John Paul (JP) Regalado, NACADA President
Hello, my name is John Paul “JP” Regalado, and I am proud to be your NACADA president for the upcoming year. I have to admit that I was pretty nervous writing this article. I know you are not supposed to say or write that, but it’s the truth!
My experience at our recent annual conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota was outstanding. As has been my previous experience at NACADA events, I met some amazing people, learned a lot from the keynotes and sessions I attended, and came back to my institution with a renewed spirit and enthusiasm, knowing that what we do is so very important.
As I mentioned in my remarks in Minnesota, I am a first-generation college graduate. The first time I stepped foot on my campus was at summer orientation, and it was an eye-opening experience! I had similar feelings addressing the more than 3,000 NACADA colleagues from all over the world in Minneapolis. To be among you working toward a common cause of student success is both an honor and a privilege. We have done and continue to do great work, but there is much more to do, and we need everyone to get involved and stay engaged.
Over the next year, I have asked the NACADA Board of Directors and the Council to focus on Research, Diversity, and Leadership as we determine where we want NACADA to be in the next five to 10 years. Expanding our research and scholarship continues to be a key for our field to advance. With that in mind, the Board recently approved the forming of a task force that will work with representatives from Kansas State University to investigate the possibility of collaboratively creating a Center for Excellence in Academic Advising and Research. It is our hope that this Center can serve as a hub for future research and scholarly inquiry regarding academic advising.
As an organization, we need to continue to make positive steps to improve and enhance our diversity. This means making sure we are being as inclusive as possible but also intentional in our initiatives and activities to make sure we are meeting the needs of our membership and the students we serve. In my experience, diversity can be a challenging topic to discuss and/or address, but that doesn’t mean we won’t or can’t. One of the great outcomes of inclusiveness is that we all can learn something new that will not only benefit NACADA as a whole, but also enhance our professional development and our work with students.
Leadership development and sustainability continues to be a major focus for our organization, and I want to acknowledge all the work done to get our members involved in all facets of NACADA. Getting our membership engaged and involved is no easy task, but all of us as leaders have a responsibility to help our members find new “pathways” for involvement and engagement. Our future lies in your hands. If any of you are interested in getting more involved, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all of you who came to our Town Hall meeting at the annual conference to share your thoughts, suggestions, and recommendations on these three areas. Please know that your comments were heard and will be incorporated into our work over the next year.
I am very proud to be a member of NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising and it is my privilege to serve you as president. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Council, we look forward to continue working with you in serving our students, our institutions, and our profession to the best of our ability as we work towards our shared goal of student success!
John Paul (JP) Regalado, President, 2014-2015 NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising Executive Director of Academic Advising Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi john.regalado@tamucc.edu
Cite this article using APA style as: Regalado, J.P. (2014, December). From the president: research, diversity, and leadership. Academic Advising Today, 37(4). Retrieved from [insert url here]
