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The NACADA Board of Directors is focused on implementing the five strategic goals for our organization. As those of you who have participated in the strategic planning process at your institution know, creating a strategic plan is not always an exciting assignment, but it is even more difficult to implement the strategic plan. We all know that many strategic plans just gather dust on our bookshelves. However, the Board is dedicated to breathing life into the Strategic Plan by partnering with the entire NACADA member leadership team and the Executive Office.
This spring, Charlie Nutt and I have been on what I am calling the NACADA Regional Conference World Tour 2008. We have had a wonderful time in each of the beautiful Conference cities, and I walk away from these Regional Conferences re-energized, re-committed, and proud of our Association. The real strength of our organization lies in our members and our member-leaders, and never has this been more evident to me than during these trips to attend the Regional Conferences.
We spend so much of our time encouraging our students to become lifelong learners that sometimes we forget to “walk the talk.” Conferences like the NACADA annual and regional conferences are just some of the opportunities we have to continue to grow and develop as professionals and people.
While advisors often encourage students to become lifelong learners, they themselves are often so strapped for time that they shortchange their own lifelong learning pursuits. Fortunately, there are cost-effective options that advising administrators can use to promote lifelong learning.
Graduate program faculty and staff advisors are an integral part of student success at the master’s and doctoral levels. The purpose of this article is to provide graduate student advisors with three specific strategies for positively influencing graduate students’ progress towards graduation: setting clear expectations, having periodic progress meetings with students, and serving as advocates for students.
