Roberta 'Bobbie' Flaherty, NACADA Executive Director
What a conference! Thanks to the many volunteers who worked so hard to deliver an outstanding professional experience for conference participants. The conference evaluations indicate that the sessions were top-notch, the facilities were first-class, the city was exciting, and the overall conference experience was much appreciated!
In addition to the conference, many association meetings were held in Salt Lake City, including the inaugural meetings of the NACADA Council and new Board of Directors immediately following the conference. Along with the other leadership entities (Divisions - Commissions, Regions, and Committees), the operational details, roles and responsibilities will evolve as issues arise. However, we owe a deep debt of gratitude to the original Organizational Restructuring Task Force and the Implementation Task Force members for their vision and diligent work that propelled us to this new level of operation as a growing and vital organization.
The leaders of the three operational Divisions have already begun to work on new initiatives and have defined their respective governing structures to involve more volunteers. I encourage you to check out the new governance structure on the NACADA website or in this newsletter, and to contact the leaders of areas in which you would like to get involved. The new structure limits terms in office and highly encourages the involvement of new volunteers so that the organization can benefit from new ideas and continually revolving leadership, so we need you.
The Board of Directors will be reviewing the Strategic Plan, the Council will be reviewing the proposals from the Divisions, and the Divisions will be recommending strategies for meeting the needs of the members. An overarching role rests with the Professional Development Committee as they strive to put together a comprehensive professional development plan for the association that identifies the professional development needs of our various audiences and makes recommendations on what we might develop to meet those needs. In cooperation with the Task Force on Certification/Professional Recognition, they will soon be asking for your feedback on a set of advising 'competencies' for each 'audience' toward which we would direct our professional development offerings. Your input is vital. Please respond when asked. It is hoped that NACADA offerings addressing these competencies will then provide an opportunity for recognition of participation, and later an assessment of competencies gained for additional recognition.
The new Advising Administrators' Institute is the first development resulting from the initial meeting of the Professional Development Task Force earlier this year and the Faculty Advising Commission is preparing a workshop for faculty advisors to be delivered in 2003 as well. The Advising Administrators' Institute filled and in response to this demand, a second Institute has been planned for Feb. 15Ð17 in San Antonio. The Academic Advising Summer Institute closed two months prior this past summer, so we will be offering two Academic Advising Summer Institutes in 2003 (one in San Diego and one near Chicago) in an attempt to meet that growing demand. In addition, five regional conferences will be piloting Administrators Pre-conference Workshops this spring.
So, as you can see, the excitement from the national conference continues as NACADA grows to meet the needs of those in the advising field who are so critical to institutional vitality and student success!
Roberta 'Bobbie' Flaherty NACADA Executive Director 785-532-5717 [email protected]
Academic Advising: A Comprehensive Handbook Edited by: Virginia Gordon and Wes Habley
This 452 page comprehensive guide to academic advising examines the advising issues facing colleges and universities today. Thirty-four contributing authors examine the issues and make recommendations that will impact the effectiveness of advising and retention on your campus. Administrators and faculty will find the handbook invaluable as they strive to enhance advising on campus, and professors will appreciate its comprehensive examination of the issues as a text for graduate classes in higher education administration, student personnel administration, counseling, and related areas.
Also available at www.nacada.ksu.edu are
Cite this article using APA style as: Flaherty, R. (2002, December). From the executive office. Academic Advising Today, 25(4). [insert url here]
