising Commission, including a summary of the commission meeting that was held at the national conference in Salt Lake City, please visit our Web site at www.psu.edu/dus/ncta/.

Mike Leonard
Technology in Advising Chair
The Pennsylvania State University
814-865-7576
MJL3@PSU.EDU

Interested in which sessions address your commission of choice for the National Conference in Dallas this fall? These will soon be posted on the NACADA web page at www.nacada.ksu.edu.

---

Mid-South Region 3

Mid-South Region 3 had another successful and fun conference this year in Charleston, South Carolina, February 23-25. The weather was beautiful (in the 60’s and 70’s in February!!), the presentations were informative and entertaining, and the conference attendees had a good time seeing old friends and making new ones.

Congratulations to our Best of the Regional Conference winning presentation, Advising Assessment Made Easy", presented by Pam Cash, Lucy Robbins, and Jeff Walters of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Their presentation has an automatic place on the program for the 27th Annual National Academic Advising Association Conference in Dallas, Texas.

The Mid-South Regional Board also congratulates our members who will be presented awards at the 2003 national conference. They are, Adrienne McMahan, University of Kentucky, Outstanding Advising – Administrator Category Winner; Susan Epps, East Tennessee State University, Student Research – Winner Doctoral Degree Category; Amy Hitlin, Meredith College, Summer Institute Scholarship – Winner; Mary Alice Tetro, North Carolina State University, Outstanding Advising – Primary Role Category – Certificate of Merit; George Barnes, University of Louisville, Outstanding Advising – Faculty Category – Certificate of Merit; Kathleen Britton, Florence-Darlington Technical College, Outstanding Advising – Faculty Category – Certificate of Merit; and Laurie Snyder, The University of Memphis, author of the publication Undergraduate Policy Manual, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre, Publication – Advisee Category – Certificate of Merit.

We held our annual regional board meeting in Charleston, West Virginia, in May and have planned an exciting 2004 Region 3 conference for our members. The conference will be held in the Charleston Marriott Town Center Hotel, April 14-16. Yes, Region 3 may be the first NACADA region to hold consecutive regional conferences in two different cities with the same name! We always have a good time in Charleston (both of them!). Check the Region 3 Web site often for posted information about the conference and for the deadline to submit a proposal. Then plan to join us for another great conference.

Julie Taylor
Region 3 Chair
University of Louisville
502-852-2121
judy.patterson@coe.ttu.edu

---

North Central Region 6

There has been a lot happening in Region 6. The first ever Steering Committee is now complete. The committee is composed of a representative from each state and province, the former and future conference chair, and the past regional representative. These committed people are:

Each state member of this committee has a list serve for his/her state. Look forward to better communication because of the efforts of this new steering committee.

The first ever combined Region 5/6 conference was held was in Madison, March 23 -25. It was a great conference, held at the beautiful Monona Terrace. Region 6: is proud to have one of the Best of Region presentations: Supporting the Challenges: Advising Strategies and Student Development Theory, led by John Devries, Jr. and Danielle Tisinger of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Congratulations John and Danielle! Thank you, Rebecca Ryan and Adrienne Thunder for chairing this wonderful event.

Region 6 also hosted its first drive-in half-day advising conference. Held in conjunction with the Tate Advising Awards at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, it was a huge success. There was a panel of four award winning advisors, four well attended breakout sessions, and lunch. This was a very successful, drive-in conference. Thanks to all our Twin Cities NACADA colleagues for their efforts.

The 2004 Regional Conference chair is Tonia Baxter from Metropolitan State in Minneapolis. The conference "Responding Creatively in Challenging Times" will be held in mid-April in the Minneapolis - St. Paul area. It's not too early to think about presentation proposals, recruiting new members and promoting NACADA on your campus.

Kathleen (Kim) S. Roufs Advisement Coordination Center
University of Minnesota-Duluth
218-726-8761
email: kroufs@d.umn.edu

---

South Central Region 7

Region 7 met in Baton Rouge April 24 – 26. We are certain that everyone who attended learned much of value, networked by day and wrestled alligators by night.

Our gratitude goes out to Paul Ivey and his conference committee for all the work they did to bring the conference to fruition. Thanks, folks!

Be sure to watch the Region 7 website for events coming that may of value to you. There are links to all of the region’s state advising organizations of which we are aware. If we have missed your website, please email HarryCook@smsu.edu.

The Region 7 Steering Committee consists of people who are giving their time and effort to help make NACADA more meaningful for our members. If there are ideas or concerns, please contact your representative or the Region Chair.

• Harry Cook (hbc103t@SMSU.EDU), Region Chair
• Patricia Griffin (pgriffin@FHSU.EDU) from Kansas
• Eileen O’Brien (OBrienE@HSSC.EDU) from Missouri
• Frances Wood (fwood@SELU.EDU) from Louisiana
• Rhonda Cannon (Rhonda.Cannon@NHMCCD.EDU) from Texas
• Judy Patterson (judy.patterson@coe.ttu.edu) from Texas
• Michelle McAward Roberts (mmcaward@OU.EDU) from Oklahoma
• Karen Boston (KBoston@walton.uark.edu) from Arkansas
• Leslie Yard (lyard@STLCC.EDU) immediate past conference chair
• Paul Ivey (pivey1@LSU.EDU) the chair for the 2003 conference in Baton Rouge
• Jill Hieb (jhieb@UKANS.EDU), 2004 conference chair

The 2004 Conference will be held in Overland Park, Kansas. We hope you can join us!

Harry Cook
Region 7 Chair
Southwest Missouri State University
417-836-5258
harrycook@smsu.edu

---

Northwest Region 8

We just completed a very successful Region 8/9 combined conference in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, hosted by our most hospitable neighbors to the north British Columbia, Canada. The conference was held at the beautiful Ramada/Park Plaza Conference Center. This was our first combined conference and we had many positive comments about exchanging information across regions and making new connections.

Our Best of Region is Dr. Patrick Ross – Malaspina University-College – Vancouver Is.
Who presented an improved model for Advising for the future. This is a presentation to mark on your “must see” list in Dallas.

We are pleased to welcome to our Board:
Kerry Kincannon, Oregon State University – Administrative Team
Jeff Newman – BYU – Idaho – Conference/Event Planning Team
Ron Taplin – Bellevue CC – Conference/Event Planning Team
Mike Singletary – Western Washington U – WA State Liaison (4 year institutions)
Sharing duties with the current Liaison Paul Mueller – Bellevue CC (2 year institutions)
Our Keynote speaker was Dr. Lori S. White – Assoc. VP for Student Affairs/Dean of Students at San Diego State Univ., CA. Can you say AWESOME! If you are looking for a SPEAKER she should be on your list.

Looking forward to our next Region 8 Conference in Seattle in April of 2004.

Kay Reddell
Region 8 Chair
Western Washington University
360-650-7310
kay.reddell@wwu.edu

---

Rocky Mountain Region 10

Region Ten experienced a fantastic conference in February in Sedona, Arizona. Over 200 people enjoyed keynote addresses from Joseph Cuseo and Tom Whittaker; gained information from 39 presentations; and rekindled professional relationships.

Conference attendees selected from many high quality presentations for the "Best in Conference" Awards. Awards went to Leslie Park and Sharon Aiken-Wisniewski from the University of Utah; Mark Ebert and Mary Stephens from Arizona State University; and Wade Oliver from Utah State University.

Many thanks to Paula Fuhst of Yavapai College, Mark Ebert of ASU and all Arizona academic advisors for a tremendous effort. Next year, Region Ten will meet in St. George, Utah. Debra Bryant of Dixie College will coordinate this conference.

State Conference in Region Ten Colorado and Wyoming academic advisors will gather for a state conference on May 30th at the University of Denver. Arizona advisors are organizing a conference for October, 2003.

Other news: Weber State University, Ogden, UT is welcoming Jill Grob as the Director of Academic Advisement. Jill joined WSU in December from Northern Arizona University.

Sharon Aiken-Wisniewski
Region 10 Chair
801-581-7787
saiken@uc.utah.edu