Advising Accolades - College of Arts & Sciences

The Global Community for Academic Advising (NACADA) is the global community for academic advising and is made up of more than 12,000 members representing all 50 States, Puerto Rico, Canada, and several other international countries. The annual conference has been a central part of academic advisor development since the first conference in 1977. In addition to presenting at the annual conference, College of Arts and Sciences advisors have recently received advising award recognition from the organization and presented in an international conference, as well as serving in leadership roles.

Karmen Stephenson, advisor in the main office, presented at the NACADA International Conference in Hasselt, Belgium in July on the topic, “Using the F-Word: Feminist Pedagogy as a Unifying Theory of Academic Advising.” Karmen was also awarded the NACADA International Conference scholarship. “My participation in NACADA has provided a community as well as support for growth in which I have not only learned a lot of new stuff about my field/job and how to do it better, but in which I have begun learning how to use my own skills and knowledge to contribute to scholarship in this field.”
Kirsten Pitcock, coordinator of advising for the Department of English, received the Outstanding Advising Award: Primary Advising Role. “NACADA has allowed me to connect with colleagues from across the region, country, and even internationally, to learn about what innovative and best practices others are doing and how we can adapt them to best serve our students.”
Emilie Aslinger, advisor for the Department of Sociology and Global Studies, presented on the integration of advising and career development: “NACADA reminds me that it is important to continuously improve advising practice and seek creative solutions to advisor and student issues. The NACADA Annual Conference offered the opportunity to share some of the great things happening in advising at UT, but it also motivated me to get more involved in the NACADA community where I can draw inspiration from other professionals.”
Madeline Anderson, Advisor in the main office, gave her presentation titled “The In-Betweeners: Experiences of Millennial Advisors.” “Being involved in NACADA has allowed me to connect with other individuals from all over the world interested in developing and furthering the profession of Academic Advising. I have grown professionally through presenting at regional conferences and at the Annual conference and appreciate how supportive and engaging the NACADA community is.”
Shanna Pendergrast completed the Emerging Leaders Program. Each year, 10 emerging leaders and 10 mentors are selected for the two-year program in which the leaders and mentors work closely on connecting the leaders to the areas of the association they are interested in and in developing a plan for continued involvement and growth in the association. “NACADA provides me with an opportunity to learn what professionals from across the country are doing, which informs my practice, sometimes in small ways and other times in larger ways. Additionally, it keeps me current on what is going on in the field.”
Ashleigh Powers, coordinator of advising for the Department of Psychology presented “Lessons from a Careers in Psychology Course” about teaching students to understand the value of their liberal arts education.
Lindi Barillaro and Jeff Elliott, associate directors, presented on best practices for advisor recruitment and onboarding.
Jeff Elliott completed his two-year term as the Region 3 chair, overseeing the strategic planning for a five state region that includes Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Kentucky.