Two of the most challenging groups to advise are students undecided about their major and students on academic probation.   Two new overviews addressing these issues are featured in the NACADA Clearinghouse on Academic Advising - your one stop source for information on advising-related issues.

Beth Higgins, University of Southern Maine, delineates the issues surrounding Advising Students on Probation.  As advisors, we hope that, with support, students will be able to improve their academic situation.  Unfortunately that is not the case for many students on probation.  In her overview, Higgins, who is a member of the Probation/Dismissal/Reinstatement Interest Group, takes a look at current literature in the field, including research identifying three types of interventions that have positive influences on students' grade point averages.  Find these interventions and more at http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/probation.htm.

In Undecided/Open Students, Patrick Slowinski and Kerry Hammock, Brigham Young University, suggest that rather than focusing on a negative state of students' indecision, advisors should focus on students' openness to options.  They caution that advisors must be careful not to think of the process as simply making a decision as to a major.  Instead, students should be encouraged to develop skills and intentional experiences as part of the career/major exploration process.  Citing current research in the field, Slowinski and Hammock delineate major intervention components that can assist you in advising these students.  Slowinski and Hammock are presently enrolled in the K-State/NACADA Graduate Certificate in Academic Advising.  Find these components in their overview at http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/adv_undeclared.htm

The deadline to submit a proposal for the October, 2004, NACADA National Conference in Cincinnati is February 9.  Proposals must be submitted online at http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/2004proposals.  Novice as well as experienced presenters are encouraged to submit proposals.  Advisors, administrators, faculty, counselors, career development specialists, researchers, graduate students--we want to hear from you!

Information on the 2004 NACADA Leadership elections is available on the NACADA web site at http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Election/index.htm, including the complete slate of candidates for the positions to be elected and online voting procedures. Candidate platform statements are linked to their names on the candidate list for your review.

All voting will be done online.  Printed ballots will not be mailed for this election. The online voting system will be activated no later than 9:00 a.m. Central Time on Friday, January 9, 2004.  The deadline to vote is by 9:00 a.m. Central Time on Friday, February 6.  If you do not receive an e-mail with your personal login and password for this election by January 9, please contact Julia Wolf at the Executive Office at (785) 532-5717.

NOTE:   Only those individuals whose NACADA membership was current and PAID IN FULL as of January 5, 2004, will be eligible to vote in the 2004 elections.

There is still time to register for the Administrators' Institute to be held February 2-4, 2004, in St. Pete Beach, FL.  The interest in this institute has been tremendous; we are looking forward to another great Institute and providing participants an opportunity to enjoy St. Pete Beach this winter!

If you would like to hear about and exchange ideas related specifically to the issues facing academic advising administrators, we hope you will join us.  Visit our web site to see the Institute schedule.   Because of limited enrollment it is critical that you fax your registration form to us as soon as possible.

http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Events/AdminInst/index.htm

We have had overwhelming response for the Assessment Seminar to be held February 5-6, 2004, in St. Pete Beach, FL.  There is still time to register.  For more information on registration and the Seminar, visit:

http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/AssessmentSeminar/index.htm

For Spring semester, Kansas State University will offer two courses for the on-line Graduate Certificate in Academic Advising - Foundations in Academic Advising (EDCEP 835) and Multicultural Counseling and Advising (EDCEP 951).  Both courses will begin on January 22, 2004, with the last day to register and begin the courses being March 15, 2004.  All course work must be completed by the end of Spring term (May 2004) regardless of start date.

For more information on the program, application procedures, and registration, visit:

http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/GraduateCertificate/index.htm

The 2004 Call for Awards Nominations, including nomination criteria, deadlines and forms, is available online at the following web site.   A postcard was mailed in December to NACADA members with basic information regarding the 2004 Awards Call for Nominations.   Please note that the printed booklets with nomination information and forms are no longer being mailed to members.  All information and nomination/application forms needed can be obtained at http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Awards/AwardsCall.htm.

The deadline for the receipt of nomination materials for most award categories is March 8, 2004. Final research grant applications and retiree recognition forms are due by June 7, 2004.

A new award, called the "Outstanding New Advisor Award", is being introduced with the 2004 Awards program.  The criteria for this award is very similar to the current Outstanding Advising awards, with the added stipulation that this award is for individuals who have served in advising roles for three (3) or fewer years at the time of nomination. Additional details for this new award are available at http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Awards/Outstanding_NewAdvisor.htm.

Is training and development a major issue for your campus?  Are you trying to implement quality, effective, and enjoyable training programs for your advisors?  If so, the new NACADA monograph Advisor Training: Exemplary Practices in the Development of Advisor Skills can provide you with the essential information you need in developing an advising training program, as well as a compendium of exemplary programs at institutions across the country.

For more information and to order, go to http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Monographs/index.htm#train.

Are advising issues at small colleges and with faculty-based advising programs important to you? Do you need information or strategies for enhancing your advising program at such institutions?  If so, the new NACADA monograph Advising and Learning:  Academic Advising from the Perspective of Small Colleges and Universities is a must for your professional and departmental library.   Authors with expertise and vast experiences address the important issues for you in this excellent resource.

For more information and to order, go to http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Monographs/index.htm#small .

Response to the Requests for Regional Conference Presentation Proposals has been strong.  Regional Conferences still accepting presentation proposals are as follows (deadlines in parentheses):

Great Lakes Region 5 (January 9, 2004)
North Central Region 6 (January 6, 2004)
Northwest Region 8 (January 15, 2004)
Pacific Region 9 (January 31, 2004)

Dates and locations for 2004 Regional Conferences are:

For the more information about NACADA Regional Conferences, see http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Events/Conferences/Regional/upcoming.htm.

As you begin to make plans for your new student orientation programs for Summer and Fall 2004, we encourage you to consider the NACADA/FYE Family Guide to Academic Advising as a resource for family members in support of their student.  A Family Guide to Academic Advising is an easy-to-read overview of one of the most important educational programs colleges and universities provide their students-academic advising.  Written by a college faculty member and a veteran academic advisor, the Guide describes the role of the academic advisor, outlines the advising process, and highlights important academic issues facing new college students.

For information on ordering, visit http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Publications/familyGuide.htm.

Join us for one of the 18th Annual NACADA Academic Advising Summer Institutes.  The one-week Institutes provide the most comprehensive consideration of Academic Advising available, providing participants with information on all aspects of academic advising as well as opportunities to network with fellow advising professionals, work with nationally renowned experts in the field, and develop an action plan for change for their campus advising programs.

Dates and locations for the Institutes are:

June 6 - 11, 2004, on the waterfront in Portsmouth, VA
August 1 - 6, 2004, in exciting Milwaukee, WI

For preliminary information see http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Events/SummerInst/index.htm .  Registration information will be posted this month!

NACADA is considering the publication of a monograph on Peer Advising to be published in 2005. Heidi Koring from Lynchburg University and Susan Campbell from the University of Southern Maine, co-chairs of the Peer Advising and Mentoring Interest Group, are working on the planning stages of this publication.

This monograph would provide a national snapshot of peer advising programs, provide guidance to those who wish to implement peer advising programs, and highlight exemplary programs currently in existence. 

Your assistance is needed to identify current practices in Peer Advising:   Help us find current peer advising programs!  Take 5 minutes to complete the survey at https://surveys.ksu.edu/Survey/takeSurvey.do?offeringId=25937 through January 26.  Your assistance will add greatly to the completeness of the monograph. 

Nominate a Peer Advising Program for possible inclusion as an Exemplary Practice in the upcoming monograph:  Want to nominate a peer advising program for possible inclusion as an Exemplary Practice?   Complete the form found at http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/Research_Related/PeerAdvisingNomForm.htm. Programs may be nominated through February 6.  Application information for Exemplary Practice nominees can be found on the web at http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Monographs/Peer_Exemplary_Practice_Application.htm.

The Highlights are a monthly summary of NACADA news and events designed to inform members via one consolidated e-mail.