Jennifer L. Bloom, NACADA President
This spring, Charlie Nutt and I have been on what I am calling the NACADA Regional Conference World Tour 2008. We have had a wonderful time in each of the beautiful Conference cities, and I walk away from these Regional Conferences re-energized, re-committed, and proud of our Association. The real strength of our organization lies in our members and our member-leaders, and never has this been more evident to me than during these trips to attend the Regional Conferences. Academic advisors are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, and they have a true passion for their work. Plus, I have learned so much from my colleagues across the country during their presentations. To those of you whose presentations I attended and those of you whom I had the pleasure of meeting on this World Tour, thank you for your willingness to share your knowledge and passion for advising and NACADA with me.
One person that I want to acknowledge is Charlie Nut tand the great job he is doing on behalf of the Association. As you may recall, Charlie was named the Executive Director of NACADA after the organization conducted an international search to replace our Executive Director Emeritus, Bobbie Flaherty, who announced last summer that she was going to begin a phased retirement. As Charlie and I have been attending the Regional Conferences, I have been able to see first-hand how effective Charlie is in helping orient our members to the Association, encouraging member involvement in the organization, and engaging members in dialogue about their needs and how NACADA might be able to help meet those needs. I think Charlie has done a great job in his initial months in the Executive Director’s seat, and I want to thank him for his loyalty and passionate commitment to making NACADA the best organization it can possibly become. Thank you, Charlie.
My year as President of NACADA is flying by and the Annual Conference in Chicago will be here before we know it. By the time you read this, the Board of Directors and the Council will have had their spring meeting in Chicago to receive updates from the various Task Forces and Subcommittees that have been appointed as well as to prioritize our work on the NACADA Strategic Plan. I anticipate that we will have a collegial and productive meeting and am looking forward to getting a sneak peek at our Conference facilities in beautiful downtown Chicago.
As the academic year winds down, don’t forget to make time to take care of you. In advising, we sometimes have a tendency to focus all of our attention on the needs of others while neglecting our own needs. To this end, I share a quote from Shale Paul in The Warrior Within, “It takes courage to demand time for yourself. At first glance, it may seem to be the ultimate in selfishness, a real slap in the face to those who love and depend on you. It's not. It means you care enough to want to see the best in yourself and give only the best to others. It is silent recognition that your obligation to them is to give your best, and nothing less.” So, continue to give others your best by taking care of you!
Jennifer L. Bloom, President National Academic Advising Association jenny.bloom@sc.edu
Cite this article using APA style as: Bloom,J. (2008, June). From the president: Regional conference recap and a reminder to make time for yourself. Academic Advising Today, 31(2). Retrieved from [insert url here]
