Lynn Freeman, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI

Past Involvement in NACADA:

Years in NACADA: 7 years

National Offices Held and Accomplishments Achieved While in Office:

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

• Planning committee for state conference, 2003-current
• Presenter at State and Regional conference (Region 9 & Region 5)
• Pre-Conference Workshop Planning Committee member and presenter, WACADA conference, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006

Committee/Task Force/Advisory Board Activities and Accomplishments:

• Member, Administrators' Institute Advisory Board, 2003-2005
• Member, NACADA Mission Statement Task Force Member, 2004

Commission/Interest Group Activities and Accomplishments:

• Co-Chair and Co-Founder, Peer Advising and Mentoring Interest Group, 2003-present
• Current member — Peer Advising and Mentoring Interest Group, Faculty Advising Commission, Advisor Training and Development Commission
• Reviewer for NACADA Peer Advising monograph, 2005

Other:

• Activities within University of Wisconsin System —
  • President, Senate of Academic Staff, UW Oshkosh, 2006-2007
  • Director, Academic Advising, UW Oshkosh, 2002-present
  • Serve on Academic & Career Advising Task Force
  • Chair, Sub-Committee for Advisor Training & Development
  • President, Wisconsin Women in Higher Education Leadership (WWHEL), UW Oshkosh Chapter, 2005-2006
  • Participant in assessment and advisor training workshops sponsored by UW System and facilitated by Charlie Nutt and Susan Campbell
• Attended Academic Advising Summer Institute, 2003, 2004
• Attended NACADA Administrators' Institute, 2003
• Associate Director of Advising, Stanford University, 1998-2001

Platform Statement:

• Highlight your previous involvement within this unit that will help you in leading this unit. What roles have you played within this particular unit as a member thus far?  

I relocated to Wisconsin and Region 5 in 2002. Since then, I have not been active in regional leadership of NACADA. I have attended the regional conference and presented several times. My leadership experience and involvement have been at a state (campus and system) and national level.

• 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?

The most important goal of the Region 5 Steering Committee is the professional development of its members, which includes fostering and maintaining the bridge between the region and the national organization. Every goal or initiative I can think of for the Regional Steering Committee ultimately falls under "support and development of professional and faculty advisors". For example, allocating grants, communicating national opportunities, sharing resources and information and promoting NACADA membership all fundamentally support the professional development of the academic advising profession.

Our regional conferences often have the "feel" of and seem to offer opportunities similar to the national conference. I believe this is a result of the quality of the faculty and academic advisors, and the commitment of the colleges and universities in Region 5 to academic advising and to STUDENTS. I am proud to be a member of this region.

I have not reviewed the strategic plan for Region 5, so I am not able to address this specifically, but I am eager to work with the rest of the Steering Committee in the pursuit of professional development opportunities for academic advisors across the region.

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

A colleague suggested that I would be a strong candidate for this role, and he nominated me. I believe this would be a good opportunity for me to work with NACADA in a new role and a different level. I would like to further NACADA and Region 5 goals through my participation, particularly the important work of keeping the state and region connected to the national organization, and visa versa. The strength of the state and regional organization, and its connections to the national organization, make it unique relative to other student service-oriented organizations. Our region has a strong history of involvement and innovation within NACADA and the profession of advising.

Although most of my leadership experiences within advising have been local (both in Wisconsin and in California), I would like an opportunity to expand those experiences. In my current and former leadership roles, I have convened meetings, initiated agendas, and maintained and strengthened communication across organizations and campuses. My strengths are vision and planning, working collaboratively and implementing change. I believe my leadership experiences on various campuses and my experiences with both state and national NACADA have helped me develop skills that are transferable to Region 5 members and to NACADA. I look forward to the opportunity to serve the members of Region 5. Thank you!

• Provide any additional comments or information (either personal or leadership-related) that you want potential voters to know about you that is not covered elsewhere in your platform information.