What a Year We've Had!

Jo Anne Huber, President, NACADA

Our spring Regional meetings concluded in late May with over 2,250 in attendance. From Hartford, CT to Honolulu, HI, academic advisors - be they faculty, professional staff, graduate students, or advising administrators - were actively engaged in exciting and highly successful professional development activities.

June professional development in Portsmouth, VA began with the Effectively Engaging Faculty in Academic Advising Seminar, during which 148 registrants pondered the history, training and assessment services for faculty on our campuses. All indications are it was extremely successful!  Then, the 20th annual Academic Advising Summer Institute was held in the same locale with 145 registered. Special recognition of this anniversary was marked with a presentation of a plaque to Wes Habley, Summer Institute Advisory Board Chair and Summer Institute founder, by Peggy King, a charter faculty member. The culmination of this celebration was held in Madison, WI at the second Summer Institute, July 30-August 4th. A special scholarship named for Wes Habley was unveiled at this time. Wes' term as Chair of the Advisory Board ends in October 2006, and Rich Robbins of Cornell University will assume the role.

I am particularly delighted to be able to report that 45 of our members were published for the first time in one of our offerings (Academic Advising Today, the Clearinghouse, or one of our new monographs), and another dozen are serving for the first time on a Content Review Board for one of our publications. NACADA publication highlights from this past year include two on-time Journals and the tremendous success of the first CD in the Foundations of Academic Advising series: What is Academic Advising?   (And it is my understanding that CD2: Models of Academic Advising, which is currently in the final production stage, may be available by the time you read this.)   Virginia Gordon's new book, Career Advising: An Academic Advisor's Guide, a joint NACADA-Jossey-Bass venture, has also proven to be a big hit.   Coming soon are the first in a new Pocket Guide series, first NACADA webinar, and New Advisor and Special Populations monographs. An Advisory Board, with Jayne Drake as Chair, has just begun work on the Advisor Training Video update.

A Concept of Academic Advising statement - a project that has been in process for several years - is now ready for Board approval. This year's Task Force was co-chaired by past presidents Eric White and Ruth Darling. The draft was presented in a special session at each Regional Conference this spring, with feedback channeled to the co-Chairs and their committee. It is my strong belief this will be a fait accompli after the fall Board meeting!

On the last day of the midyear Board meeting in Indianapolis, with Council leaders present as well, the two leadership groups met with a facilitator from IUPUI, Marilyn Bedford, to review the Strategic Plan and prioritize our needs. Work groups were formed to work on the top three items earmarked for emphasis this year.

A major initiative this year spearheaded by Jane Jacobson, Vice President, and myself was "Building the Next Generation of Academic Advisors." An Interest Goup for new advising professionals was formed and was co-chaired by Ben Chamberlain (Iowa State University) and Nathan Vickers (The University of Texas at Austin). An active list serve with new names added after every Regional Conference led to productive chatter!  Jane and I would like to publicly thank Ben and Nathan for taking on this worthwhile endeavor and so quickly making it productive!

We continued our quest to gain more recognition nationally by having NACADA representation at the ACE conference and FYE national conferences. Internationally, Charlie Nutt, NACADA Associate Director, was the keynote speaker at the Counseling Arabia's 4th annual conference on advising and counseling held in the United Emirates in May. This was followed by another keynote address by Charlie at the Higher Education Academy's nd annual conference on Personal Tutoring in York, England. Participants were from universities/colleges from across the United Kingdom. The reports I have received were stupendous and have led to discussions for future international collaborations for NACADA.

The 2006 Annual Conference is being planned for October 18-21 in Indianapolis, with Alan Welch from Purdue University chairing this event. The title, "Diverse Advising for a Diverse World," is especially appropriate this year as we build on the sound work done by Skip Crownhart of Metropolitan University and the Diversity Committee, which is presently detailing plans for an Emerging Leaders program to enhance the involvement of our diverse membership in our Association. Foundations CD3: Understanding Cultural Identity and Worldview Development, which is currently in the works, will also support our diversity initiatives .

Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation to our membership for entrusting the presidency to me. Special thanks to the Executive Office for their support and to my Vice President, Jane Jacobson, who has been phenomenal. Thanks also to all the members who have contributed to the many NACADA initiative this past year, and to all for providing me the opportunity to give back to NACADA for the many, many wonderful years I have had the opportunity to be involved.

Jo Anne Huber, President

National Academic Advising Association

(512) 232-7218

johuber@mail.utexas.edu

At the Effectively Engaging Faculty Academic Advising Seminar, June 22-23 in Portsmouth, VA, the 148 participants spent the day and a half focusing on the key issues of faculty advising and faculty advisors. Small group institutional-type team work resulted in the discussion of issues and development of strategies specific to the faculty on their campuses.

"The topics were really well-chosen - they touched on all the major issues in faculty advising" - Lisa Walker, University of Southern Maine

The NACADA Academic Advising Summer Institute, June 25-30 in Portsmouth, VA , had 145 participants, with over 50% of the attendees coming from two-year colleges!  In addition to intensive sessions and workshops, participants worked all week in their institutional-type work teams on the development of Action Plans for implementation on their campuses.

"It was a wonderful experience. We were able to take away ideas that can be employed both in the short term and the long term."  - Susan Calabrese, Wilbur Wright College

"I met such wonderful people from other institutions and was very impressed with the faculty's expertise!" Paula Day, Central Piedmont Community College  

Pathways to Leadership in NACADA

Roberta "Bobbie" Flaherty, NACADA Executive Director

The new academic year always brings new members to NACADA, and along with those who have settled into the Association, there are many who are ready to increase their level of participation. NACADA leaders become involved for a variety of reasons: to enhance their professional development, to raise the visibility of academic advising on their campus, to contribute to the advancement of the field and profession, to develop leadership skills, to enhance their network of colleagues around the world, and many others. It is my hope that everyone who wishes to be involved can be! We need EVERYONE!

The NACADA governance structure was developed to provide a variety of avenues for involvement. The myriad opportunities can be explored on the NACADA website and include involvement at the State, Region, Commission, Interest Group, Advisory Board, Task Force, Committee, Council and Board levels.

Many states have organizations that are Allied Members of NACADA, while others simply organize NACADA state drive in meetings (see list here). Your Region Chairperson can help you identify a state contact person if you wish to get involved at that level. That same Chairperson is the one to contact if you wish to get involved at the Region level (see Region webpages). Regions have Steering Committees, Regional Conference committees, and other opportunities for volunteers.

There is a Steering Committee for Commissions, and each Commission and Interest Group has subcommittees or subgroups of volunteers to work on various projects throughout the year. The Chairpersons are your contact for these opportunities. (Find CIG Division contacts here).

Typically, members who have demonstrated a genuine interest and ability to contribute to the Association at the Region or Commission level and have gained a bit of knowledge about the organization and its operations express their interest to continue their involvement to a Committee, Task Force, Advisory Board Chair or the President, who appoints members to the respective groups.

Service as a Chairperson qualifies one to be nominated for the Division Representative positions. The six Division Representatives form the NACADA Council and act on issues brought forward from the three Divisions (Region, Commission/Interest Group, and Administrative). Issues of Association policy or funding are forwarded to the Board of Directors (10 members), who are elected (3 each year) from the slate of nominees. These nominees must have served as a Chair within a Division prior to nomination. The Board is charged with guiding the Association by setting the Vision and the strategic plan to work toward that vision while also allocating funds in support of that plan.

As you can see, your Association needs many volunteers to operate and continue to provide the member services desired of its 9000+ members! A thorough inspection of the NACADA website will further demonstrate the variety of services provided and highlight the additional opportunities for involvement - authorship of web articles, Academic Advising Today articles, Journal articles, monographs, and books; Content Review Boards for all publications, videos, webinars, & CDs; special Task Forces to address current issues; and many, many more opportunities for you!

By pondering these possibilities for involvement now, you can be prepared to discuss your interest with the appropriate leaders during the Annual Conference in Indianapolis, October 18-21.

As always, if you are seeking information about academic advising or the association OR if you have ideas/suggestions on additional services we could provide, please let us know. Best wishes for another rewarding year in higher education!!

Roberta "Bobbie" Flaherty, Executive Director

National Academic Advising Association

(785) 532-5717

NACADA@KSU.EDU

Sound Bites for Sound Advising

Christopher Armstrong and Hollie Heintz, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Can you remember a pivotal advising moment when a question you asked caused a student to stop and respond, "Good point. I never thought of that before"? In that second, you realized you had a wonderful sound bite to remember, because that simple question challenged the student to develop a new perspective on his or her motivations, interests, or opportunities. As academic advisors, we engage students on a daily basis and ask the tough questions that encourage them to take responsibility for their academic success. We are pleased to have this opportunity to share with you some effective sound bites we have gathered, and to offer ideas for sharing your sound bites with your colleagues.

As advisors who prefer a developmental approach, we often find ourselves sharing helpful suggestions within our department. We are continually looking for ways to enrich the advisor-student interaction. How can we get the most from each advising session? How can we build rapport as we continue to meet with students?

From talking with others, we generated so many sound bites that we spread the word at the Regional and Annual NACADA Conferences. The wonderful interactions and ideas exchanged at both Conferences allowed us to compile an extensive list of sound bites from advisors across North America . We have provided a list of our "top ten" sound bites below, along with explanations of why we love them.

What brings you in today?

We feel the connotation of this sentence is vastly different than oft-used "How can I help you today?" because it shifts the responsibility toward the student.

How important would you say it is for you to ______ on a scale from 1 to 10?

This gives students a concrete way to evaluate and quantify their priorities. You can use this question to determine how important it is for the student to clear academic probation, work x hours each week, participate in extracurricular activities, etc.

What are you passionate about? What fascinates you?

This is an in-house favorite that we ask students exploring their major options. This helps divorce the idea that a major equals a career and focuses on their strengths and interests.

What do you think will happen if you don't change anything? What is the worst outcome if you do change? Best outcome?

Sometimes we encounter students who seem apathetic or stuck. To someone who feels this way, taking that next step can often feel overwhelming. This conversation script provides a catalyst for the student by reframing the dilemma.

Would it be okay if I told you some of my concerns regarding your plan?

This can be a powerful question from the advisor to gently but firmly express that the student has a plan that may be unrealistic or un-researched.

What strengths do you want to focus on?

It is important to provide encouragement to students who are on-task and taking an active role in their academic and career development. This question suggests students identify areas in which they excel and the core competencies they can build upon.

I can suggest advantages and disadvantages, but the decision is yours.

This statement is appropriate for students who have little experience making their own decisions or are expecting the advisor to tell them what is best for them. In other words, it puts the responsibility on the student to make an informed decision.

What can you do to break down these challenges into tasks that are manageable?

Goals can feel overwhelming without specific steps in place. As advisors, we can encourage students to approach problems in a step-wise and time-sensitive way that seems manageable.

It sounds like you have a number of concerns/questions. What are you most concerned about?

Often we meet with students who bring a list of questions to cover during the appointment. This sound bite allows both the student and advisor to focus on what is most immediate and relevant. It helps the student reframe his/her priorities more clearly.

What experiences do you want next?

As advisors, we feel it is important to challenge students to think about real life experiences as opportunities to learn about themselves and their world.

For more sound bites we have collected, feel free to visit our presentation website.

Advisor Exercise:

Our hope is that reading our favorite sound bites has resonated with you in some way. If so, we suggest the following exercise to help spread the exchange of ideas:

• Write down 5 of your favorite sound bites. These can be ones you created or adapted from someone else.

• Find 5 sound bites from the list on our website that you would like to use and write them down.

• Work to incorporate these into your daily interactions with your advisees.
•  Create an exchange program with your colleagues in which each of you completes steps 1-3 and shares your sound bites with one another.
• Let us know what worked well for you! We can incorporate them on our website to benefit the advising community.

We have learned so much from creating our presentations and dialoguing with our fellow advisors. In our student interactions, we have found these sound bites to be an excellent way of revitalizing our advising enthusiasm and understanding our students better. Students seem to like it, too. We hope that this has helped you to generate practical ideas for your advising sessions and rekindled your passion for working with students. Advise on!

2007 NACADA Awards Program

The 2007 Call for Nominations for the NACADA Annual Awards Program will be available in November 2006. Until then, the criteria and nomination guidelines used for the 2006 awards can provide you with a general idea of the types of information and documents requested in the nomination materials for the current award categories. Please note that it is possible that some nomination guidelines and criteria may change for the 2007 Awards Program, depending on discussions held by the Awards Committee at the Annual Conference. Therefore, please be sure to check all guidelines closely once the 2007 Awards Call becomes available before submitting any nomination materials.

Next year's deadline for submitting nominations or applications for most award categories will be March 5, 2007. Retiree recognition notifications will be due June 4, 2007. Information on the Awards Program is available here.

Start now in planning for the advising awards nominations to be submitted in 2007 from your institution!

How to Make Effective Referrals: A Three Step Framework

Mark C. Rehfuss, Regent University

Melissa Mentzer, Ashland University

Typical advising sessions can quickly turn into crisis points when students' conversations lead to disclosure of personal concerns and struggles (Butler, 1995). Students trying to deal with issues related to major career concerns, disabilities, pregnancy, mental health issues and thoughts of suicide are clearly overwhelmed and in need of additional assistance. When mundane advising issues are pushed aside with student crisis, advisors must know how to effectively refer those students for help (Shane, 1981; Kuhn, Gordon, & Webber, 2006). Effective advising referrals usually involve the following three steps:

• Try to put yourself in the students' shoes and communicate understanding.
• Think what resources are available to help with this issue and normalize the service.
• Transition from the advising office to other resources.

Effective referrals start with trying to put yourself in the students' shoes even if you have heard the issues many times before. This involves listening, understanding and then communicating your understanding back to the students. This is often referred to as empathic listening or listening for understanding (Rogers, 1961; Egan, 1998). This skill involves linking the students' feelings to their experiences or behaviors: "I hear you saying that you feel . (the emotion expressed by the student) because . (the experiences or behavior that has given rise to the emotions)." For example, an advisor might suggest, "It sounds to me as though you feel frustrated because of your poor grades." Or, the advisor might say, "I hear you saying that you feel overwhelmed because you still have not declared a major" or "It seems to me that you feel confused and isolated because your friends cannot help you any longer." When advisors accurately use these types of statements, students feel understood. The key is to link students' current emotions to the reasons behind them and communicate true understanding.

Thinking means taking the time to identify the individual resources that can assist students in working through their current struggles. This means having available the names and telephone numbers of known professionals at the Counseling Center, Career Center, Student Disabilities Center, etc. It is more effective to say to students, "I know Pat, and she has really helped a few of my students who were dealing with very similar issues; why don't I give her a call?" than to say, "Why don't you just call the counseling center when you get back to your room?"   Thinking also involves normalizing or explaining the referral resources (O'Hanlon and Weiner-Davis, 1989). Help the students understand that their struggles are often a normal part of personal development and maturity; in fact, their challenges are common enough that the university has developed resources designed to assist them. Here are two examples of possible statements:

Student Disability Services can let you know the accommodations that could be available to you and that may help you be more successful in your academics. Sometimes it involves more time on tests or an environment without distractions. The whole reason they exist is to level the playing field for all students so that everyone has an equal chance at success.

 

The Counseling Center may be able to help you process what is going on in your life currently. It seems like everything that is going on right now is making it hard for you to feel like you are still in control. I think talking to a professional who is trained to help could assist you in getting some perspective. The Counseling Center provides a variety of services from addressing study skills and relational problems to successfully handling very personal issues like yours.

Transition is the third and final step; it moves students from the advisor to other specific resources. This referral is effectively accomplished by first summarizing what students have been sharing and then t hanking them for being so open with their concerns. Once advisors have affirmed students in this manner, they can transition with a statement such as, "As an advisor I can help you with many things, but I'm not really trained to help you with what is going on in your life currently. However, I do know some others on campus who could really provide the assistance, encouragement, support, and help that you need." Advisors can then mention the name of the referral or suggest a call right then: "Why don't I give Sue a call and see if we can set up an appointment for you?" These effective transitional statements communicate personal understanding and concern, but are also somewhat directive. While direction is needed, advisors must remember that the goal of referral is not to pressure students, but rather to educate and inform them of their options. Here are two examples:

You know, the issues you have been sharing are really important, and it sounds like you may want some help and support in processing what you are currently going through. I have found that the Learning Center can be a great resource for students. I know Fred Smith over there, and he has assisted many of the students that I advise to work through their concerns and successfully finish college.

 

Sometimes there are things that your friends or parents cannot help you with, especially when you are here at college. It may be helpful to get another source of support, such as meeting with a counselor or speaking with a physician about your concerns. Debbie Jones, who runs the Campus Counseling Center, is a personal friend of mine. Why don't I just give her a call and see if we can get you in to meet with her?

 

The foundation of any effective referral is the advisor's ability to understand and to connect with the student through basic empathy skills. Once this has taken place, the advisor can think of and transition the student to the needed resources. Taking the time to develop an effective referral framework will equip you with a needed skill and empower your students to be more successful, both personally and academically.

Mark C. Rehfuss

Regent University

mrehfuss@regent.edu

Melissa Mentzer

Ashland University

mmentzer@ashland.edu

References

Butler , E. (1995). Counseling and advising: A continuum of services. In R. Glennen & F. Vowell (Eds.). Academic Advising as a Comprehensive Campus Process . Manhattan KS : NACADA Monograph Series Number 2, pp. 107 - 114.

Egan, G. (1998). The skilled helper. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.

Kuhn, T., Gordon, V., & Webber, J. (2006). The advising and counseling continuum: Triggers for referral. NACADA Journal , 26 (1), 24-31.

O'Hanlon, W., & Weiner-Davis, M. (1989). In search of solutions: A new direction in psychotherapy. New York: Norton.

Rogers, C. (1961). On becoming a person. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Shane, D. (1981). Academic advising in higher education: A developmental approach for college students of all ages. NACADA Journal, 1 (2), 12-23.  

NACADA Member Expertise Database

NACADA members are encouraged to share their expertise by registering with the NACADA Expertise Database.

This database is used to identify members' areas of expertise for media requests, authorships, presenters at NACADA events, etc. So, make your expertise known by registering or updating your information today!

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Issues in Advising Situations

Brandy L. Smith, The University of Memphis

Editor's Note: The following article is drawn from the presentation "Colors of the Rainbow," given by Brandy Smith at the 2006 NACADA Region 3 Conference in Nashville, TN. Before reading this article, the reader may wish to become familiar with Brandy's NACADA Clearinghouse article "Working More Effectively in Advising: Understanding Multicultural Dimensions of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Identities."

"Why do I need to be aware of GLBT persons or issues?" Kinsey, Pomeroy and Martin (1948) in their seminal work noted that up to ten percent of the population may be Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender (GLBT). Thus, probability alone suggests that advisors will work with many GLBT students during their careers. Others may say, "What does it matter if I know a person's sexual orientation?" True, we may not need to know a student's sexual orientation to be a good advisor, but there are times when issues of sexual orientation arise. This can occur when advisors seek to connect with students in a holistic way i.e., when they seek to know more about students than their course schedules.

A holistic advisor may ask a female transfer student the basic question, "What brings you to X University?"   This wonderfully open question has a multitude of answers. If the student says that she transferred because of a dating relationship, the advisor may follow up by asking how long the student and her boyfriend have been together. In this case, the advisor has made an assumption about the student's sexual orientation. While an advisor may find it helpful to know more about the dating relationship, it is recommended that he/she inquire in a way that does not infer heterosexuality. Simply asking, "How long have you two been together?" can garner the same information, while allowing for the possibility that the student may not be heterosexual.

Hetherington (1991) noted that assumptions exist regarding appropriate and inappropriate fields for GLBT people. These thoughts are based on assumptions and stereotypes that must be challenged. Because we are exposed to socialization beliefs and stereotypes, some advisors and students may explore only majors related to sexual orientation stereotypes. Advisors should seek to discover students' reasons for choosing their majors.

An advisor may work with a male student who indicates that he is gay. This advisor may suggest theatre as a major because the arts have traditionally been seen as a "good fit" for gay people. In this instance, the advisor needs to broaden his or her perception of student career possibilities instead of limiting the majors to stereotypical fields. Yes, certain fields have historically been more open and affirming to GLBT people, but that does not mean that those are the only fields in which GLBT people can succeed. This issue may arise if the student expresses interest in teaching, the military, criminal justice, or the business world.

Believing that GLBT people can only enter certain fields limits the students' possibilities and restricts the contributions they can make. GLBT people are employed in a variety of occupations. Advisors who choose not to discuss certain careers because of the student's sexual orientation should challenge their beliefs. It is true that some fields may be more restrictive regarding how open a person can be about his/her sexual orientation (e.g., teaching elementary school or the military), but an honest discussion of the issues is very different than refraining from discussing a career option because the person is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered.

GLBT individuals often "come out" during their college years. The "coming out" process may include student discomfort with sexual orientation and may lead students to choose careers that are traditionally seen as congruent with gender stereotypes. In these cases, male students may choose a stereotypically masculine major, e.g., sports management, while female students may select a stereotypically feminine major, e.g., nursing. Exploration of the reason for the choice of major is important. The question "What makes you choose that major?" can lead to a productive discussion about the reasons for the choice and an indication regarding how satisfied students may be with a choice made because of gender stereotypes. Some persons may be satisfied with choosing a career path based upon gender stereotypes, but others may realize that alternative reasons for choosing a major may be more important.

Much of what has been suggested here involves challenging stereotypes and assumptions. This can be hard, especially if students and advisors are surrounded by inaccurate information. Advisors can increase their understanding of GLBT persons and the issues they face in the following ways:

• read affirming books that accurately portray GLBT people
• talk in a respectful way with people who are GLBT to learn about their experiences and struggles
• attend presentations that discuss GLBT persons' experiences or perspectives in an affirming way
• visit the Human Rights Campaign website at www.hrc.org
• connect with individuals who are GLBT to learn more about them and how their sexual identities are integrated into their personalities rather than isolated from who they are.

Brandy L. Smith

The University of Memphis

brandysmith9@yahoo.com

Brandy Smith is a counseling psychology doctoral student in the Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Research program at The University of Memphis.

References

Hetherington, C. (1991). Life planning and career counseling with gay and lesbian students. In N. J. Evans & V.

A. Wall (Eds.), Beyond tolerance: Gays, lesbians and bisexuals on campus (pp. 131-146). Alexandria, VA : American College Personnel Association.

Kinsey, A., Pomeroy, W. & Martin, C. (1948), Sexual B