Executive Director Flaherty Announces Phased Retirement -
Charlie Nutt Named Interim Executive Director

Bobbie Flaherty, NACADA’s Executive Director for 17 years, has announced that she will begin “phased retirement” beginning August 1, 2007. Flaherty will continue in the Executive Office on a half-time appointment focusing on the transition of her responsibilities and training of staff. She will also continue work on developing projects related to the NCAA partnership and international opportunities for the association.

Charlie Nutt, Associate Director, will serve as Interim Executive Director while an international search is conducted for the next Executive Director. The NACADA Board of Directors is working with Dean Michael Holen at Kansas State University, where the Executive Office is administered, on the search for the next Executive Director. Information on the search can be found on the NACADA Website.

You won't want to miss this incredible chance to connect with other advising professionals, improve your advising skills and see the latest array of advising-related products and services available today! Join us at the NACADA Annual Conference in Baltimore October 18-21. Check out the city’s official website www.baltimore.org for extensive information on the many harbor and area attractions.

You recently received the Registration Brochure in the mail (also available online). Read about highlights of the official events, discounted airline and car rental fees, optional tours (daytime and evening), and optional pre-conference workshops.

Back by popular demand--the Interactive Schedule Planner has been a big hit for the past two years. Use it before you arrive at the conference to identify individual sessions you want to attend.

Most official hotels still have availability. All hotels are within three blocks of the Convention Center. Make your reservation online.

Are you looking for a roommate to defray hotel costs? You can sign up or look for one here. Individuals contact each other directly; NACADA simply maintains the list.

A good way to get involved and meet new people is to VOLUNTEER for a couple of hours at the conference. Sign up by emailing Bethany Spore or Paula Ashby.

Also, meetings of the Association’s various governance units that take place during the Conference provide a myriad of opportunities for you to get involved and contribute to your Association! Check your Conference Schedule and plan ahead to participate!

Conference presentations are sorted in the Registration Brochure by 40 advising “tracks” or topics, so you can find presentations relating to your advising interests.

A few titles:

•  I Really Don't Want To Be Here, But Here I am"...Making the Best of a Second-Choice Situation

•  Breaking Bad News to Students: Delivery is Key

•  Beginning the Journey: Your First Year as an Academic Advisor

•  Bridging the Transfer Gap: A Success Story for the Community College Students

MASTER of SCIENCE in ACADEMIC ADVISING

Kansas State University anticipates offering a Master of Science in Academic Advising degree program available on-line soon. The degree program will compliment the existing Graduate Certificate Program developed in cooperation with NACADA in 2004.

In addition to the 15 semester credit hours comprising the Certificate program, the M.S. degree will require another 15 hours and a graduate portfolio capstone project. The program also will provide for an elective to focus on advising administration in general or on advising administration within intercollegiate athletics. All courses will be available via the Internet and are self-paced within a semester.

For more information regarding this exciting announcement, visit the NACADA Website.

 NACADA will host three Professional Development opportunities in San Diego, February 2008! 

The meetings will begin with an excellent seminar titled Advising by Design: Planning for the Future of Academic Advising on Your Campus, February 14-15. Next, the 6th Annual Academic Advising Administrators' Institute, February 17-19, followed by the 4th Annual Assessment of Academic Advising Institute, February 20-22.

All three events will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel-Mission Valley. Watch the NACADA Website and your mail for more information! Find links to all three events under the events menu here.

Plan now to bring NACADA 2007-08 Professional Development opportunities to your campus!  Participants in our 2006-07 Webinar Series found the information rejuvenating, the format convenient, and the cost easily within their limited budgets.  They have reported a variety of new ideas produced and initiatives implemented as the result of their participation. (Click here to read some of their responses.)

Register for the entire 2007-08 series and receive a discount and CDs of each FREE (a $1,375 value)!

The first season was so successful that there will be twice as many offerings in the 2007-08 Webinar Series - beginning on:

September 12, 2007 with Academic Advising's Integral Role in the Academic Success and Persistence of Students  Presenters for our first broadcast are current NACADA President Susan Campbell and NACADA Interim Executive Director Charlie Nutt.

Additional dates and topics are:

• October 5, 2007 - Legal Issues in Academic Advising
• November 6, 2007 - College Student Mental Health: Information and Suggestions for Academic Advising
• December 12, 2007 - On the Horizon: The Future of Academic Advising and Technology
• January 15, 2008 - Academic Advising and Support in Residential Learning Communities
• February 7, 2008 - Shared Responsibilities: What Advisors and Administrators Need to Know to Better Assist GLBTQA Students
• February 29, 2008 - Advisors Help Students SOAR to Academic Success: Selection, Organization, Association, and Regulation Learning Strategies are the Keys
• March 25, 2008 - Swirling to a Degree: The Ups and Downs of College Transfer
• April 17, 2008 - Ensuring Advisor Success: Mastering the Art of Advising through the First Year of Advising and Beyond 
• May 13, 2008 - Making Career Advising Integral to Academic Advising
• June 11, 2008 - A New Form of Diversity: Advising Student-Athletes on a College Campus

To learn more about individual events, click here. 

The Webinar format is especially useful for stimulating dialogue between faculty advisors, full-time advisors and advising administrators at the unit, department or campus-wide level. All you need is a meeting room with an Internet-connected computer and projection capability.  Participants from previous events recommend that you also consider designating a facilitator and planning time for discussion before and after the webcast.  Handouts and discussion ideas will be provided by each of our Event Presenters.

Participation is limited by our Service Provider to the first 200 registrants, so don't delay! Click here to find out how you can save $10 on each registration AND receive the entire set of 11 CD recordings of the webcasts, including the Question & Answer segments (a $1,375 value) FREE - and REGISTER TODAY!

Information is now available on the 2008 NACADA Leadership elections, including a list of positions to be elected, leadership position overviews, eligibility criteria, general election information, and an online nomination form. Election information and printed nomination forms will also be available in the NACADA booth in the Exhibits area at the Annual Conference in Baltimore and in the back of the printed Conference program. Nomination forms can be submitted either online, at the Conference, or by fax or mail. All nominations will be due to the Executive Office by Friday, November 2, 2007.

More information can be found here regarding the NACADA Leadership positions. If you have any questions, or would like to inquire as to your eligibility for a particular position or the eligibility of a colleague whom you wish to nominate for a position, please contact the NACADA Executive Office at (785) 532-5717 or e-mail us.

Your participation in the nomination process for these leadership positions is encouraged!

Would you like to propose a topic for the 2008-09 Webinar Series?  The Webinar Advisory Board would like to hear what topics YOU would like to see presented in this format - and, they would also like you to see what considerations they will be addressing in choosing their topic list.

Click here to review their rubric and submit your ideas. Submissions will be accepted until October 1.

The September edition of NACADA's quarterly e-Publication, Academic Advising Today, is currently with the publisher. Articles you can look forward to reading include:

• "Providing Support to Service Members and Veterans through Advising Services" by Nicole Lovald (Capella University)

• "The 'Who, What, When, How, and Why' of a Program Review" by Advising Administration Commission Chair Cindy Iten and Adrienne McMahan (University of Kentucky)
• "Practical Ways We Can Assist First Generation Students" by Lorneth Peters (Austin Peay State University)
• *Sparklers* from University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business, Florida State University's Advising First Center for Exploratory Students, and Auburn University's College of Human Sciences

Find a PREVIEW of Sarah May Clarkson's (Juniata College) article, "The Role of Silence in Academic Advising," on our Audio Downloads page!

We are currently accepting article and *Sparkler* submissions for possible publication in the December edition (submission deadline September 1). If you are interested in sharing your thoughts with your colleagues in this format, check out the Guidelines today!

Featured this month in the Clearinghouse: Our non-advising friends may talk about March “coming in like a lamb” and “going out like a lion,” but in the advising world this old adage applies to August!

Now -- before it gets too crazy -- is the time to re-connect with campus referral resources. This month the Clearinghouse features a Jack Roundy NACADA Classic --Tips on Making Effective Referrals in Academic Advising -- along with Referral Resources that will help you and your students connect with services that can make a real difference!

The first issue for 2007 of the NACADA Journal is in the mail!  Contact nacada@ksu.edu if you have not received your member copy by August 10.

Looking for something to read until the Journal reaches your doorstep? Consider reviewing a book for the NACADA Journal. Several new titles are available through the Book Review Website. Publishers donate review copies of recently published books to NACADA so that members can be aware of new literature in the field. Members are encouraged to read recently published reviews and patronize the publishers who donate review copies.

Reviewers must be current NACADA members and are limited to one review per year. Books requested now count for the 2007-08 member year. Reviewers have three months from the receipt of the book to read and write the review. The book becomes the property of the reviewer upon acceptance of the review for publication.

The NACADA Research Committee announces a Request For Proposals (RFP) for NACADA grants that support advising research. Grants up to $5,000 are available to support a single-year proposal. Practicing professionals (administrators and faculty), as well as graduate students seeking support for dissertation research, are eligible.

The Research Committee has two deadlines for 2008 funding proposals: November 1, 2007 and March 15, 2008. Click here for information regarding research grants.

Renewal notices have been sent to those with a membership expiration date of September 1. Please make any necessary changes to the renewal form and return it with payment to the executive office. Your membership is important to NACADA's continued success in promoting the field of academic advising and it provides discounts for NACADA events and resources. We appreciate your support!

The Idealist.org graduate fairs are held around the country every year and are organized for students and working professionals interested in graduate studies in a number of fields, all focused on making the world a better place. The graduate school fairs usually have dozens of exhibiting graduate institutions from many disciplines. Registration is FREE to interested students and working professionals. For a list of the 20+ graduate fairs to be held this fall, please visit this Website. Feel free to share this information with your colleagues as well as the students you advise.