After advising for several years, in 2000 I had the opportunity to attend the NACADA Summer Institute in Lexington, Kentucky as an SI Scholarship recipient. I am not sure that in the telling, I can do justice to the experience and the difference it made in my professional life.

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mentoring, professional development, advising workshops, summer institute, Bonnie Alberts

From 56 attendees in its inaugural year to 280 participants in 2005, the Academic Advising Summer Institutes (SI) have blossomed into one of NACADA's most highly-anticipated annual offerings. SI founder Wes Habley recalls that "in the early '80s, the prevailing opinion about academic advising was that, just as every institution was different, every institution’s advising program was different. In a sense, there was no real common body of understandings and beliefs about advising." However, Habley's experiences suggested otherwise. He believed that "there were commonalities across institutions and across advising programs, and those commonalities formed a set of building blocks or core concepts that could be identified and shared." Thus, in establishing the first Academic Advising Summer Institute, Habley's intention was "to provide an extensive curriculum of building blocks (core concepts) that would affirm advisors and advising and provide participants with a support network and an impetus to take action to enhance advising." Although the SI curriculum has grown and changed over the years, "in many ways," says Habley, "the intended outcomes for the first Summer Institute continue to this day."

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summer institute, history, Dorothy Nelson

Last summer I attended the NACADA Summer Institute (SI) as a team member from my community college. There were about 130 participants in this SI; about twenty were faculty members. Of those twenty faculty members, I was the sole ESL teacher. I asked a lot of questions, and I did a lot of listening. Once again, I was struck with the dissimilarities when it comes to ESL students.

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international, cultural capital, cultural differences, summer institute, Susan Boland

In 1987, Summer Institute founder Wes Habley – who was completing his two-year term as NACADA's president – had recently accepted a position as Associate Director of the ACT National Center. The role of the Center was to develop conferences and workshops on a variety of topics in higher education. Habley recalls that it had become clear to him "that academic advising was unlike any other student support service. It afforded the continuing process of engaging students in a positive and meaningful way about important educational and career decisions." From the "huge groundswell of interest in advising" that he had witnessed in his thirteen years as an advisor, Habley knew "that advising was as exciting to many, many other people as it was to me…My new role with ACT provided a venue to develop and lead conferences and workshops. As a result, we offered the first Summer Institute at the University of Iowa in 1987."

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summer institute, history

I'm a bicyclist. I love the road. I tried off-road cycling, but I didn't like the uncertainty of the trail. There were too many turns, obstacles, and variables for my liking. I like a well paved, proven, and clearly marked path with unambiguous edges and boundaries. It is my comfort zone.When I approached advising, I wanted the same thing - a well-defined, clear path without obstacles. I sought a clean edge. But, as I have discovered, I would never experience new possibilities until I was willing to move out past the edges. The terrain out past the edges is filled with a rich fauna of color and texture. It is here that I have found the fullness of advising.

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research, collaboration, reflection, assessment, summer institute, Jerry Harrell

Academic advising at Oregon State University has undergone remarkable changes in the last few years. Certain stars have aligned to give rise to these changes-shifts in administration and a focus on the student experience combined with the collaborative energy of advisors and administrators. George Kuh (2005) uses the term 'positive restlessness' to describe the climate of campuses truly working to be engaged in a culture of deep learning. At OSU there was a positive restlessness among academic advisors; they were struggling to find their collective voice. This is a story of their adventure and a narrative of change.

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professional development, collaboration, advisor training, assessment, advising workshops, summer institute, advising approaches, Susie Leslie

It was the hottest summer Wisconsin had seen in ten years and I loved every minute of it. As a Summer Institute Scholarship winner, I was participating in the NACADA Summer Institute for the first time. In the air-conditioned comfort of the Concourse Hotel, I was surrounded by advising friends, both new and old, from around the country. In the evenings I strolled through the student quarter of Madison, a very lively place even in the beginning of August. At first I walked alone, but by the second day I strolled with new friends from colleges and universities across the country. I found this an ideal atmosphere to consult with the best advising experts in the nation.

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professional development, collaboration, build relationships, advisor training, assessment, advising workshops, summer institute, John Nilsson

The NACADA Summer Institute provided a unique opportunity for every advisor to learn more about their role in serving students. Those who clearly defined an advising problem on their campus and developed an Action Plan probably extracted the greatest benefit from the week, but it seemed that even the least-experienced advisors with less-defined action goals left with a road-map for how to improve their own advising practices. Participants also gained a good sense of the principles that inform the way their institutions provide connections for their students.

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professional development, collaboration, build relationships, summer institute, advisor training, Debbie Marlow

The NACADA Academic Advising Summer Institute brought together over 100 advising professionals with experts in the field to work on impacting student success at campuses across the nation.... This was not your average conference. This was not a drive-in workshop. This was an institute, an academic experience, and a refreshing start to the consideration of academic advising holistically....We all engaged in learning about advising structures and systems, research and development, and of course, politics and personalities as they pertain to setting an agenda for advising on our campuses....Summer Institute was a shared experience with other colleagues who care about the students we support; it was a professional development experience unlike any other. 

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professional development, collaboration, advisor training, advising theory, advising strategy, advising workshops, summer institute, advising approaches, advising philosophy, Steven Viveiros, proactive education

Although “you had to be there” to truly understand the incredible experience... I encourage each NACADA member to experience a Summer Institute this coming summer or in the near future. Participants leave the Institute with a more thorough appreciation of what advising means, with a deeper understanding of the theory that supports our roles as academic advisors, and with more knowledge regarding how we can help our students succeed. 

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summer institute, Patsy Krech

I was perusing the NACADA Web site and saw on the events page that a Summer Institute would be only a three hour drive from my house! With my fingers crossed, I completed a Summer Institute Scholarship application and submitted it...

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summer institute, Jacqueline Wood

In China, we have an old saying: Talking with you for one moment is much better than reading books for ten years. At the NACADA Summer Institute, I talked with faculty members and fellow participants for seven days...

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summer institute, Weidong Zhang

If you haven’t attended a NACADA Summer institute, do it!  It is a phenomenal opportunity to learn about academic advising and to connect with people from colleges and universities from across the globe.

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professional development, advisor training, summer institute, Belinda Viljoen

I strongly encourage all academic advisors to attend a NACADA Summer Institute during your career. You will be encouraged and motivated; you will learn new skills and be introduced to comprehensive resources. You will discover a wealth of wisdom, assistance, and knowledge from all you meet.

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professional development, advisor competencies, advisor training, summer institute, advising director, Colleen Bauer

It is so difficult for me to give NACADA enough accolades for my wonderful experience at the Summer Institute in Colorado...Undeniably, my professional credibility and perceived self-efficacy increased at a rapid pace following my attendance at the Summer .Institute, for which I am eternally grateful.

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professional development, NACADA Summer Institute, Terri Reckart, summer institute

Shortly after attending our Region 5 Conference, I was looking at an email from NACADA and then went to the website to learn more about the Summer Institute. Instantly, I was interested. We had learned so much and so enjoyed each of our previous experiences with NACADA that I knew attending a week-long intensive workshop would allow for us to accomplish some of our goals before the upcoming Fall semester.

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professional development, summer institute, David Streicher

NACADA Summer Institute Scholarship Recipient discusses the knowledge she gained and her inspiration for innovative programs that can be implemented on her home campus...

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professional development, summer institute, Norma Cooper

After my second year as a young advising professional, I had begun to search for professional development opportunities where I could improve my student services skills and become a better advisor… The NACADA Summer Institute was the perfect balance of work and play, which combined to rejuvenate me for returning to campus and my students… It contributed to my development as a professional, but it also challenged me to grow as a person.

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summer institute, Lindsey Morford

A NACADA Summer Institute Scholarship Recipient and her Region 2 Mentor share what they learned, how they have grown, and what they have accomplished as a result of their Institute experiences.

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summer institute, Krystal Thompson, Calley Stevens Taylor

The author found the NACADA Summer Institute to be “by far one of the most influential professional development experiences in which I have participated.  It was like being in an academic advising bubble for a week, talking and interacting with other advising professionals hungry to impact their campuses and learn from some of the most knowledgeable leaders in the field.”

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summer institute, Karen Hauschild

The author “walked away from the Summer Institute with a comprehensive Action Plan for developing a freshman retention program that adds a high touch experience for our students.”

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summer institute, Becky Sanchez

In June of 2014 I was given the opportunity to attend the NACADA Summer Institute in Portland, Oregon as an SI Scholarship recipient.  The experience that I had at the Summer Institute has been the highlight of my academic advising career.

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summer institute, Octavia Lawrence

The Summer Institute challenged me to think about what I do well as an advisor (and now an advising administrator) and what I need to work on.  It equipped me with the resources and perspective needed to bring about change at my college.  I was impressed how practical and useful the Summer Institute was with a spoken and unspoken theme of the week: how will you be able to put these ideas into practice?

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summer institute, Scott Byington

Wesley R. Habley scholarship recipient shares her experience at the 2016 NACADA Summer Institute.

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summer institute, Sarah Howe

The author, a relatively new advisor, shares his introductory experience into the NACADA Summer Institute learning community.

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professional development, build relationships, advisor training, community relationships, advising workshops, summer institute, Michael McDaniel

A team of advisors from Central Carolina Community College find an opportunity to tackle the challenges of creating consistent advising messages and approaches across a wide-spread campus community.

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summer institute, Central Carolina Community College

Two members of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) advising team attended the 2018 Summer Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico and found the six-day institute to be beneficial in increasing their knowledge in all aspects of academic advising.

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professional development, advisor training, role of advisor, advising workshops, summer institute, advising approaches, professionalism, Hattan Tawfiq, Abdalghaffar Osman

The author, a Wesley R. Habley Summer Institute Scholarship recipient, considers the Institute as was one of the most pivotal experiences of her career. She left with great ideas, some of which she has already implemented into her institution’s advising program.

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professional development, build relationships, advisor training, procrastination, advising workshops, summer institute, professionalism, Sharon Wight