UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — “Transitions: Energizing Advising and Student Communities for Change” is the theme of the 15th annual professional development conference on academic advising, scheduled to take place Friday, Sept. 30, at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel on the University Park campus.
Details and registration fees can be viewed here.
David Smith, associate dean for advising and executive director for the Division of Undergraduate Studies, will welcome attendees, who typically represent Penn State units across the system as well as institutions throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. The keynote speaker, Charlie Nutt, will address the advising community and elaborate on the essential role that academic advising plays in student success and the future of higher education. Nutt is the executive director of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), an association of professional advisors, counselors, faculty, administrators, and students who work to enhance the educational development of students.
Numerous concurrent sessions will address how academic advisers can help students as they undergo various transitions throughout their academic careers including the move from high school, work, military service, different countries or cultures into higher education. Best practices will also be shared on how to aid students coping with learning disabilities, personal stress, or health conditions. In addition, participants will be asked to consider how they, as professionals, can guide students while staying focused and effective in the midst of changing advising systems, tools, and views on the philosophy of our field.
Sponsoring the 2016 conference are the Division of Undergraduate Studies, University Faculty Senate, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, Office of Undergraduate Education, and The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal.
The Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS), a unit within the Office of Undergraduate Education, is Penn State’s largest unit of enrollment for first-year students. DUS leads the development of advising policies and practices, manages the University-wide academic information network and provides general academic advising for current and prospective Penn State students.