3 Year Report

August 200 Submitted by: Kristin Ferguson

I. Commission's Original Goals included:
1. Adopt four focus areas and encourage research and presentations in:
· Comparability rather than equivalency/articulation agreements
· Transfer student transition programs
· Technology as an advising resource
· Groups with special needs

2. Discuss strategies for assisting the student through the transfer process. Use the four focus areas as perimeters in the discussion.

3. Encourage development efforts of the advisors/support staff for transfer students (publications, presentations at the national and regional conferences.

4. Educate the NACADA members not involved with the commission concerning the diverse needs of the transfer student population.

5. Disseminate information from each focus area team leader to the group at large.

6. Establish regional representatives who will coordinate with regional chairs to support transfer presentations at conferences.

7. Create a directory of transfer advising counselors who could support fellow counselors.

8. Explore legal issues for transfer student advisors.

9. Increase communication links between the two-year and four-year institutions.

10. Review the states that have mandated acceptance of community college credit at the four-year institutions.

II. 3 Year Action Plan
1. Ensure communication among commission members is intact.
· Commission update submitted to NACADA newsletters
· Commission update mailed to all members in August 1998
· list serve established, July 2000; will be advertised via postcards to NACADA members
· Web page in development

2. Consider structure of the commission
· Steering Committee was established under Ellen Taylor and has not been continued in new term
· Regional liaisons selected for all 10 regions; Chair uses liaisons to identify regional issues
· Steering Committee make-up still needs to be refined and rethought

3. Consult with other organizations to look for joint efforts
· This has not been a priority in the first three years of the commission, as the commission structure and methods of communication have been the primary focus.

III. Evaluation Criteria (Minimal Expectations for a Commission)
1. Contribute to NACADA publications.
· Newsletter: Commission Updates submitted for most newsletter editions since ATS Commission was created in 1998.
· Monograph: Helped editors, Tom Kerr and Peggy King, solicit proposals for the Advising Transfer Students monograph. Chapter outlines are to be submitted to the editors by September 15, 2000.
· Journal: NACADA journal regularly features articles on transfer student issues
· Commission Chair has submitted a chapter proposal for the monograph on the State of Florida's articulation agreement and the Florida Academic Counseling and Tracking for Students (FACTS) system, a web-based degree-shopping and tracking system for transfer students.

2. Commission will solicit programs annually for the national and regional conferences
· Ellen Taylor, past Commission Chair, regularly presented at region 1 conferences and solicited other presentations on advising transfer students issues.
· The 6 sponsored presentations were advertised with a flier at the Fall 1999 national conference in Denver. Commission Chair introduced each presenter as a commission sponsored program and invited the presenters to give a summary of their presentation at the Business meeting.
· 23 proposals were submitted for the 6 sponsored program slots for Fall 2000
· In the Spring of 2000, 9 of the 10 regions held roundtable discussions on issues pertaining to advising transfer students. Roundtables were conducted by regional liaisons.
· Commission chair encouraged the director of the FACTS system to submit a proposal to be presented at the Jacksonville Region 4 conference and the Orlando National Conference.

3. Inform commission members about activities, etc., via direct mailings, the NACADA Newsletter, etc. In addition, the commission shall have an annual business meeting at the national conference.
· Annual business meeting conducted in 1998 and 1999
· Commission Update mailed in August 1998
· Commission Roundtables in 9 of 10 regional conferences during Spring 2000

4. Contribute to the specific area of academic advising represented by the Commission through such activities as white papers, reports, handbooks, discussions of current issues, seminars or other methods creating widespread exposure of the information and Commission.
· Web page under development
· ATS Commission Chair is a member of a Joint Admission Task force with her University and the local community college

IV. (Additional Expectations or Approved Comparable Activities)

5. Sponsor or present concurrent paper sessions at conferences of other organizations.
· Many of the ATS Commission members are involved with other organizations and make presentations at other conferences

6. Participate in ACT/NACADA recognition and awards program by nominating noteworthy activities or individuals in the commission.
7. Submit manuscripts to refereed journals other than NACADA's.
8. Seek funding through NACADA and outside agencies for pursuing special projects and activities.
9. Provide reference material or information for dissemination via the NACADA Web site.
· The NACADA Clearinghouse has over a 100 articles on transfer student issues

V. Current Goals
1. UNIT GOALS:
· Advance the body of knowledge on advising transfer students
· Identify key issues in advising and retention of transfer students
· Identify innovative and effective methods used in advising transfer students
· Increase the level of involvement of commission members

2. OBJECTIVES TO ADDRESS GOALS AND NACADA STRATEGIC PLAN:
· Continue to recruit and promote membership in TS
· Continue to encourage submission of programs at regional and national conferences
· Encourage submission of articles for publication in newsletter and journal
· Collaborate with authors of transfer student issues monograph
· Establish a web site to serve as a clearinghouse for transfer student best practices
· Encourage participation of TS members in regional conference roundtables
· Increase the amount of members involved as leaders in the commission

VI. Summary
The Advising Transfer Students Commission has membership data for only two years. There were 814 members in 1999 and 854 members in 2000. The regional roundtables were well attended in most regions. The regional liaisons reported that there were lively discussions in most of the sessions. Evaluations for the roundtables included the feedback that the population of transfer students in higher education is growing. The hottest topics include technology, articulation agreements, and forming better relationships between 2 year and 4 year schools. The membership seems eager to learn more about successful transfer programs in orientation and academic advising. The list serve should help us continue the dialog started in these regional meetings.

The mailing to the membership of the commission regarding the monograph generated enough interest for Tom Kerr Peggy King to combine those interested with the authors they already had lined up to get the monograph proposal finalized.

As the Chair of the commission, I am trying to involve more members in the leadership of the commission. The liaisons will be involved with the commission fair in October and several of them served as readers for the proposals for the national conference. Since I will be chair for a total of three years, I hope to create continuity for the leadership of the commission so some of the other original objectives of the commission can be met.