Taking Advising to New Heights

2008 Annual Conference: Chicago, October 1- 4

February 11 is the deadline to submit your Presentation Proposal. Click to fill out the submission form. We encourage you to submit a proposal, whether you are a novice or experienced presenter.  Advisors, administrators, faculty, counselors, career development specialists, researchers, graduate students--we want to hear from you.

Why should you be a presenter?

• Gain national exposure for your ideas, as well as your institution.
• May help secure funding to attend the Conference.
• You can also establish relationships with, and learn from, colleagues working on similar issues.
• Presenting is a great two-way communication of shared ideas and practices.

Advisors Help Students SOAR to Academic Success:

Selection, Organization, Association, and Regulation Learning Strategies are the Keys

Webinar - Friday, February 29, 2008

Ken Kiewra, professor of educational psychology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, contends that most students have not been taught how to learn. Instructors have taught them subject matter but not how to learn such content. Consequently, students are grounded by ineffective learning strategies like sketchy note taking, outlining, and rehearsal.

Are you planning to submit an award nomination, but just haven't done so yet?  The deadline for submitting nominations for the NACADA 2008 Awards Program is Monday, March 3. All nomination materials must be received by the deadline, including the appropriate number of support documents.  Please carefully review all applicable information before submitting your final nomination materials. The 2008 NACADA Awards Call for Nominations, including nomination/application criteria, deadlines and forms, is available online.

All information and forms can be accessed on the NACADA Annual Awards Program website. Refer to the website for more detailed information about all award categories and applicable eligibility criteria and submission procedures.

Would you like to recognize a colleague who does an exemplary job with academic advising on your campus?  Does your campus have an outstanding advising program currently being implemented? Take an opportunity to review our Campus Advising Awards page online, and complete our online submission form to recognize your colleague(s) for their outstanding contributions to the field of academic advising.

Exercise your right to vote as a NACADA member! Be sure to vote in the 2008 NACADA Leadership elections. Voting will begin at 9 a.m. (CST) on Friday, Feb. 1, and will end at 9 a.m. (CST) on Friday, Feb. 22. Election and voting information, including the complete slate of candidates, their platform statements, and online voting procedures, is available on the NACADA website. The candidate's photo is also displayed on this platform page.

All voting must be done online - no printed ballots will be mailed for this election. Login and password information will be sent to NACADA members just prior to the activation of the online voting system on the morning of February 1. If you do not receive an e-mail or letter from NACADA with your personal login and password for this election, please contact Julia Wolf at the Executive Office or call (785) 532-5717. 

The final slate of candidates for the 2008 NACADA Leadership elections is available on the NACADA website. Each candidate's platform statement is linked to her/his name on this list for your review prior to the elections. Additional details on the 2008 elections and online voting procedures are available on the election webpage and will also be sent directly to members in early February.

Additional election information is also available on the NACADA website, including answers to the following questions:

• How is voting done for the NACADA elections?
• Where can members read about the qualifications of the candidates?
• Where can members read about the roles and responsibilities of the leadership positions being elected?
• Who votes for the various positions being elected?
• Why are the elections held in February?

NOTE: Only individuals whose NACADA membership is current and PAID IN FULL as of January 25, 2008, will receive voting information and be eligible to vote in the 2008 elections.

Region Conference Chairs and their committees are busy planning the details for the 10 regional conferences which will be held next spring! Your region conference is a great place to get involved -- as a presenter, a volunteer, a committee member or to come and network! 

Each year, a "Best of Region" presentation is selected for each Region Conference . Those chosen will receive financial assistance to attend and present their session at the 2008 Annual Conference in Chicago!

Swirling to a Degree: The Ups and Downs of College Transfer

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

A Live Internet-broadcast Webinar Event

The days of single college attendance are waning. Current trends in higher education indicate that today’s college students no longer feel a need or obligation to attend one college from beginning to end, but rather find opportunity and excitement in “customizing” an educational plan with courses from multiple institutions of higher education. This new multi-institutional enrollment pattern has attracted a variety of names: “swirling”, “double dipping”, “mix and match”, “campus hopping” and many more. Multi-college attendance can range from a single transfer from one institution to another to multiple transfers to simultaneous enrollment. Cost, convenience and technology are among the many reasons students give for “swirling”, but research shows that with opportunity comes challenge. Can “swirling” result in a comprehensive and coherent education? This Kansas State University College of Education / NACADA-sponsored Webinar presentation will explore the many issues that surround “swirling” and suggest ways in which two and four year colleges can partner to provide strong transfer advising.

Registration deadline is March 14, but participation is limited by our Service Provider, so don't miss your chance - Learn More and Register Today!

Mastering the art of advising is a developmental journey.  Advisors develop excellence experientially.  As they work with students over time, they gradually synthesize their conceptual, informational and relational skills.  An ongoing question for academic advisors and advising administrators is where can we find and how can we utilize existing resources to assist advisors in the process of developing their knowledge and skills?

On April 17, Pat Folsom and Jennifer Joslin (University of Iowa) will offer some answers to this question in the online Internet broadcast, Ensuring Advisor Success: Mastering the Art of Advising through the First Year of Advising and Beyond. This Webinar is for new advisors at the beginning of this journey, as well as the people responsible for the training and development these advisors will need along the way. Pat and Jennifer will focus on managing the first year of new advisor development, whether that development is self-managed or provided through a formal advisor development program. Visit http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Webinars/W14.htm  to learn more about this event and register today.

Planning is also underway for a follow-up Webinar, which will take place in August and will highlight creative usage of existing advisor training/development materials by NACADA members.  YOUR INPUT is invited!   Have you and your colleagues initiated programs or developed creative ways of using existing resources? 

• Are you hosting/facilitating discussion sessions, brown bag lunches, or other campus get-togethers surrounding NACADA Webinar broadcasts?
• Are you drawing from NACADA resources such as monographs, CDs, Academic Advising Today, and/or the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources to develop advisor inservice-training, workshops, discussion groups or other on-campus opportunities for advisor development?
• Are there additional resources that you would like to share with your colleagues in the field?

Now is the time to be recognized! Member ideas and innovative uses of NACADA and other resources will be explored in this summer Webinar.  Contact Leigh Cunningham or Marsha Miller and tell us your story today!  Submission deadline is April 15.

PLAN NOW for these upcoming Internet Broadcasts:

May 13, 2008 - Making Career Advising Integral to Academic Advising

Presenters: Ken Hughey (Kansas State University) and Joanne Damminger (Rowan University)

Registration deadline is May 2.

Learn More

June 11, 2008 - A New Form of Diversity: Advising Student-Athletes on a College Campus

Presenter: Adrienne Leslie-Toogood (Canadian Sport Center Manitoba)

Registration deadline is June 2.

Learn More

Coming soon! - Watch for the March issue of NACADA's quarterly e-Publication, Academic Advising Today. In this upcoming edition, we will feature:

• Nurtured Advising: An Essential Approach to Advising Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities by Iana L. Williams, Patrice W. Glenn and Felecia Wider (Edward Waters College)

• The Concept of Advising: From Theory to Practice – The United Kingdom Context by Paula Hixenbaugh (University of Westminster)

• Defeating Dr. No: How Advisors Can Be Positive Change Agents by Janet R. Jensen and Andrea Campbell (Wichita State University)

• Challenges in Advising ESL Students with Learning Disabilities by Aura Rios Erickson (Shoreline Community College)

We are currently accepting article and "Sparkler" submissions for the June edition (submission deadline is March 15). If you are interested in sharing your thoughts with your colleagues in this format, check out the Guidelines today!

Featured this month in the Clearinghouse:

• College and university Academic Advising podcasts
• What can full-time advisors do now that "The Crunch Is Over?" Find suggestions that will not only improve services to students but will help make advisors' work easier! 
• Is your institution thinking about restructuring academic advising? Feel overwhelmed?  Check out the numerous NACADA resources that can help with the process.
  • Factors to Consider When Restructuring Academic Advising
  • Academic Advising Delivery Models
  • Academic Advising Summer Institutes

Looking forward to a little downtime after drop/add? Consider reviewing a book for the NACADA Journal . Find available titles posted on the Book Review Website . New book titles include: Curriculum development in higher education: Faculty-Driven processes and practices , Writing a successful thesis or dissertation: Tips and strategies for students in the social and behavioral sciences, Pathways to student success (CD-ROM), Career Trek, and many more! Check out the selection today!

Reviewers must be current NACADA members.  Reviewers have three months from the receipt of the book to read and write the review. The book becomes the property of the reviewer upon acceptance of the review for publication. New and veteran reviewers are encouraged to participate. Veteran reviewers should note that the Journal allows one book review per member year.

The NACADA Research Committee announces a Request For Proposals (RFP) for NACADA grants that support advising research. Stipends up to $5,000 are available to support a single-year proposal. Practicing professionals (administrators and faculty), as well as graduate students seeking support for dissertation research, are eligible.

Research proposals for 2008 are due March 15, 2008 . Find information and application here.

Need research ideas? The Committee has delineated a research agenda listing ten advising topics deemed to be critical within advising research. Find these topics here.

Have a research topic? Want to discuss your topic with other members researching similar topic? Want to connect with a Research Committee member to discuss your research? Join the NACADA Research Registry.

Are you interested in becoming involved in NACADA's exciting new Emerging Leader Program? Applications for the 2008-2010 Class of Emerging Leaders and Mentors are now available online. The Emerging Leader Program was developed to encourage members from diverse groups to get involved in leadership opportunities within the organization, outfit participants with the skills and tools necessary to pursue elected and appointed leadership positions, increase the number of leaders from diverse groups, and encourage and assist members of underrepresented populations to attend State, Regional, or National Conferences. Emerging Leaders are provided funding to assist them with travel and involvement in the association for the first year of their two-year commitment to the program.

Applications for both the Emerging Leaders and Mentors are due May 1, 2008 with final selection being made by June 2008.

For information the program, including criteria and applications, visit the ELP Website.

NACADA's publication resources have been conveniently grouped into professional development packages!  These packages are offered at the special conference rate of up to 20% off.  Consider purchasing additional pocket guides from each package so each person in your professional development training group has his/her own copy of these valuable resources.   Why reinvent the wheel?   Save time, save money, and learn best practices from experts in the field of academic advising!  Click here to see details on these packages:

• Package #1 - Conducting Professional Development
• Package #2 - Diversity Training
• Package #3 - Writing an Academic Advising Syllabus & Learning Outcomes
• Package #4 - Developing Faculty Advisor Training
• Package #5 - Welcoming New Students - Smooth Transitions
• Package #6 - LGBTQA Training
• Additional Resource - Legal Issues in Academic Advising

Click here for the professional development package order form.  If you have any questions about any of the packages, don't hesitate to contact the Executive Office at nacada.ksu.edu. 

A Call for Proposals for the 4th International Conference on Research in Access and Developmental Education to be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on September 24-27, 2008, is accessible at www.ncde.appstate.edu/cfp. The research conference, held once every four years, is sponsored by the National Center for Developmental Education.