I am very honored to be writing my second letter as President of NACADA. We had a record number of attendees at the National Conference in Las Vegas, NV Oct. 5-8, 2006, with over 3380 registered. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we hope those in attendance found this Conference to be a most rewarding professional experience, which will lead to more opportunities in the coming year.
Jane Jacobson, Vice President, and I have designated this the year to “Build the Next Generation of Academic Advisors.” To this end, we hosted a breakfast in Las Vegas with other NACADA leaders with new professionals and/or first time attendees. We had over 35 who mingled with Board and Council members and asked very good questions about becoming involved in NACADA. In addition, an Interest Group for New Professionals, co-chaired by Nathan Vickers (University of Texas-Austin) and Ben Chamberlain (Iowa State University), had a roundtable discussion with a packed room! Clearly the interest and enthusiasm is there. We certainly plan to capitalize on this momentum! The New Member Orientation has been tailored to address this population and encourage them to become active members as well. These members represent the future of NACADA, so we want to make sure to nurture their interests and needs. Hopefully, these are our future leaders in the field.
I would like to offer my heartiest congratulations to those who have had such an impact on our association by their dedication to the Summer Institute! As you will note in this publication, the Summer Institute is celebrating 20 years of outstanding professional development opportunities for NACADA members. Without the dedication and hard work of present and past Advisory Board Chairs Wes Habley and Nancy King, their Advisory Board members, and countless others, including Diane Matteson from the Executive Office, who have provided their expertise to this endeavor, it would certainly not be the phenomenal success it has been. Congrats to all who have attended the Summer Institute and those who have unselfishly facilitated the process both behind the scenes and with the attendees!
Mark your calendars for the Regional Conferences being held in the spring! These are wonderful ways to network with professionals in our own Regions, as well as showcase our units/colleges in a more informal relaxed atmosphere than a very large national conference. Check out the dates and locations on the NACADA webpage. Jane and I plan to attend as many as possible, as will other Board/Council members, along with a representative from the Executive Office.
Jane is chairing the Visibility Work Group, along with several Board members and a representative from the Council. This group will make recommendations to the Board on additional ways to increase our global visibility while continuing to explore recognition of advisors on our campuses.
Our membership continues to soar; we now have over 9,100 members! Obviously, as an organization, we are doing many things very, very well, as evidenced by our phenomenal growth. The leadership of NACADA, along with the able members of the Executive Office, will continue to find new ways to serve our membership, from seminars/institutes to innovative technology to publications focusing on current research both in the Journal as well as monographs and possible book partnerships.
We will continue to strive to make improvements as deemed necessary in an effort to provide the best service we can to all members. An effort will be made to assess where we are as an association – although still in the first three years of our new organization – to ensure we are still on track. Evidence certainly indicates we are so far! Additionally, the Consultant’s Bureau is being reviewed to see if improvements should be made. Lastly, the Finance Committee and Board of Directors are reviewing some concrete recommendations from the Diversity Committee for implementation in the coming year.
As members, we must never lose sight of NACADA’s primary purpose, which is to facilitate student success. That is our mission and is the basis for the formation of NACADA so many years ago.
I welcome your input and look forward to this wonderful year as President.
Jo Anne Huber, President National Academic Advising Association [email protected]
Cite this article using APA style as: Huber, J. (2006, February). From the president: A bright future ahead with a dedication to service. Academic Advising Today, 29(1). Retrieved from [insert url here]
