ACA Argosy

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ACA Argosy

• Spring 2006 Edition
• Beverly Anderson, ACA Historian and Argosy Editor
• Special Thanks to the contributor of this issue
  Cassandre Alvarado

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Advising Expo 2006 Co-Chairs Sharon Bressette
and Janice Williams-Perkins
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More Advising Expo 2006
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COLLOQUIUM SERVICE CREATES COMMUNITY by
Cassandre Alvarado Educators at UT and on other
campuses are becoming increasingly aware of the
importance of community as they face dwindling
resources, layoffs, divisive politics, and
culture clashes. The reality is that colleges
and universities have weathered challenges like
these before, helped in great part by those who
rise above the fray (Roberts, 2003) by creating
community. The importance of community on college
campuses has been recognized by numerous
education professionals (Astin, 1984 Boyer,
1990 Cuseo, 2003 Gardner, 1992 Tinto, 1993).
As first proposed by Boyer in his 1990 landmark
report, colleges should work to create a
purposeful, open, just, disciplined, caring and
celebrative community. The academic advising
community at UT embodies all of these elements.
And it is an advising community in both the
internal and external sense that enables our
campus to thrive in times of change. As an
external community, we support students by
helping them clarify goals, understand the
purpose and value of education, providing
information on policies and requirements,
monitoring their progress, making educational
plans consistent with their interests and
abilities and by integrating the resources of the
campus with student needs. As an internal
community, we support each other by providing
personal and professional support, opportunities
for growth and development, advocacy, action and
service. These combined efforts within the
advising community to strengthen our campus are
reflected in the activities of the ACA membership
throughout the year, but are especially apparent
in the summer. (continued- p. 1 of 3)
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Every July, after an exhausting academic year and
a busy summer of orientation, dedicated advisors
and student affairs professionals come together
to support the annual Honors Colloquium. This
event, now in its 25th year, is UTs premier
recruiting event for high-achieving students.
During the two-and-a-half days they spend on
campus, 600 rising seniors are given the
opportunity to learn about UT and all it has to
offer. And while it takes the cooperation of an
entire campus to produce the colloquium, academic
advisors play a unique role in building community
into this experience. The Honors Colloquium,
like many other events on campus, is a key means
of creating community on campus. Not only is it
charged with creating a welcoming community to
prospective students, but through its cohort
mentoring structure, the colloquium serves to
strengthen the advising community. While we may
seek volunteers every year for the role of
University Mentor, the selection of advisors is
not out of convenience - - it is deliberate.
Advisors are at the heart of what makes our
campus great and so it is important that we
should be placed at the front of creating
community for colloquium participants. Mentoring
a colloquium cohort is truly an extension of the
developmental advising activities referenced
above, translated to the prospective student
experience. While the benefits to the external
advising community are apparent, opportunities
exist for benefit to the internal community as
well not to overlook the fantastic polo shirts
and free meals in Jester! Like academic advising
day and professional development day, Honors
Colloquium provides advisors who normally dont
work directly together an opportunity to
collaborate as colleagues, as a profession and as
a caring community. (continued- p. 2 of 3)
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This service to the University and beyond creates
and strengthens friendships, professional
relationships and our own knowledge about the
complex campus structure. I hope youll
consider our invitation to participate as a
University Mentor for the 25th Annual Honors
Colloquium. Your commitment includes 2 short
trainings and two evenings with our colloquists.
Meals and polo shirts are provided! Well begin
the formal recruitment of University Mentors for
the Honors Colloquium next week with more
details. If you wish to be included, please send
an email to uhc_at_uts.cc.utexas.edu Cassandre
Alvarado Coordinator, Honors Colloquium and
Director, University Honors Center and
First-year Interest Groups (p. 3 of
3)
Look for
a Special Edition- Year in Review Argosy in
summer
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April 2006 Meeting
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NACADA Award Winners!

• J.P. Regalado- Outstanding Academic Advising-
  Primary Role- Winner
• Tricia Gore- Outstanding Academic Advising
  Administrator- Certificate of Merit
• College Of Liberal Arts Student Division-
  Outstanding Advising Program- Winner

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NACADA Activities of ACA Members

• Thanks to those who give their time to NACADA
• ( and any others I might have missed )
• Steve Alvarez- Foundations of Advising committee
• Cole Holmes- NACADA Awards Committee
• David Spight- Chair for the Commission on
  Undecided and Exploratory Students
• Nathan Vickers- Co-chair for New Advising
  Professionals Interest Group
• Lovelys Powell- NACADA Awards Oversight Committee
• Renee Babcock- Chair for the Commission on
  Technology in Advising
• Jo Anne Huber- NACADA President

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ACA Scholarship Recipients

• Professional Development Scholarship- Steve
  Alvarez
• Student Development Scholarships- Pegah Javidpour
  (BHP and MIS) and Anh Nguyen (Architecture)