NACADA Commission & Interest Group Division Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, October 5, 2004      1:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Cincinnati , OH

1.   Introductions - All attendees introduced themselves by giving their name, position and institution.

Attendees:

• Division Representatives: Casey Self, Maura Reynolds
• Executive Office Liaison: Julia Wolf
• Commission Chairs and Incoming Chairs: Lizette Bartholdi, Karen Boston, Lynne Carlson, Dianne Castor, Linda Chalmers, Tim Champardé (late pm only), Karleen Edwards, Les Hemphill, Lynne Higa, Beth Higgins, Troy Holaday, Cole Holmes, Virginia Hueske, Andrea Irby, Jill Johnson, Lee Kem, Tom Kenyon, Mike Kirk-Kuwaye, Victor Macaruso, Tina McNamara, Cindy Pavlowski, Alice Reinarz, Don Sebera, Jeanette Sorensen, Brian Stanley, Kathy Stockwell, Bill Van Dusen (late pm only), Megumi Yamasaki
• Interest Group Chairs: Mark Bellcourt, Iona Black (late pm only), Dennis Bothel, Mutlu Citim-Kepic (late pm only), Nick Conrad (late pm only), Julie Givans, Peter Hagen, Tom Kerr (late pm only), Ruby Mason (late pm only), Johanna Pionke, Marion Schwartz, Adrienne Thunder, Sandra Voller
• Division Steering Committee: Carol Ann Baily
• Absent: Betsy West

2.   Minutes Approval - The minutes for the CIG Division Meeting on October 3, 2003 in Dallas, TX were approved. A copy of these minutes was included in the meeting participant folders.

www.nacada.ksu.edu/CandIGDivision/CIGDMeetingMinutes-Fall2003.htm 

3.  NACADA Organization Overview and Your Leadership Role Resources

• "Chain of Command" - How is NACADA is organized

Casey Self explained the NACADA organizational chart found in the meeting participant folders, and pointed out that all budget and policy issues are determined/approved by the Board and all other decisions are made at the Council level.

• Role of your Division Representatives (Casey Self - elected, Maura Reynolds - appointed)

Casey referred to the handout in the meeting participant folders that included a detailed out line of the roles and responsibilities of the Division Representatives.

 

Questions were raised about the purpose of the Division Liaisons to Regions, positions which have never really been implemented or utilized. After further discussion, it was determined that these liaison positions were not needed and would be dissolved.

• Julia Wolf's Role as Division Liaison and Executive Office in General

Julia referred to the handout in the participant folders that included a summary of her role and responsibilities as the Division's Liaison to the NACADA Executive Office and the support provided by both herself and the EO. This information will be added to the Commission Chair handbook.

• Overview of Resources & Information on NACADA Web Pages

Maura Reynolds summarized the information and resources available to the chairs online. Using a laptop computer and LCD projector, she pointed out where this information could be found on the NACADA web site, and mentioned that these web pages are best viewed using Internet Explorer as the web browser. Maura also explained the interrelationship of this information with their positions as Commission and Interest Group Chairs and how it could be utilized.

• Overview of Commission Handbook (Interest Group Handbook coming)

Maura gave a brief overview of the online Commission Chair handbook while mentioning that a handbook for Interest Group Chairs was in the works. A suggestion was made from one of the Chairs that the number of clicks be reduced to access various sections of the handbook. Another comment was made that it be made easier to locate the commission and interest group information from the NACADA home page, which Julia said she would report back to the NACADA web team at the Executive Office.

• Overview of Post Conference and Annual Report Templates on Web - Incorporating NACADA Strategic Plan into reports

Maura explained the instructions for submitting their post-conference reports using the new online form, referring to the instruction handout in the participant folders. She also provided ideas for approaching the input of their report information using this online system and emphasized the information needed prior to submitting their final reports.

 

• Role of Steering Committee Members

Casey explained the role of the CIG Division Steering Committee and referred to the handout in the meeting participant folders that included a list of the committee's members and their respective unit assignments of the commissions and IGs. He recognized and thanked the outgoing members of the Steering Committee (Carol Ann Baily, Randy Jedele, Vicki LeFevers, and Kevin McKenna) and welcomed Lynne Higa as a new member of this committee as well as those new and continuing committee members unable to attend the meeting (Sharon Ferrett, Mike Leonard, Kristin Ferguson Johnson, and Glenn Kepic).

• Use of Volunteers - best practices

Casey encouraged the chairs to utilize volunteers as much as possible in unit activities and planning, emphasizing that they did not need to do everything themselves. He asked the chairs to share their "best practices" as examples of how volunteers were solicited and utilized within their units. These ideas included:

1. Cole Holmes-Used list serves and bulk e-mails sent by the Executive Office to solicit volunteers to help moderate the "Hot Topic" session.
2. Jill Johnson-Promoted the commission's steering committee as a way for gaining support from institutions for attending the national conference.
3. Karen Boston-Solicited volunteers to be proposal readers, which included asking commission members who were candidates but lost the election for commission chair.
4. Tom Kenyon-Asked Region Chairs for recommendations.
5. Carol Ann Baily-Posted volunteer opportunities on commission web site, list the members of various commission committees, and define the expectations of these committee members.

• Purpose of Commission or Interest Group meetings? What makes a successful meeting?

Maura initiated a discussion of the purpose of the annual commission and interest group meetings held at the national conference. When chairs were asked what they felt were the main purposes of the meetings and what factors help to make a successful meeting, the following ideas were shared:

1. Introductions of attendees-works better with smaller groups
2. Connecting with others, especially to collaborate on writing, research, or conference presentations.
3. Solicit conference proposal ideas and to brainstorm.
4. Find moderators or discussion leaders for various topics.
5. Use icebreakers.
6. Mini chat sessions on topics solicited from the list serve or last year's meeting
7. Arrange group dinners.
8. View meeting as an "opportunity", not an "obligation".
9. Use steering committee members.
10. Provide handouts at the CIGD Fair.
11. Informal social gatherings
12. Hold a panel discussion following the commission meeting.
13. Do something different each year to retain interest of returning members.
14. Brainstorm ideas to encourage members to publish or seek a NACADA Research Grant, which could be the first step to making presentations.

• Commission & Interest Group Fair - Thursday morning

Julia Wolf mentioned that chairs who requested display boards could pick them up after the Leadership dinner or from the NACADA conference office anytime before Thursday morning. Push pins would also be provided. She also mentioned that copies of the CIGD brochure would be distributed to each table at the Fair for distribution to interested members and sign-up sheets provided on which members could indicate if they wanted to become members of that unit, be added to its list serve, or volunteer to assist with unit activities. Ideas were shared for decorating the Fair booths and information that could be provided.

 

• Questions

No questions were asked about any of the items discussed above.

4.  Division Communication:

Casey mentioned the various list serves used for CIGD communications as listed below, and provided some comments to help facilitate these communications. It was suggested that items within the e-mails sent via these list serves be bulleted whenever possible to better highlight important deadlines and news. It was also suggested that the NACADA Clearinghouse be linked to CIGD unit web pages and Julia mentioned that this enhancement had recently been completed.

• CIGDIVISION@listserv.ksu.edu - includes all commission & interest group chairs, steering committee, Division representatives and Julia
  • Please react/respond to CIGDIVISION e-mails in timely manner.
• CIGDSTEERING@listserv.ksu.edu - includes Steering Committee, Division Reps, Julia
• NACADALEADERS@listserv.ksu.edu - includes all elected/appointed leaders in NACADA
  • Don't forget if you hit reply key on any list serve, it replies back to EVERYONE.

5.   Commission list serves

• General discussion on success strategies - Chairs shared that they used their unit list serves to solicit information, resources, and topics for conference proposals. Several chairs indicated that they were not currently subscribed to the ACADV list serve because it is too active.
• Posting discussion on web pages - Chairs were encouraged to summarize the responses to some of the more interesting and helpful list serve discussions, and then forward them to Julia at the Executive Office for posting to the applicable web pages.
• Identifying hot topics - list serves are great tools to use for identifying hot topics.
• list serves vs bulk-e-mails to all members of group - Julia explained the difference between using the list serves and having bulk e-mails sent from the Executive Office when communicating with unit members. A unit's list serve reaches only those individuals who are subscribed to it, which is typically only a small percentage of that unit's members, while a bulk e-mail sent from the EO would reach all current members of that unit at any given time. When a chair wants to be sure to reach all members of its unit, a bulk e-mail is best.

6.  Discussion on consequences of annual reports not being received

Casey Self explained that required reports are not always received from commission chairs. When he asked chairs to discuss possible consequences when these reports are not received, the following suggestions were made:

• Provide a warning. If no results are received after this warning, replace the Chair.
• Consider performance of other duties, not just reports (Fair, annual meeting, etc.).
• Create probationary status and an evaluation process.
• Utilize assigned CIGD Steering Committee liaison to follow-up and obtain report.
• Withhold reimbursement for expenses if applicable.
• Create process for potential removal and explain this process to chairs ahead of time.
• Identify "markers" of an effective commission.

A task force was set up to further discuss this issue and develop proposed guidelines for the annual evaluation of commissions and ramifications of not submitting reports or completing other activities required of commission chairs. The members of this task force include Karen Boston, Troy Holaday, Dianne Castor and Don Sebera. Casey Self, Maura Reynolds, and Julia Wolf will also contribute to this task force.

7.   Service to Commission Award Guidelines & Procedures Revision-Committee Report

Jill Johnson, chair of this committee, summarized the proposed revisions to the Service to Commission Award guidelines and procedures, referring to the handout in the participant folders.

After a short discussion, a motion was made and seconded to accept the revised guidelines. A vote was taken and the motion passed.

8.   2005 Schedule for NACADA Newsletter Articles

Commission and interest group chairs were asked to volunteer to write short content articles for Academic Advising News , the NACADA quarterly newsletter. Several slots had already been filled by chairs volunteering after receiving an e-mail soliciting articles. All slots were filled for the newsletter issues through June 2006 (3 articles per issue).

9.   Budget

• Request Process - Casey and Julia reviewed the current process for commission chairs to submit budget requests for commission-related activities.

• Division Budget Proposal - Referring to the handout in the participant folders, Casey explained the proposal submitted to the Council to create a "central fund" for CIG Division projects and commission activities. This fund would be created with an annual allocation from the NACADA General Fund in the amount of $.50 per member. Commissions would submit budget requests annually within their post-conference reports. Interest Group Chairs would still not be able to request funding. Division-wide projects could also be funded through this central fund and funds for the CIGD Fair would continue to be allocated as needed at $50 per commission or interest group. Stringent guidelines would be established for the distribution and expenditures of these funds.

After a short discussion, this proposal was approved.

10.   Spring 2005 Elections -

Chairs were encouraged to continue recruiting nominees during the national conference and to submit nomination forms for the commission chair positions being elected in the 2005 leadership elections as well as for other leadership positions being elected. Ideas for soliciting nominees (such as during the CIGD Fair, at annual meetings, etc.) and the process for making nominations were discussed.

• Elected Division Representative Election - voted on by Commission Chairs

Julia explained that the elected Division Representative position would be voted on by only those Commission Chairs whose terms were continuing for the 2004-2005 year and those Commission Chairs newly elected in the 2005 elections. A separate election for this position will be held shortly after the conclusion of the general elections. 

11.   Selecting Commissions & Interest Groups Proposal -

Casey referred attendees to the proposal in the participant folders regarding the selection of commissions and interest groups by NACADA members. In the past, NACADA members could choose to become a member of up to two commissions and up to two interest groups (IGs). This proposal would allow members to choose membership in any combination of up to four commissions and/or IGs based on their professional or personal needs regardless of whether the group has commission or IG status.

After minimal discussion, this proposal was approved.

12.   Liberal Arts Advisors Commission Status Proposal -

Discussion of this proposal was delayed until Sarah Ann Hones, co-chair for the Liberal Arts Advisors Interest Group, could join the division meeting to briefly summarize this proposal and answer questions. Karen Sullivan-Vance, lead co-chair for the Liberal Arts Advisors Interest Group, was unfortunately unable to attend the CIG Division meeting in support of this proposal. Sarah Ann was attending the Regional Division's meeting as incoming Region 8 Chair, but was able to arrange a short visit to the CIGD meeting. Sarah Ann explained the rationale for this group gaining commission status. Included in the proposal was a first-year action plan as well as a two-year strategic plan with projected goals related to applicable statements within the NACADA Strategic Plan. After answering a few questions, Sarah Ann left the meeting.

During a lengthy discussion that followed, some of the CIGD Chairs expressed concern that the Liberal Arts Advisors Commission status proposal did not adequately address the issue of diversity in identifying its goals as related to the NACADA Strategic Plan. The merits of the proposal were debated with varying opinions being expressed. Some felt that the proposal did not meet the criteria as written and should be tabled until revised accordingly. The definition of Liberal Arts was also briefly debated although it was soon determined that this issue was beyond the scope and purpose of the current discussion regarding commission status. A vote on this proposal was finally called, which resulted in a tie vote of 9 Yes, 9 No, and I Abstain.

Further discussion followed during which a review of the current procedures and criteria for gaining commission status revealed that satisfying elements of and relating its goals to the NACADA Strategic Plan was not a current requirement in this process. While the majority of chairs present felt that the issue of diversity was a high priority and crucial to the association's mission, the proposal itself seemed to meet the current criteria, and the Liberal Arts Advisors IG should not be penalized for going beyond the standard proposal requirements in relating its goals to the Strategic Plan, even if this meant the issue of diversity was not specifically and adequately addressed. Rather, the co-chairs should be congratulated for taking this extra step in putting together this proposal. Casey Self assured the meeting attendees that, if this proposal passes, the co-chairs will be informed of the concerns regarding diversity and encouraged to revise its goals to more adequately address the issue of diversity.

Since procedures were not in place for dealing with a tie vote on proposals, a motion was made to revote, which was seconded and approved. The second vote on this proposal resulted in 16 Yes and 3 No, and the proposal was approved.

During the discussion of this proposal, it became evident that the CIGD Chairs needed additional assistance in interpreting the NACADA Strategic Plan. They struggled with the current process and procedures for an interest group to seek commission status, and recognized the need for revision of these procedures. As a result, a task force was established to review the criteria and procedures for gaining commission status. This same task force will also discuss the tie-vote issue and develop procedures for handling these situations. The members of this task force include Lynne Higa, Brian Stanley, and Victor Macaruso. Casey Self, Maura Reynolds, and Julia Wolf will also contribute to this task force.

13.  Announcements and Adjournment

Announcements were made and some repeated for the benefit of those chairs arriving late to the meeting due to travel delays. Casey reminded everyone about the special NACADA Leadership dinner immediately following the meeting.

A motion was made and seconded to adjourn. Meeting was adjourned at 5:45 p.m.