The NACADA Board of Directors and the Council met in Indianapolis in April for their annual mid-year meetings and found “Indy” to be a wonderful venue for NACADA’s upcoming annual Conference. The folks at IUPUI were terrific hosts and provided an opportunity to see more of the city by hosting a wonderful reception at Dean Evenbeck’s home and providing transportation through a beautiful historic district. Couple this experience with a vibrantly beautiful downtown area adjacent to the Convention Center and our host hotels, and everyone was convinced that NACADA Conference participants in October will be very pleased with their Indy experience! Restaurants and entertainment and parks galore offer a multitude of opportunities for exploration.
In addition to the annual Conference – which has accepted over 300 presentations and is shaping up to be another terrific professional development experience – many other NACADA initiatives are “blooming” as well. The Publications Advisory Board is reviewing a number of proposals for new publications, while the New Professionals Monograph nears completion of its first draft, the “Foundations” CD on Advising Models is being prepared for a final look by the Content Review Board, the “Foundations” CD on Developing Cultural Identity and Worldview is underway, and plans are being made for a monograph on Advising Special Populations. The Professional Development Committee has recommended an update to the Family Guide, an update to the Advising Training Video, and some form of distance delivery of professional development material. Add these initiatives to the Emerging Leaders program coming from the Diversity Committee, and NACADA will continue to reap the fruits of these blooms for years to come!
The NACADA Regions are planning various state and local meetings to bring NACADA experiences closer to members, after providing very exciting and successful Regional Conferences. Be sure to watch the NACADA website for announcements of these events. The website is also the “go to” location for ever expanding academic advising information provided by members on every issue you can imagine in the Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources. Information is being added constantly, and this should be a “bookmarked” site for every advisor and administrator.
Congratulations to the 2006 NACADA Award winners! Your work on behalf of student success is greatly appreciated, and we are proud to honor you for this important work. We also want to thank the many advising professionals who are retiring this year and those who have received campus awards for their work. Everyone deserves an award for the tireless effort you expend to help students realize their dreams! Thank you all!
Roberta 'Bobbie' Flaherty, Executive Director National Academic Advising Association (785) 532-5717 nacada@ksu.edu
Cite this article using APA style as: Flaherty, R. (2006, June). From the executive director: It is spring and NACADA is 'blooming'. Academic Advising Today, 29(2). Retrieved from [insert url here]
