Rhonda Sprague, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI

Past Involvement in NACADA:

Years in NACADA: 4 years

National Offices Held and Accomplishments Achieved While in Office:

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

Committee/Task Force/Advisory Board Activities and Accomplishments:

Commission/Interest Group Activities and Accomplishments:

• Member, Faculty Advisors Commission Steering Committee, 2004-current
• Current member: Faculty Advising Commission, Advisor Training and Development Commission
• Current member: Theory and Philosophy of Advising Interest Group
• Former national conference proposal reader for Faculty Advising Commission

Other:

• University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point activities:
  • Currently serve as Academic Advising Coordinator for the Division of Communication at UWSP
  • Member of UWSP's Council of Advisors from Spring 2003 - Spring 2005
• Active member, Wisconsin Academic Advising Association (WACADA) since 2003
• Presented at two NACADA conferences and one WACADA conference; presentation sponsored by both the Faculty Advisors Commission and the Assessment of Advising Commission at the 2004 Conference in Cincinnati.

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 joined the Faculty Advising Commission when I first became a member of NACADA in 2002. Since that time, I have attended two national conferences (Salt Lake City and Cincinnati), both of which found me presenting papers about Faculty Advising issues. I was involved in a round-table discussion about the Commission in Cincinnati, where I also accepted a position on the Commission Steering Committee. The steering committee served as the primary force behind the change in name from the Faculty Advisors Commission to the Faculty Advising Commission.

• 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? 

While in Cincinnati, I gave a good deal of thought to how to best address the five missions proposed by NACADA. Using those as a starting point, I offered the following specific goals for the Faculty Advising Commission:

• Mission 1 Goal: To increase rewards/recognition for those who provide exemplary faculty advising or who supervise the coordination of faculty advising.
• Mission 2 Goal: To provide funding opportunities for members interested in conducting and presenting research related to faculty advising.
• Mission 3 Goal: To increase familiarity with the developmental role played by faculty advisors, particularly the skills they can help students recognize and develop.
• Mission 4 Goal: To reinforce the importance of effective training for faculty advisors and those who supervise them.
• Mission 5 Goal: To increase the number of faculty advisors involved in NACADA (and in the Faculty Advising Commission) by 10% during the next 5 years.

I believe these should be the top priority for the FAC in coming years.

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

As an actual faculty advisor, whose job responsibilities include a .25 appointment as the department advisor for over 400 students, I see first-hand how important it is for students to receive good advice during college. At UWSP, most of that advising comes from faculty members, most of whom do a good job. When I attended my first NACADA conference, I was at a panel related to faculty advising and the question, "Why do faculty members not like to advise?" came up. I perceived that to be a loaded question , since to answer the question meant to legitimize the belief that faculty members do not like to advise students. The whole tone of the presentation suggested a huge chasm between so-called "Professional" and "Faculty" advisors, with Faculty advisors (arguably the ones who do the most advising across the country) in a very secondary position. As Chair of the Faculty Advising Commission, I would work toward recognizing the similarities between full- and part-time advisors, not the differences.

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

I do have experience chairing university committees of various sizes.