Charlie Nutt, NACADA Executive Director
As I move close to my 10 year anniversary in the NACADA Executive Office, I know that “Time flies when you are having fun!” I can honestly say that, in my more than 30 years in education, the last 10 years have been the highlight of my career. I feel fortunate to work with wonderful leaders, amazing Executive Office staff, and awesome NACADA members from across the world! The work NACADA members do on a daily basis to ensure the success of students is amazing, as is your support of NACADA’s efforts. NACADA members truly inspire us all.
As we all know, this is a very trying yet exciting time in higher education. The global emphasis on student persistence and retention to graduation/completion continues to highlight the important role of academic advising in student success. We see institutions across the globe develop new initiatives for academic advising, direct funds to restructuring efforts and/or hire academic advisors, focus on the importance of comprehensive and continual professional development for academic advisors, and implement concrete assessment plans to determine the effectiveness and success of academic advising at our institutions.
As we experience this emphasis on quality academic advising, it is important that we communicate the importance of NACADA to our professional growth and to the success of our institutions. I strongly encourage all who have the opportunity to attend a NACADA conference or institute, view one of our web events, or utilize one of our myriad of resources to communicate to supervisors, chief academic officers, presidents, and chancellors the value of the NACADA experience and how this experience benefits our institutions and students. Those in leadership positions need to hear from each of us how important NACADA is to our institutions’ work with students.
I even more strongly encourage each of us to let the NACADA community know the good work we are doing on our campuses. Submit an article to the NACADA electronic publication Academic Advising Today or to the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources; submit a proposal to present at one of NACADA’s 10 region conferences; submit a posting to the NACADA Blog. Now is the time for each of us to clearly broadcast the outstanding work we do in all areas of student success and academic advising!
I look forward to seeing all of you at one of our regional conferences next spring, or at the NACADA Administrators’ Institute, Assessment Institute, or Advising as Teaching Seminar in February 2012 in San Diego, or at one of our two Academic Advising Summer Institutes in Austin or Louisville next summer. Please do not hesitate to contact me ([email protected] or on Facebook at “Charlie Nutt” or on twitter @charlienutt) if I can help you or your campus.
Charlie Nutt, Executive Director NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising (785) 532-5717 [email protected]
