Charlie Nutt, NACADA Executive Director
While the impact of our association is much greater than our number of members would suggest, I am excited to say that this year we have surpassed 13,000 members for the first time! While much of this growth has been built upon the huge increase in participants attending our 10 regional conferences this spring and the over 4,000 participants joining us in Las Vegas in October, the influence and impact that NACADA is having in higher education globally keeps expanding across North America and the World and, thus, we are reaching more professionals who see the value of a NACADA membership.
I feel this growth in both new members and returning members will continue to grow due to the outstanding work and plans being implemented by our Membership Committee chaired by Dave Marchesani and our Sustainable NACADA Leadership Committee being chaired by Casey Self. Both of these groups are doing amazing work and I strongly encourage you all to become involved with the variety of activities and opportunities that will be provided to new members at our annual conference in Las Vegas, as well as the ongoing opportunities throughout your membership in NACADA.
As we all know from seeing the major emphasis that higher education globally is putting on the success of our first generation students, I am excited to say our first webinar this season will focus on First Generation Students, their experiences, and strategies to help in their transition to college. I am even more excited that the webinar will be a panel discussion of our NACADA leaders, President JP Regalado, Vice President/Incoming President David Spight, and Incoming Vice President Dana Zahorik, who all were first generation students themselves and will discuss how this impacted their college experience.
Additionally, on September 28 we will offer a free webinar, an open forum with questions and answers, featuring JP, David, and Dana. This is designed specifically to allow our members to ask questions or voice concerns about our association and to ensure transparency between our leadership and our members at large. We will host a series of these open forums each year from now on, and while they are free, participants must register for the webinar as capacity is limited.
NACADA is always working diligently to be sure our association is at the forefront of our profession. The NACADA Core Values are a key foundation for our work and we want to be sure they are always guiding what we do. Therefore, President Regalado and VP Spight have named a task force led by Past Presidents Joanne Damminger and Jayne Drake to conduct a comprehensive review of the Core Values and recommend changes that will guide us in the future. This will be a very open process so members will have opportunities at our Town Hall meeting in Las Vegas and at all 10 Region Conferences next spring to have input into this reviews. Please do not miss this opportunity to be actively involved in such an important process.
While I look forward to seeing many of you in Las Vegas, which promises to be our largest conference ever, I want to take this opportunity to make you aware that this is the NACADA Executive Office’s 25th Anniversary of being housed at Kansas State University in the College of Education. This partnership has been invaluable to the growth of our profession and our field as well as very positive for the university. Please join me in recognizing the hard work and vision of Dean Emeritus Michael Holen and NACADA Executive Director Emeritus Bobbie Flaherty as this partnership truly comes back to their vision of the future of our association.
See you all soon in Las Vegas!
Charlie Nutt, Executive Director NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising (785) 532-5717 cnutt@ksu.edu
(reprinted with permission from K-State Today, July 28, 2015)
The dean of Kansas State University's College of Education is getting some high praise.
Debbie Mercer has been recognized as one of the 30 most influential deans of education in the U.S. by Mometrix, a test preparation company. To compile its list, Mometrix researchers checked ranking systems, honors, awards and commendations to education deans.
According to Mometrix, Mercer's accomplishments include her efforts to create technologically advanced learning environments at the university, including securing iPads for all preservice teachers and instructional faculty, and her efforts launching the Go Teacher program, which brings Ecuadorian teachers to the university and other institutions to enhance their English proficiency. The program has served more than 3,000 students.
Mercer is the only education dean from Kansas to earn the recognition and just one of two deans from the Big 12 Conference recognized.
Cite this article using APA style as: Nutt, C. (2015, September). From the executive director: NACADA the global community for academic advising keeps expanding our reach and mission. Academic Advising Today, 38(3). Retrieved from [insert url here]
