NACADA Commission and Interest Group Division (CIGD)

Division Meeting Minutes

October 1, 2003 -- Dallas , Texas

Present:  

Division Representatives -Casey Self, Skip Crownhart

Commission Chairs -Harvey Carlson, Ronda Barnett, Tim Champarde, Rusty Fox, Virginia Hueske, Heidi Koring, Mike Leonard, Jill Johnson, Dean Jolly, Michelle Roppeau, Maura Reynolds, Brian Stanley, Kenn Skorupa, Betsy West

Incoming Commission Chairs - Karen Boston, Dianne Castor, Cole Holmes, Andrea Irby, Cindy Pavlowski, Don Sebera

Interest Group Chairs -Mark Bellcourt, Dennis Bothel, Iona Black, Lynne Higa, Lee Kem, Mike Kirk-Kuwaye, Johanna Pionke, Ila Schauer, Nancy Walburn, Patrick Slowinski, Adrienne Thunder

Steering Committee -Carol Ann Baily, Randy Jedele, Vicki LeFevers

Executive Office Liaison - Julia Wolf

Absent:    Commission Chairs -Tom Kenyon, Alice Reinarz

Visitors:   Betsy McCalla-Wriggins, President and Bobbie Flaherty, Executive Director

Introductions of Commission and Interest Group Division members -

Casey Self called the meeting to order. Casey thanked all the chairs for their efforts and commitment on behalf of their commission and interest group members, and the association.

As an introduction exercise paired with the Strategic Plan, Casey asked each chair to pair up with another Chair whom they did not know, and discuss the Strategic Plan and ideas they each had for their respective commission or interest group. After several minutes of discussion, each Chair then introduced the other Chair to the entire group, sharing his/her Strategic Plan ideas. This activity seemed to work well and set the stage for the following group discussion on the Strategic Plan.

Some of the Strategic Plan implementation ideas shared included the following:

1. Pre-conference workshops clustered around one particular topic to allow people an opportunity to attend targeted workshops who cannot otherwise attend the Summer Institutes or Administrators' Institutes.
2. Research activities
3. Presentation proposals
4. Online surveys

Strategic Plan Follow-up -

A great deal of time was spent discussing the Strategic Plan. Chairs expressed a need to understand the history of the development of this Plan, the process of how it came about, the issues involved, and how the components were prioritized. It was expressed that the focus of the plan should be on complex, long-term goals, empowering activities such as research and publications rather than those that could be accomplished the quickest or that would be least expensive.

Concern was expressed that there was nothing in the plan dealing with volunteers, or pointing out that all members of the Leadership are volunteers. It was felt that this needed to be reflected in the document. This also brought up the issue that chairs would like more direction and training on strategies of recruiting and using volunteers.

Several chairs questioned and objected to the "low priority" notation on Mission 5, which stated, "Encourage the contributions of all members and promote the involvement of diverse populations." It was felt that diversity issues should be a high priority and reflected throughout the entire Strategic Plan. It was also expressed that this statement should be divided into two separate statements.

Another suggestion was that the mission statements themselves should not be prioritized, but rather prioritize the goals and then strategies for each mission.

Betsy McCalla-Wriggins and Bobbie Flaherty joined the CIG Division meeting after lunch in an effort to answer some of the questions raised regarding the Strategic Plan. They provided an overview of the history of the development of the plan and explained that organizational issues were identified, which led to the mission statements. Betsy and Bobbie described the Strategic Plan as a "guiding" document that was not binding, and asked the chairs to view it as an "inventory list" and still a work in progress. Chairs asked if the plan could be revised to include better explanations of each mission statement, including the intent of each statement, and it was agreed that this would be done. Chairs expressed that this enhancement would help them to develop their specific goals and strategies that could be added to the Strategic Plan.

Casey encouraged the chairs to utilize their members, volunteers and steering committees in both developing and implementing their respective goals and strategies. Chairs were also reminded to be sure to respond to the e-mails forwarded from the Executive Office from volunteers indicating an interest in helping with commission/IG activities.

It was suggested that a module be developed by the Executive Office to help chairs in all divisions with recruiting and working with volunteers.

Commission Status Proposals -

Casey asked the Chairs of the three Interest Groups seeking commission status to give a brief summary of their proposals-Patrick Slowinski, ESL/International Student Advising; Lee Kem, Advising Education Majors; and, Lynne Higa and Mike Kirk-Kuwaye, Assessment of Advising. Discussion followed.

A concern was expressed that adding to the number of commissions would dilute the member base of the existing commissions. With being allowed to pick only two commissions, members would be faced with a more difficult decision in trying to decide which two commissions to pick with an increased number to choose from.

Questions were also raised as to why interest groups want to become commissions and are they penalized if they do not seek commission status. It was explained that, while they do not have a "vote", interest groups do have a "voice" and are important avenues for member involvement. Some interest group chairs expressed that their respective groups had no interest in seeking commission status and are happy with their current status and having less expectations to fulfill.

A written comparison of the similarities and differences between commissions and interest groups will be developed to help differentiate between the two types of groups. Julia will draft this document for review by Casey and Skip, and it will be posted to the web when completed.

Ballots for the commission status proposals were distributed to the current commission chairs. Votes were tallied and commission status was granted to all three interest groups by an overwhelming majority.

Elections in Spring 2004 and Nomination Process -

Julia emphasized that now is the time to be recruiting individuals and nominating them to replace those commission chairs whose terms end at the conclusion of the national conference in Cincinnati in 2004. It was explained that having at least two nominees was encouraged so that commission members felt that they had a choice in the election. Copies of the 2004 Leadership Recommendation form were distributed.

With the addition of the three new commissions, the decision needed to be made regarding the rotation of the elections to keep a balance of new chairs each year. For the 2004 elections, it was determined that ESL/International Student Advising and Advising Education Majors would elect a chair for only a one-year term initially and then elect for a two-year term beginning with the 2005 elections. Assessment of Advising would elect its first chair in 2004 for a two-year term. This would balance the chair rotation with 10 chairs being elected one year and 9 chairs in the next year.

Steering Committee Updates -

Casey asked the chairs for their input on the process for appointing Steering Committee members. Prior to the conference, both Kent Trachte and Chuck Haberle had indicated that they would not be continuing their appointments on this committee. In an effort to fill these spots before the Division meeting, Casey e-mailed all previous commission and interest group chairs and asked for volunteers to replace them. From those who responded as being interested, Mike Leonard and Kevin McKenna were offered and accepted positions on the CIGD Steering Committee for terms from October 2003-October 2005. Continuing committee members are Carol Ann Baily, Randy Jedele, and Vicki LeFevers, whose terms end in October 2004.

As a result of these changes, some commissions and interest groups will be reassigned to a new Steering Committee member. These assignments will be made during the conference and posted to the Division web site soon.

Casey asked the division chairs if they wanted a role in making these committee appointments or if these appointments should be made at the discretion of the CIG Division Representatives. A motion was made, seconded, and approved that CIGD Steering Committee members be appointed by the Division Reps.

Division Liaisons to Regions -

Skip Crownhart explained the roles and responsibilities of the Division Liaisons to Regions and mentioned that an explanation is also on the CIG division web site. This liaison would be a point of contact for a Region Chair if help was needed with a commission-related issue or event at a regional conference.

After some discussion, it was determined that the role and responsibilities of this liaison position need to be better defined to be implemented effectively. It was also suggested that "active" chairs be used in these positions when possible rather than previous chairs no longer involved in commission activities.

Report Formats -

Casey explained the design and purpose of the post-conference and annual fall reports.

Casey reminded commission chairs that their post-conference reports were due November 14, 2003 , and these reports should include their goals and strategies for the next year, relating them to the Strategic Plan. Although this report is optional for interest group chairs, they were strongly encouraged to complete it. The template for this report is posted on the CIG Division web page. Once the Strategic Plan has been revised as discussed earlier, the Chairs will be notified so they can refer to it when developing their goals and strategies.

Chairs will also continue completing an annual report in the fall, usually due about 6 weeks or so prior to the fall division meeting and national conference. Reminders will be sent out from the Executive Office about completing both reports. Chairs also asked if reminders could be sent out between January and May, specifically reminding them about making progress on their goals.

list serve Discussion -

A discussion was held regarding the use of the commission and interest group list serves. Casey recommended that chairs send at least two e-mails per year to their respective members with updates, and reminded them that a low percentage of their members were actually subscribed to the list serve. Julia explained that the Executive Office could assist them in sending out e-mails that would reach all of their members, not just those on the list serve -- all they needed to do was to provide the text for the e-mails. To facilitate communication, bulk e-mails sent to members of a particular commission or interest group could be posted to its "News and Updates" web site for later reference.

Several chairs commented on the lack of list serve "netiquette" and asked if reminders could be included twice a year in the monthly member highlights sent out by the Executive Office. It was suggested that a stipulation be made that commercial solicitation of any kind in list serve postings could result in being removed from the list serve.

Chairs also questioned why the list serve subscription was open to anyone and asked if subscriptions could be limited to NACADA members only. The request was also made for instructions for posting messages to each list serve to be added to the subscription instruction page on our web site for each list. Julia will share these concerns and suggestions with the Executive Office staff for consideration and resolution.

Newsletter Article Deadlines -

Julia shared that commissions and interest groups were encouraged to submit content articles for the NACADA newsletters. Volunteers for articles were solicited and the following schedule of division contributions for the next year resulted.

December 2003 issue -

• Advisor Training and Development - Heidi Koring
• Probation/Dismissal/Reinstatement Issues IG - Johanna Pionke
• Assessment of Advising - Lynne Higa and Mike Kirk-Kuwaye

February 2004 issue -

• LGBTA Concerns Commission - Dean Jolly
• Native American and Tribal College IG-Mark Bellcourt/Adrienne Thunder
• Advising Business Majors Commission - Karen Boston

June 2004 issue -

• Advising Education Majors Commission - Lee Kem
• Advising Students with Disabilities Commission - Harvey Carlson
• Small Colleges and Universities Commission - Maura Reynolds

September 2004 issue -

• Technology in Advising Commission - Andrea Irby
• Advising Student Athletes Commission - Cindy Pavlowski
• Multicultural Concerns Commission - Brian Stanley
• Advising Graduate/Professional Students Commission- Virginia Hueske

Budgets and Division Funding -

Casey discussed the process for submitting supplemental budget requests from the NACADA General Fund, particularly since the Division does not have a standard operating budget. Commission chairs were reminded that they needed to request the funds for a plaque each year that they wanted to offer the Service to Commission Award. Although guidelines and forms for supplemental budget requests are on the general NACADA web site, Julia will post a link to them on the CIG Division web page for easier access.

Casey mentioned that he was planning to submit a funding request for Division operational expenses. To help with this request, he asked the chairs for ideas as to what these expenses might be to meet their commission or interest group funding needs. The following suggestions were offered.

1. Commission/interest group awards/recognition
2. Research grants for topics related to commission/IG focus
3. Collaborative efforts with colleagues at other institutions
4. Publications from alternate organizations for display at the Fair
5. Travel/registration for related presentations made at other conferences
6. Steering Committee teleconferences
7. Door prizes for annual meetings
8. Copying expenses for conference meeting and Fair booth
9. Promotional and display materials
10. Decorations for Fair booths
11. Snacks for annual meetings
12. Special projects

Solicitation of National and Regional conference proposals -

Julia briefly explained the overall process for the solicitation and evaluation of conference proposals, including the role of commission chairs in reviewing and evaluating these proposals. Commission chairs were encouraged to begin now to find volunteers and set up their committees to help with the proposal review process, particularly during their annual commission meetings and at the Fair. Julia suggested that these events would also be ideal opportunities to solicit ideas and develop a list of hot topics or critical issues for their respective commissions from which conference presentation ideas could be generated.

Awards -

Julia reviewed the criteria and nomination process for the Service to Commission Awards, and the Commission Chair role in reviewing Summer Institute Scholarships and Outstanding Advising/Program award nominations.

A request was made to review the current guidelines and nomination criteria for the Service to Commission Awards. Should the nomination process be less formal or nomination packets have fewer components than initially outlined? A committee was set up to review this process with the goal that changes would be implemented with the 2005 awards program. Jill Johnson offered to chair this committee and Dean Jolly, Mike Leonard and Carol Ann Baily volunteered to serve on it.

Purpose and focus of commission and interest group meetings here in Dallas -

Casey and Skip reviewed the general purpose and focus for the annual commission and interest group meetings held at the national conference. It was emphasized that these meetings should center around discussions of specific issues relevant to each group's area of focus and that commission/IG "business" should not be handled during this time slot.

Commission Fair and Round Tables Details -

Casey encouraged all chairs to make the most of this opportunity to promote their commission or interest group, and solicit volunteers to help them with activities and projects. Julia mentioned that sign-up sheets would be provided at each table on which persons could indicate if they were interested in being a member of that commission, serving as a volunteer, or being added to the list serve. Those chairs requesting poster display boards for the Fair could pick them up anytime before Friday morning. After the Fair, they could just leave them on the tables and Julia would collect them to use again next year. A few chairs expressed that they would like to keep their boards after the Fair to use in their annual meeting or at the roundtables, which was a great idea.

A suggestion was made that perhaps commission and interest group roundtables could be planned at the regional conferences, at which critical issues identified during the national conference meetings could be further discussed.

New/Continuing Chairs Training -

Casey, Skip and Julia provided an overview of Division web pages and other resources available on the NACADA web site. Using a laptop, Casey was able to display the various Division web pages on a large screen, and the purpose and specific components of each page were described in detail.

Guidelines were distributed that explained the creation and updating process of the individual commission or interest group web pages. Chairs were encouraged to appoint a webmaster or committee to assist in developing these web pages and not to think they had to do it all themselves.

Suggestions were made for support activities from the Division Reps and/or Executive Office that would further facilitate the training process.

1. Develop module for chairs for soliciting and working with volunteers.
2. Post past reports submitted by previous chairs to the respective commission or interest group web site (and ask Region Chairs to do the same).
3. Send monthly reminders to chairs of deadlines on the CIG Division Timeline.
4. Follow-up with chairs during the year and inquire about progress made on their goals or assistance needed.
5. Post a directory of the various NACADA Leadership list serves on the web site.

Casey explained the importance of a smooth transition between the outgoing and incoming chairs, and that there may be activities that carryover into a new chair's term yet to be completed. Having background information and updates from the outgoing chair on these activities is crucial.

Julia emphasized that she and other Executive Office staff are there to help them whenever needed, and they should not hesitate to contact her for assistance or with questions.

Other Issues/Announcements/Feedback/Adjournment -

Casey asked for any other issues and announcements to be made. Meeting was adjourned.