How did we get here and where are we headed?
- October 2014 – the NACADA Board of Directors name a Task Force to study the feasibility of establishing a research center for academic advising housed under NACADA at Kansas State University. Three subcommittees are established, and exploration done in the following areas: 1) Vision, Mission, Goals, Outcomes Development; 2) Review of other centers with similar characteristics; and 3) Structure.
- March 2015 – The Task Force submits a preliminary report to the NACADA Board: the Board approves the continuation of the work.
- October 2015 – The Task Force submits a formal recommendation to the NACADA Board for the creation of The Center for Excellence and Research in Academic Advising (CERAASS) and Student Success at NACADA/College of Education at Kansas State University. The NACADA Board approves the recommendation, and assigns Executive Director Charlie Nutt to oversee the search for a Director, who will also hold a faculty appointment within the KSU College of Education. The timeline calls for the staff to engage in information gathering and relationship building during the 2016-17 academic year, with a full opening of the Center in the fall of 2017.
- November 2015 – March 2016 – A national search is undertaken through the Kansas State University Office of Human Capital Services.
- April 2016 – Dr. Wendy Troxel is named the inaugural Director of the Center for Excellence and Research in Academic Advising (CERAASS) and Student Success
- June 2016 – Troxel begins work in the Center, and Marsha Miller, NACADA Asst. Director, is named to serve in a part-time role
- September 2016 – A group of past chairs of the NACADA Research Committee and past presidents meet in Manhattan, KS, at a “think tank” event to begin to conceptualize the relationship between the NACADA Research Committee and the Research Center, and to document the scope of projects and initiatives in the areas of professional development, research, and consultation services. A report to the NACADA Board of Directors is submitted.
- October 2016 – the report from the Think Tank event is unanimously accepted, including the development of an Advisory Group, and the recommendation to change the name to: The NACADA Center for Research at Kansas State University
- November 2016 – The Research Center Task Force, chaired by J.P. Regalado, begin work to assist the staff in the prioritization of work. Reports are presented to the NACADA Board of Directors at the mid-year meeting in March 2017, and the annual conference in October 2017
- November 2016 – August 2017 – The staff of the NACADA Center for Research gather feedback from members under an “Involvement in Research” framework both virtually and in person at the NACADA Region meetings and the NACADA International Conference, and begin to build a curriculum of professional development offerings for research skills. A new website is created to serve as a resource repository for references, reports, and data.
- Fall 2017 - The NACADA Center for Research at Kansas State University officially opens as the first global think tank dedicated to research in academic advising and student success. Construction for a physical space begins, with a Grand Opening date of March 6, 2018.