Jennifer Joslin, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Past Involvement in NACADA:

Years in NACADA: 6 years

National Offices Held and Accomplishments Achieved While in Office:

Regional Activities/Offices Held, including accomplishments achieved while in office:

• Member, Region 6 Steering Committee, 2004-present (2 years remaining) — Work with Region 6 Chair to coordinate and implement goals for the Region; create and respond to initiatives based on national and regional needs for diverse programming and participation, leadership development, and furthering NACADA involvement among members.
• Co-chair, 2006 Region 6 Regional Conference — Coordinate May 2006 regional conference for 150-200 NACADA members in five states and three provinces. Procure sponsors, select venue, choose programming, maintain a budget, work closely with national staff, and coordinate volunteer participation. Encourage the participation of diverse populations through scholarships, outreach, and programming.

Committee/Task Force/Advisory Board Activities and Accomplishments:

Commission/Interest Group Activities and Accomplishments:

• Member of LGBTA Concerns Commission Steering Committee, 2004-present — Assist commission chair with short and long-term programming as needed. Actively participate in Commission meetings. Assist with Safe Zone Project.
• Reader for 2005 Las Vegas conference, LGBTA proposals
• Volunteer for Safe Zone programming for 2006 National Conference in Indianapolis
• Current member: LGBTA Concerns Commission (2002-present), Advising Administration Commission, Faculty Advising Commission, and Advisor Training and Development Commission
• Nominated for Advisor Training and Development Commission Chair, 2004 (declined).
• Former member, Technology in Advising Commission, 2002-2004

Other:

• Presenter, NACADA National Conferences in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004,and 2005
• Presented an LGBTQA session in Dallas in 2003: "Creating an LGBTQA Worksheet for Students and Staff" (Commission-sponsored) and again in Cincinnati in 2004: "Bloom Where You're Planted".
• NACADA Journal book reviews: Interactive Learning, 2004, Issue 25(2); Mastering the Change Curve (2nd Ed.), upcoming, 2005.
• Co-author, NACADA Clearinghouse Academic Advising Resources Web Site: Folsom, Pat, Joslin, Jennifer, & Yoder, Frank. (2005). From Advisor Training to Advisor Development: Creating a Blueprint for First-Year Advisors.
• The University of Iowa activities:
  • Safe Zone Facilitator, 2004-present
  • Member, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Allied Staff and Faculty Association, 1993-present
• Emcee, Iowa City Pride Festival, 1995-present; Iowa City Pride Festival Talent Show, 1995-present
• Presenter, NACADA Region 5 & 6 Regional Conference, 2003
• Co-author (with Pat Folsom) of a chapter on training and development in Advisor Training: Exemplary Practices monograph, 2003.

Platform Statement:

• Highlight your involvement in this unit that will help you in leading this unit. What roles have you played in this unit thus far? 

I have been an active participant at yearly Commission meetings, presented LGBTQA sessions at national meetings, read LGBTA proposals for the Las Vegas conference, and am working as part of the Safe Zone group to facilitate a Safe Zone training in Indianapolis.

As chair, I want to carry on the excellent work that Randy Jedele, Casey Self, Lynne Carlson and others have begun. Our commission chairs have done a terrific job using the Commission meeting at the national conference to set our yearly agenda and improve our connection to the broader NACADA membership - I will continue to use our annual meeting in this way. Active involvement in Commission meetings at national conferences reinforces participation in NACADA and that was certainly the case for me. In 2002, Casey encouraged more presentations on LBGTQA issues and in 2003 and 2004, I proposed and presented LGBTQA-focused sessions (one session was Commission-sponsored). In 2004, a group of us began working with Lynne on bringing Safe Zone awareness and training to the national conference. I will continue that work. I enjoyed reading proposals for the 2005 conference in Las Vegas and will encourage Commission members to participate in the proposal selection process.

• What do you believe are the most important goals and initiatives for this unit in meeting the strategic plan for both the unit and the Association? 

I think our Commission has a two-fold responsibility-it is important that we are responsive to initiatives that emerge from national leadership and it is equally important that we are assertive about the issues important to us and encourage responsiveness from the Association. For example, I think the recent push by NACADA to be more purposeful in diversity programming and inclusion is a result of many voices-from the LGBTQA Commission, the Diversity Task Force, and Multicultural Concerns Commission, to name a few groups-and we should be proud of our advocacy.  In turn, we should support initiatives like the recent 'Emerging Leaders' initiative or the ongoing work to broaden NACADA membership and creatively adopt these issues and make them our own. One way to 'bring these issues home' would be to have Commission members identify an LBGTQA advising colleague at their home institution and introduce them to NACADA and encourage their participation in state, regional and national activities.

I believe we should continue to include the varied interests of our members into our programming goals. We are trainers and administrators and faculty members in addition to being part of the LGBTQA advising community. The more cross training we do (encouraging trainers to address LGBTQA issues with new staff, demonstrating long-term LGBTQA programming ideas to administrators, or addressing career planning issues that LGBTQA students face), the better we will serve the larger NACADA membership and the students we all work with.

A key component of our continued growth will be to stress our year-round communication. Over the last few years, I have been excited by the energy at our Commission meetings. This is an excellent Commission with a talented membership and I believe we can improve our use of our list-serv and web site to maximize our networking. Why not 'borrow' (with their permission) the Advisor Training and Development Commission's idea of "Ask an Advisor" to provide year-round problem-solving to colleagues facing difficult situations with students or colleagues? And it would be great to have members contribute a "Best Practices" idea to the Commission web site. We could use this format to address the advising and programming needs of small and large schools on friendly and hostile campuses. These are just two examples of how we could bring the energy and volunteerism that marks our national meetings into regular practice to continue our growth as a Commission.

• Why are you interested in serving in this leadership position or what influenced you to run for this leadership position? 

I am excited by the opportunity to explore new initiatives with the very talented members of this Commission. I believe we can build on the energy of the past few years to reach out to one other and the larger NACADA membership. We have had wonderful leadership over the years and I would feel fortunate to continue that tradition!

I am also interested in increasing my involvement in NACADA. I have enjoyed the different experiences I have had these past few years-presenting, writing, and now as a Regional Conference Co-Chair-and I would enjoy a long-term commitment to the growth of this Commission. I believe we can work constructively with NACADA's national leadership to increase our visibility and our voice within NACADA. I believe we can continue the initiatives we have begun-encouraging presentations at local, regional, and national conferences, supporting research and writing for NACADA publications, offering a Safe Zone experience in Indianapolis-and adopt new programming ideas such as using our electronic resources to improve our year-round networking.

• Provide any additional comments or information regarding your past experiences and qualifications that relate to your candidacy for this leadership position.  

As the Training and Staff Development director in our office, I have a great deal of experience working together with colleagues to implement creative and useful programming for over 40 staff members, advisors, and administrators. The key to good programming? Don't lose sight of your mission. At Iowa, advisors teach classes and collaborate with Admissions but the most important thing we do is help students, day in and day out. It's important to have that same approach when thinking about long-term issues for our Commission-improving our communication and increasing our programming should always be done with an eye toward our central goals of educating NACADA members, creating a supportive environment for the exchange of ideas, and allowing for the safe and effective networking of LGBTQA advising professionals.  When we meet those goals, we truly serve our membership and ultimately, make a real difference in student's lives.