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Presenting at a NACADA event is a very rewarding experience, but it can also be a little stressful. The author shares tips for a presenting a successful conference session.
Barriers for new advisors seeking to engage in professional development include time, justification, venue, and cost. Reducing these barriers supports robust professional development of new academic advisors, enlivening staff and creating learning and mentoring connections across campus, between institutions, and within the profession.
In the June 2016 edition of Academic Advising Today, NACADA Executive Director, Charlie Nutt, and NACADA President, David Spight, challenged members of NACADA to consider their role in and their contributions to the profession of advising... The work that lies ahead for NACADA members comes with the challenge of an evolving profession, and NACADA members will need to work collaboratively and steadily to capitalize on the momentum that has been created.
The author recommends the NACADA Summer Institute to any advisor who wants to learn, create something positive for their campus and students, and have fun meeting and collaborating with advisors from around the world.
Advisors have to find balance between building relationships with students and ensuring students have the tools to successfully meet major and institutional requirements. Advisors know how important a relationship connection can be to a student in helping them progress to graduation, but limited time with students can create pressure to focus on the tasks at hand.
Often times, campus trainings tend to focus primarily on informational components; reviewing policies, procedures, and resources. Although informational aspects of advising carry a lot of importance, to ignore any one component places the effectiveness of an advising program in jeopardy. Therefore, any academic advising training must give proper credence to each of three key components in order to be effective: informational, conceptual, and relational. The importance of each should be reflected in on-going training and development programs.
When the author was charged to create assessment specifically designed for academic advising, she found assistance at the NACADA Assessment Institute.
In Fall 2019, three academic advising professionals joined the NACADA Center for Research’s NACADA Writes program and embarked on a four-year journey of finding community through scholarship and long-term professional development. Through this experience, we walked together through the stages of the writing group process and supported each other through personal and professional growth experiences. This article reiterates the value collaboration and community can have in professional spaces and the importance of sharing growth experiences with others. Through NACADA Writes, we took an active position to champion our own growth and now use these experiences as conversation points when connecting with others in our personal and professional lives. Our hope is to leverage scholarship to encourage and motivate advisors and other higher education professionals to explore similar opportunities for themselves.
