The Diversity Committee has developed the NACADA Emerging Leaders Program to encourage members from diverse groups to get involved in leadership opportunities within the organization, outfit participants with the skills and tools necessary to pursue elected and appointed leadership positions, to increase the number of leaders from diverse groups and to encourage and assist members of underrepresented populations to attend state, regional or annual conferences.

Diversity, as defined by the NACADA Board of Directors, includes ethnicity, gender, gender identity and sexual orientation as well as diversity in regard to institutional type, institutional size and employment position. Involvement in the Association also is viewed broadly including leadership at many levels (within the division units, at the division level, at the Council level, at the Board of Directors level and with the various work groups, ad hoc committees, Advisory Boards and task forces); serving on the Consultants' Bureau; writing for the NACADA Journal, Academic Advising Today and the NACADA Clearinghouse of Advising Resources; or presenting at state, allied member, regional and annual conferences.

Annually, 10 Emerging Leaders and 10 Mentors will be selected for the two-year program in which the leaders and mentors will work closely on connecting the participants to the areas of the Association in which they are interested and in developing a plan for continued involvement and growth in the Association. Leaders selected will receive $1,500 for the first year of the program to assist them with travel to state, regional and annual conferences. In addition to these leaders, the 10 NACADA regions will invest at least $1,000 annually toward supporting Emerging Leaders in the regions. More information on the region focus will be forthcoming.

Applications from both Emerging Leaders and Mentors are due May 14, 2007.

Expanding Your Comfort Zone: Strategies for Developing and Demonstrating

Cultural Competence in Academic Advising

Don't miss this live Webinar Event, which will be broadcast over the Internet on Tuesday, June 12, 2007.

As noted by Grewe (June 2007, Academic Advising Today), "Recent statistical trends project that ethnic minorities will become a numerical majority in the United States by the year 2010. The impact of this growth is pervasive and is evident in the current generation of students who are starting to matriculate through collegiate programs, as they are the most racially and ethnically diverse in this nation’s history. For those involved with student development at the postsecondary level, this indicates a need to adapt current policies and practices to better meet the unique needs of our students. As academic advisors who are charged with facilitating students toward the development of their total potential, this means the development of new skills and strategies in order to provide more effective advising services."

Third Annual

Effectively Engaging Faculty in Academic Advising Seminar

Burlington, Vermont

June 21-22, 2007

Faculty members have an essential and vital role in the academic advising experiences of students on most campuses. Eighty per cent of four-year public and private institutions and 50% of public two-year institutions utilize models which rely on faculty involvement in academic advising.

New this year: At the end of this two day seminar, a "Best Practices" segment will help bring together proven ideas for use on campus.  Sessions will provide faculty with skills for effective advising as well as hands-on strategies and material that faculty and administrators who work with faculty advisors can take back to their campuses to share with other faculty advisors.

• Institutional advising mission statements and expected learning outcomes
• Content of an advising curriculum
• Ways to meet faculty advising needs
• Rewards and recognitions for faculty advising
• Support services referrals
• Identification of what information and to whom information can be shared
• Identification and assessment of the "core" qualities of effective faculty advisors
• Various assessment techniques

Join us to help advising on your campus be effective in helping students prepare for success. Reserve your hotel room now - the block may fill well before the the June 1 deadline. Click here to learn more and to register now!

Burlington, Vermont, June 24-29 and Salt Lake City, Utah, July 29-Aug. 3 will be the 2007 sites of the intensive, week-long Institutes which are centered around the goal of exploring all aspects of academic advising and then developing practical, individualized Action Plans for enhancement of academic advising on your campuses. Participants in the Burlington Institute will want to consider attending the Effectively Engaging Faculty Seminar immediately preceding the Institute.

Here are just a few of the many topics to be covered: Advising and Retention, Advising as Teaching, Delivery/Organization of Advising, Ethical Considerations, Faculty Advising, Advising Undecided Students, Tools for Assessment, Advising At-Risk Students, Advisor Training & Evaluation, Legal Issues for Advising, Advising First-Year Students, Advising Administration and Advising Students in Distress.

These Institutes are designed for:

• Teams or individuals from an institution desiring to enhance campus advising services.
• Academic advising campus task force members.
• Advising program directors.
• Campus administrators, including deans or vice presidents with responsibility for advising.

To review special benefits to your program and the schedule of topics, and to register for an Institute, see the Summer Institute Webpage.

The 2007 NACADA Awards Program Selection Committee is pleased to announce that the following members have been awarded Wesley R. Habley Summer Institute Scholarships for this year's Academic Advising Summer Institutes:

Amber N. Hughes (University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Ind.)

Debbie Marlow (University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.)

Steven Viveiros (Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, Mass.)

Steven will attend the Burlington Institute in June, and Amber and Debbie will attend the Salt Lake City session in July/August.

The Wesley R. Habley Summer Institute Scholarships are presented as a professional development experience to selected NACADA members who demonstrate involvement in national, regional, state and/or local advising organizations and exhibit the potential for national leadership roles. The scholarship waives the registration fee to the Academic Advising Summer Institute. To learn more about the scholarship program and begin thinking about putting together your application packet for next year, visit this Awards Program Webpage. Applications are due May 1 for the Salt Lake City Institute (the deadline for Burlington has passed).

There is still time to register for 2007 Regional Conferences! Three great programs and great places to be in May whether you are from one of these regions or not!

Region 10 Rocky Mountain - It Takes a Village to Support Student Success! May 14-16 in Mesa, Ariz.

Region 3 Mid-South - Reaching New Heights in Academic Advising! May 20-22 in Asheville, N.C.

Region 6 North Central - Great Adventures in Advising! May 31-June 1 in Duluth, Minn.

Region Conference attendance in 2007 has far surpassed any previous year and we're not finished yet!  Join the over 2,600 people who have enjoyed a regional conference so far by coming to one of the May conferences listed above!

ATTENTION NACADA Leaders - The Emerging Leaders Program success is dependent on having quality mentors to work with our Emerging Leaders. Please consider applying to serve in this exciting capacity with our future leaders or nominate a NACADA leader or member you feel would be an example mentor to the program. Applications are available. Send any nominations you may have for mentors to Charlie Nutt at cnutt@ksu.edu.

At our Annual Conference in Baltimore, NACADA will recognize the service and dedication that Retirees have contributed to the field of advising. Retiree recognition forms are available on our Website. If you know an advising colleague who retired during the past academic year or has plans to retire during the upcoming academic year, please complete the recognition form and submit it to the NACADA Executive Office by June 4.

Watch your email boxes for the June edition of Academic Advising Today - coming soon! Featured articles include:

• "From Myopia to Systemic Thinking" by Patrick Terenzini (Pennsylvania State University) - Patrick will also be our Annual Conference keynote speaker in Baltimore!

• "The Student You’ve Met But May Not Know" by Jeffrey Herman (Lehigh Carbon Community College) - Also available as a podcast.

• "Sexual Minority Students: An Academic Advisor’s Thoughts" by Kathy J. McCleaf (Mary Baldwin College) - Also available as a podcast.

• "Taking Advising to the Classroom: Maximum Results in Minimal Time" by Kathy Shearer (University of Central Missouri)

• "Let Them Snooze and You Lose: An Argument for Active Training Methods" by Amy Marie Aufdembrink (Missouri State University)

We are currently accepting article and *Sparkler* submissions for the September edition (submission deadline is June 15). 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:

• Instant Messaging   
  • Want to better connect with students? “Instant Messaging: Powerful Flexibility and Presence” by Wes Lipshultz and Terry Musser (Pennsylvania State University) can help you explore the issues surrounding this popular way to connect with today’s students.
• Advisor Training 
  • Jeffrey McClellan (Utah Valley State College) has authored the article “Content Components of Advisor Training: Revisited” that can help you delineate the content components essential to effective advisor training and development.
  • Are you a new advisor? Are you working with new academic advisors? Then The New Advisor Guidebook: Mastering the Art of Academic Advising Through the First Year & Beyond, edited by Pat Folsom (The University of Iowa), is for you! Article discussing how to use this monograph with podcast.

NACADA Journal: The Spring 2007 issue of the NACADA Journal is scheduled to go on the press later this month for June delivery. Can’t wait for the spring issue? Check out the book reviews that will be featured in the issue. Here NACADA members critique recent publications applicable to the field of academic advising.

Looking forward to a little downtime after the spring term is over? Consider reviewing a book for the NACADA Journal. Find available titles posted on the Book Review Website. Reviewers must be current NACADA members; books requested now count for the 06-07 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 New Advisor Guidebook: Mastering the Art of Advising Through the First Year and Beyond is now available from the NACADA Executive office.

Editor Pat Folsom and 30 academic advising professional offer insightful contributions to help students grow and make the most out of their college experiences. A professional growth chart helps new professionals not just survive, but thrive, during their first year and beyond. Exemplary Practices from across the country highlight what colleges and universities can do to help new advisors succeed. “Voices from the Field” commentaries in each chapter offer reflections from new and experienced advisors on what it takes to move from new hire to successful advising professional.

Order your copy today!

Member Price: $35
Nonmember Price: $50
Order #: M16

Order your copy here.

Academic Advising:  New Insights for Teaching & Learning in the First Year

A joint publication of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), this new monograph challenges readers to embrace the tremendous potential that academic advising has for educating today’s college students and adds significantly to the engaging dialogue on advising as teaching. Chapter authors explore the advising as teaching and learning paradigm, examine current student demographics, and address learning patterns, self-assessment, and technology as key components of advising. Chapters also explore academic advising before enrollment and beyond the advising office, as well as the critical issue of advising assessment. The needs of diverse populations of first-year students are also addressed. Mary Stuart Hunter, Betsy McCalla-Wriggins, and Eric R. White are the editors of this monograph. 

Member Price: $35

Nonmember Price: $40

Order #: M14

Order your copy here.

Now available on the NACADA Website…podcasts! Download audio podcasts of timely articles from the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources and Academic Advising Today. New podcasts include:

• Mental Health Issues and the College Student: What an advisor can do.
• The Student You’ve Met But May Not Know: What an advisor should know.
• The New Advisor Guidebook. Information from Pat Folsom, the monograph’s Editor, on how to use this new NACADA publication.
• Instant Messaging: Powerful Flexibility and Presence
• Content Components of Advisor Training: Revisited

Find out more at www.nacada.ksu.edu. Watch for the symbol.

Are you ready to get started in the award-winning Kansas State University / NACADA online Graduate Certificate Program in Academic Advising? The Program, which is a collaborative effort between NACADA and the K-State Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, received the Association for Continuing Higher Education's 2006 Exceptional Program Award for Region 8. Students in the program gain knowledge of advising and advising-related areas such as student development theory, counseling skill development and career development.

Students enrolling in the Program must be admitted to the K-State Graduate School. You can find out how to begin the application process here. Students desiring to take one or two courses only may be enrolled as a "special student" and transfer the credits to another institution.

Admitted students can enroll now for summer online courses:

• EDCEP 835 Foundations of Academic Advising
• EDCEP 863 Trends in Career Development

The following are fall online courses:

• EDCEP 851 Multicultural Advising
• EDCEP 838 The College Student and the College Environment
• EDCEP 829 Learning Principles

For more information visit this Webpage.

Husband and wife academic advisors, Jim Payne and Debbie Hands, have shared a bit of humor to brighten your advising day! Jim sent this photo to the NACADA Executive Office with the following note:

“I’ve been an academic advisor and Licensed Mental Health Counselor for 15 years at the NMSU-Alamogordo and now at NMSU-Dona Ana Community College in Las Cruces, NM.  My wife, Debbie Hands, just retired after 32 years as Associate Advising Coordinator at NMSU.  Deb was one of my mentors LONG before we were smitten by Cupid's arrow!”

“I am also a Divemaster and taught Deb to dive in our pool. We had this madcap idea about something we always kid about when a student says ‘I need 12 hours on Monday and Wednesday between 3:00 and 5:00, but nothing hard.’  Hence, the creation of something we all joke about but have never REALLY seen in a course catalog: Underwater Basket Weaving."

“I took this photograph of Deb while practicing her scuba and basket weaving skills. We have both been to many NACADA meetings and thought advisors might have fun with this. We did Photoshop it a bit and added the Sea of Cortez Angelfish to the pool. Otherwise it is a genuine photograph. I thought I would offer it to NACADA to bring a laugh to our fellow advisors (who often need a laugh).”

Thanks, Jim and Debbie, for adding a bit of levity to the academic advising world (and undersea world!).