David Spight, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Past Involvement in NACADA:

Years in NACADA: 4 years

National Offices Held and Accomplishments Achieved While in Office:

Regional Activities/Offices Held, including accomplishments achieved while in office:

• Presenter, 2003, Colorado/Wyoming Advising Conference, "The ABC's of Advising Undecided Students"

Committee/Task Force/Advisory Board Activities and Accomplishments:

• Member, Professional Development Committee (PDC), 2005-current — serve on the PDC Seasoned Advisors Survey sub-committee

Commission/Interest Group Activities and Accomplishments:

• Member, Website Review sub-committee, Commission on Undecided and Exploratory Students (CUES) — currently working on annotated bibliography for the website.
• Current member: Commission on Undecided and Exploratory Students (2001-present), Advisor Training and Development Commission, and Assessment of Advising Commission

Other:

• Presenter, 2005 NACADA National Conference, "They can't win if you don't play: Why undecided students need advisors who gamble."
• Wrote NACADA Journal article called "The Pros and Cons of Solution-Focused Advising with the Undecided Student: A reply to Mayhall and Burg" (V25, No.1)
• Attended the 2002 NACADA Summer Institute.
• The University of Texas at Austin activities —
  • Current Public Relations Chair, Academic Counselors Association (ACA)
  • Member, ACA Advising Expo Committee
  • Member, ACA, 2004-present
• Creator, MACAO (Maximizing ACademic Advising Outcomes) Dice Game

Platform Statement:

• Highlight your involvement in this unit that will help you in leading this unit. What roles have you played in this unit thus far?  

Upon joining NACADA in 2001, I immediately became a member of the Commission on Undecided and Exploratory Students as a result of a need to learn more about my undecided advisees, and more importantly, to gain a better understanding of how to help and to teach them.  I started reading everything I could find in the literature and testing ideas shared by others through the list serve.  After sifting through article after article, it only seemed natural to get more involved in the commission when it came time to revise and update the website.  As a result, reviewing the website led to work on an annotated bibliography (in progress) to assist with improving access to the information that is out there to help each of us who has the rewarding responsibility of assisting the undecided students on our campuses.  It is important that ideas, programs, and research be more easily accessible, from the most basic pieces of the "how to" of the process, to the more complex ideas and concepts we've yet to discover about undecided students or about advising them.

• What do you believe are the most important goals and initiatives for this unit in meeting the strategic plan for both the unit and the Association?  

With the emphasis on "Advising is Teaching," the commission should continue to educate and inform its membership, through the sharing of ideas and resources at conferences and through the CUES list serve. In addition, the commission should continue soliciting more of its membership to "teach" one another in the form of presentations and publications.  It would also be important to continue gaining knowledge and experience regarding advising major changers and other transitional students that fall into the category of undecided.  The commission should also look more deeply into the gaps in professional development and training provided to its members, and seek ways to fill those gaps.  The commission has done much in recent years, and hopefully we can continue to build from those accomplishments and improvements.

• Why are you interested in serving in this leadership position or what influenced you to run for this leadership position?

 I spent four years in college wanting to be a High School History teacher. During my last semester, while working in a high school classroom, I realized that I didn't want to work with high school students.  As a result, I went through the next four years working in higher education at various institutions in various positions, not really sure what I wanted to do with my own life.  Suddenly, I fell into a position advising undecided students, and in the process of helping them learn how to find their own path, I finally found my own.  Over the past few years, I found that I still love teaching, but not history and not to high school students.  Instead, I want to teach those life skills that will help students in their growth and development, and ease their fears and anxieties about being uncertain.  In addition, when I started, much of my training was "we have undecided students and you help them find a major."  As a result, I have discovered I enjoy the prospect of sharing ideas, learning from others, and even "teaching" what I have had to learn on my own.  It is with these experiences and influences that I am interested in this leadership position.

• Provide any additional comments or information regarding your past experiences and qualifications that relate to your candidacy for this leadership position. 

Thanks to those of you who have encouraged me to get more involved in the profession on a grander scale, and for helping me to explore my own path along the way.  I would be lost without all of you wonderful teachers, mentors, advisors, colleagues, and friends.  I would definitely welcome this opportunity to serve in a position with a group of advisors who are truly passionate about students and their development.