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The N4A NewsN4A National Offi ceCampus Box 8509Raleigh, NC 27695

PRSRTSTDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDRALEIGH, NC

PERMITNO. 60

Phil HughesPresidentKansas State Universityphughes@ksu.edu

Mark MeleneyPresident-ElectFlorida State Universitymmeleney@admin.fsu.edu

Colleen CampbellRegion I DirectorLoyola College Ccampbell1@loyola.edu

Christine JacksonRegion II DirectorUniversity of Louisville c.jackson@louisbille.edu

Kimya MasseyRegion III DirectorIndiana Universitykfmassey@indiana.edu

Ragean HillRegion IV DirectorKansas State Universityrrh7364@ksu.edu

Brian EvansRegion V DirectorUtah State Universitybrian.evans@usu.edu

Lauren MackeyDivision Director, Membership ServicesUniversity of Tennesseelmackey@utk.edu

Cayce CrenshawDivision Director, Professional DevelopmentElon Universityccrenshaw2@elon.edu

Renia EdwardsDivision Director, Student AthleteDevelopmentUniversity of South Carolinarenia@sc.edu

N4A National Offi ce NCSU Campus Box 8509Raleigh, NC 27695-8509(919) 513-1007Jane_Moore@ncsu.edu

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

This newsletter contains important updates for the membership regarding Regional Conferences, the N4A-NCAA Partnership, activities at the National Offi ce, and preparations for the mid-year meeting of the Board of Directors. It has, indeed, been a hectic and productive fall as the Association embarked on fi rst ever projects and goals, as well as conducting the general business of the membership.

In this edition, Region Directors report on three regional conferences and Division Directors provide updates on various committee functions. The Chairs of the Partnership Task Forces have summarized the progress of this initiative. After your review of these reports, it will be apparent that signifi cant strides have been achieved toward our goals and I wish to express appreciation for the dedicated efforts of our members and the staff at the National Offi ce.

In addition to regional conferences and Partnership activities, the N4A has participated in a number of other meetings in which the leadership promoted the Association and our emerging role in the national discussion regarding academic reform and APR in intercollegiate athletics. President-Elect, Mark Meleney, attended the FARA Fall Forum in November with the opportunity to address faculty athletics representatives on N4A initiatives with APR education. I represented the N4A at the Faculty Summit of the Knight Commission in September, at the Division 1A Athletic Director’s Association fall meetings, and at the Street and Smith’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum in December. At each event, I spoke to the impact of academic reform, the expanded presence of the N4A in these discussions, and highlighted the N4A-NCAA Partnership objectives and services.

We have experienced numerous challenges regarding the implementation of the Partnership and the emerging communication and procedure requirements that are required of the Association in this enterprise. As we have covered this new ground, I fi rmly believe that we have made every effort to adapt and improve our information sharing and review processes.

At the mid-year Board meeting there will be opportunities to review numerous policy and procedure issues before the Association. This meeting will include, for example, the Board’s consideration of membership proposals, region alignment formulas, a PDI track for learning specialists, sponsorship campaign planning, Partnership assessment, and the programming for the National Convention.

Again, please review the reports and information in this newsletter. If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, please call or e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you.

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News from the National Offi ceJane Moore, Executive Director

Happy New Year everyone. At the National Offi ce, we have some new faces. With the new NCAA partnership, we have increased our part time staff hours in order to take on this added responsibility. Kim Dittmann has been hired as our administrative assistant. Her email is kimdittmann@yahoo.com and her phone number is 919.513.1003. She has replaced Elizabeth Foote who is headed back to graduate school. Be sure to welcome Kim.

Our IT staff person has changed as well. Thomas Mangalam was given a position at an engineering fi rm in Raleigh, North Carolina. His degree is in engineering and he was working part time with N4A while looking for a position. Taking his place is Naz Carpenter who is a graduate student at NCSU. Naz can be reached at ncarpen@ncsu.edu. Be sure to welcome Naz.

We have seen a record year in memberships for N4A. Prior to the September drop we had over a 1,000 members. We will begin the March 2008 renewal period in January. Please remember that some members are in the March renewal cycle and some are in the September cycle. If you are not certain which renewal cycle you are in, please email Kim and she will let you know.

We still have members that have not gone into the member’s only area of the website to change their password and update their profi le. It is extremely important to the membership that you complete this process. Naz has been sending out individual emails to all members that have not completed this process with the member’s user name and password. If you can not remember your password, please contact Naz at ncarpen@ncsu.edu.

Do not forget that we have a great job and resume bank located in the member’s area of the website. Please go and check the resumes and jobs that are posted. This is a wonderful membership benefi t that many non-profi ts do not have available. Please use it!

Please be sure to save the date for Convention in Kansas City, June 6-9th, 2008! The plans for convention are gearing up. UMKC has graciously agreed to be our host school and we are working on exciting plans. After the fi rst of the year, our convention registration form will be located on the website at http://nfoura.org/convention. This year’s form will be a web form. You will be able to fi ll in the form and then click submit and the form will come directly to the National Offi ce. You will be required to send your check or make your payment by PayPal before your registration is complete. The complete set of instructions are on the form.

We are now asking universities to be sponsors for the 2008 year. Please contact the National Offi ce to submit your pledge. We have sent out letters to all the universities' academic directors making the request. For more information regarding university sponsorships go to http://nfoura.org/convention/sponsorship.php.

If you know of someone we should ask to be a vendor or sponsor, please contact Jane Moore at jane_moore@ncsu.edu. Any vendors that you use at your school could be a potential N4A vendor. Send the National Offi ce their information.

Please be sure to visit our website for current information at www.nfoura.org.

AGENDA FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ ANNUAL MID-YEAR MEETING

The Board of Directors will convene their annual mid-year meeting, January 24 – 26, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas. This meeting will address numerous proposals and issues before the Association, receive Task Force and NCAA reports on the progress of the Partnership, engage in discussions regarding policies and procedures for the Association’s operations, and review issues and/or inconsistencies in the Constitution and Bylaws. The Board anticipates a review of proposals regarding membership status and membership fees, the alignment criteria for regions, and a learning specialist track for PDI. A report from the Executive Director on the progress of the national offi ce and status of the Association will also be presented. The Board will consider the 2008 national convention budget and convention programming. Board members will also engage ideas and discussions regarding a comprehensive plan for a 2008 sponsorship campaign.

National Convention Early Registration ends on April 11, 2008!

The Convention Registration form is available on the front page of the N4A website at

www.nfoura.org.

See you in Kansas City!

7

2-Year College Committee ReportSubmitted by: Wanda Wong

The 2-year college group is alive and well. Region 5 had its conference in San Diego, and about half of the attendees were from the 2-year college sector. Break-out sessions involving the NCAA, 4-year colleges and 2-year colleges were offered. Thanks to Region V and Brian Evans for meeting the needs of both the 4-year and 2-year college student- athletic advisors.

Legislative Service Committee ReportSubmitted by: Jenna Beverly

The Legislative Services Committee continues to work in conjunction with Christine Simatacolos of NCAA membership services to continue communication with our membership on current legislative proposals and to develop concepts for the 2008-09 legislative cycle. Christine was able to attend various regional meetings either in person or through teleconference allowing discussion of current proposals in the legislative cycle, the current baseball reform and updates on the eligibility center. In addition, as a committee, we have worked to enhance our blogs and discussions throughout the membership to provide better feedback to the NCAA on our positions. This will allow current president Phil Hughes, Kansas State, to attend the NCAA convention in January with our voice to be heard on voting on current legislation. We encourage you to continue to provide your feedback, and please feel free to contact our committee at any time with comments and questions. Jenna Beverly, Chair jbeverly@scarletknights.comDanez Marrable, Co-Chair Proposals, Region II Rep dmarrable@sports.uga.eduTim Richardson, Co-Chair Conceptstrichardson@at.gtaa.gtech.edu Sherene Lemonais, Region I Rep lemonias814@dug.edu Mark Shook, Region III Repmshook@bgsu.edu Christopher Barttelbort, Region IV Repcbart@athletics.tamu.eduShay Jewett, Region V Rep shay@asu.edu .

Membership Committee ReportSubmitted by: Sonya Hurt and William Gill

At the June convention, the Membership Committee had a great time and turnout for the reception at the Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball Game and the New Member Orientation the following morning. It was our chance to mix and mingle with our new members as well as give them additional information about N4A. We would like to thank Sandy Meyer for setting all of that up for us.

Our Committee has been working hard since the national convention. We want to make sure we continue to improve on the foundation that has been built. As a committee, we are growing, and we have new ideas. As with years past, we are talking about what’s next for N4A. We are discussing what needs to be done for our New Member Reception and Orientation in Kansas City. We have been in constant contact with Sandy Meyer as to where we will be hosting the reception, and I think this will be one of our best ever. We look forward to all the New Members who will be joining us.

Next on our agenda is to combine our efforts with the Two-Year Committee and reach out to all of the Two-Year Colleges in the Kansas/Missouri Area. We wish to invite them to our National

Convention in June, which is being held in Kansas City. If you know of any two-year college academic advisors/coordinators who may be interested, please feel free to forward their information on to us.

Also, the Membership Committee is looking for mentors. We have been increasing our membership each year, and we must increase our pool of mentors for our new mentees. Please sign up today. Contact Martina Martin at mamart3@email.uky.edu.

The Membership Committee has grown to 26 members strong, but we are always looking to add people to our committee. If you are interested in getting more involved and wish to join us, please email William Gill at gilli14@umn.edu or Sonya Hurt at shurt@rider.edu.

Learning Concerns and Enhancements Committee Report

Submitted by: Allison Lombardi

The Learning Concerns and Enhancements Committee is pleased to announce a new partnership with the PDI and Demetrius Marlowe. Allison Lombardi, the committee chair, has been collaborating with Demetrius in planning a new PDI track for learning specialists. The PDI track will be proposed to the Executive Board in January 2008. The committee aims to have the program ready by the Miami convention in 2009. A subcommittee of LCEC members was formed to collaborate on curriculum planning. This subcommittee includes Michelle Roberts (Texas A&M), Pam Robenalt (Washington), Corinne Corte (Arizona State), Sabrina Youmans (UCLA), Mary Vesper (Angelo State), and Sheila Padgett (Ole Miss). We are excited to build more professional development opportunities for new learning specialists. In addition, we are excited to work with the PDI staff.

In addition, Allison Lombardi will step down as committee chair as of December 2007. Michelle Roberts will take over as committee chair at that time. Allison decided to pursue a new job in a different fi eld and felt that it would be inappropriate to continue serving as committee chair.

Region Reports continued

Wilma Rudolph Award Submissions

Due Date: February 29, 2008Application can be found on the N4A website

Other highlights were featured speaker Dr. Cheryl Getz, assistant professor in the department of leadership studies at USD – and a 16-year former head women’s basketball coach in Division I; Carrie Leger and her fun and informative delivery of NCAA proposed legislation; San Diego State’s Hall of Champions reception featuring Ky Snyder and Jeff Schemmel, USD and SDSU Directors of Athletics, respectively; and the Pink Floyd concert on-site, viewed free-of-charge from one N4A member’s balcony.

Sarabeth Pollock was elected (volunteered?) Region Secretary, and the nominees for the Professional Promise award are Sarabeth Pollock, (USD); Maria Mareno-Pardo, (SDSU); Wanda Wong, (West Valley College); and Dan Gourley, (WSU). Members fi lling committee liaison positions are Becca Galves, (NMSU) – Long Range Planning; Tamara Jones, (West Los Angeles College) – Research; and Colleen Evans, (SDSU) – Sponsorship.

Thanks to Shaney Fink (USD) and Colleen Evans (SDSU) and their staffs for all their on-site organization and Jon Harris from Athlife for sponsorship and support.

Committee Reports

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Region I Newsletter ReportSubmitted by: Colleen Campbell

The Region I Conference was held in October in Baltimore. Region I has been very busy putting together a proposal to realign the N4A by geographic region instead of by conference. We also brainstormed different workshop ideas for the members to present at the National Convention. The 2008 Region I conference will be held in Amherst, MA, hosted by UMASS. We collected nominations for the Professional Promise Award and will be doing an online vote prior to the National Convention in June. The conference was highlighted by a night of fun on the Harbor for a fabulous crab feast.

Region II ReportSubmitted by: Christine Jackson

The Region II Conference held September 30-October 2, 2007 in Orlando was a great success. Eighty people registered for the conference including fi ve local high school personnel. The time spent educating the high school counselors about N4A and our role with student athletes was very well received. In the future, we hope to continue to invite high schools to our meetings. The breakout sessions were informative and benefi cial to the group. We also spent time with Carrie Leger from the NCAA discussing our new partnership with the NCAA and going over any new updates and legislation. Attendees were inspired by our feature speaker Dr. Richard Lapchick and his story. And of course, it would not have been a typical Region II Conference without the socializing. Thanks to Scholar-Baller for its sponsorship of Monday night’s happy hour. Mark Gumble and the staff at UCF should be commended for a job well done.

There will be a full slate during the business meetings at the National Convention. In addition to usual business, we will be electing Region Director-Elect and Region Secretary-Elect along with fi nalizing future Regional Conference sites. If you are interested in any of these positions or hosting a Regional, please contact me for further information.

See you in Kansas City!

Region III ReportSubmitted by: Kimya Massey

Region III had some extremely productive meetings at the National Convention. We once again had a solid turnout and covered quite a bit of ground ranging from committee reports to further discussion of future sites and procedures. The Professional Promise Award was presented to Kelly Brock of Depaul, and Doug Tiedt from Wisconsin was named Regional Director-elect for Region III. PDI attendees from Region III included Jamie Johnson from Ball State, Kimya Massey from Indiana, Denise O’Grady from IUPUI and William Gill from Minnesota. In addition, members of Region III attended the New Practitioner workshops as well. It was an educational experience, and we are much in debt to our faculty mentors.

Much of the discussion at our meetings consisted of old business and new business relating to future sites for Region III conventions as well as whether some of our procedures will be changing. Some of these procedures include the host site, registration fees and when the convention will be held. There was some excellent dialogue in all directions, and the conclusion was that a committee will be convened to create a questionnaire that Region III will take to gauge the interest of some of these new procedures. This will be sent to the region prior to the Region III meeting in April, and discussion will continue. The region also talked about the continued commitment of all schools within the region to attend meetings as well as being included

Region Reports

on all communication within the region. All committees gave their reports, and everyone remarked about the success of the convention as a whole.

The University of Illinois will host the Region III meeting April 22-23. The format will be similar to last year with a guest speaker and an informative panel as well as facility tours and information. Please keep in mind that we will soon be calling for volunteers for workshops at the region meeting. It is always great to hear what our peers are doing and how much we can learn from each other. Information will be sent out about the region meeting within the next month for planning purposes. Once again, we expect a large turnout, so we are excited about meeting in April.

Feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns at kfmassey@indiana.edu or by phone at (812) 855-0877.

Region IV ReportSubmitted by: Ragean Hill

Region IV is looking forward to a great Regional Conference on February 17-19. Our event will be held in San Antonio on the River Walk. The University of Texas – San Antonio will be our host school. Originally, we planned to have it closer to the site school, but fortunately we were able to move it to the Riverwalk for the same price and accommodations as the other hotel.

Slated for our keynote speaker is Lynn Hickey, Athletic Director for UTSA. Most of our conference will be held on the UTSA campus which will give us a chance to have several rooms to do break out sessions. It also gives UTSA a chance to show off its campus. Dr. Gerald Gurney, Dr. Nicki Moore, Carla Winters, Dr. Carmen Tebbe; and Chris Bader from Oklahoma; Felicia Martin from the Division IA Athletic Directors Association; and Steve McDonald from Texas A&M will give presentations.

Since Dana Green left Oral Roberts University, we had to elect a new Region IV Secretary, Kelle Branting from Kansas State. We also a have a new fi nance committee representative, Gretchen Torline, from Wichita State University. We are continuing to strive as a region for increased committee involvement as well as increasing the number of our national members. We sent out a mass e-mail to all non-N4A members in Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Kansas to let them know about the regional conference. Many phone calls have come through and it looks very promising for membership.

Special thanks to our planning committee: Kelle Branting, Mary Clark, Liane Fowler, Michael McDonald, Kim Schellpeper, and Jill Shields. Your efforts are appreciated. Hope to see everyone in Kansas City next June.

Region V ReportSubmitted by: Brian Evans

Sunny San Diego was the site for the October 10-12 Region V Conference, with 82 members in attendance. Highlighted by the mix, dialogue, and association of both 4-year members and 2-year 3C4A (Community College Counselors Association in Academic Advising for Athletes) members, four concurrent sessions were presented: Athletic Department and Class Attendance Policies, Colleen Evans (SDSU) and Jon Harris (Athlife); Meeting Academic Reform Regulations at the Community College Level, Virginia Romero (Cerritos), Shane Poulter (Mt. SAC); Cultural Impacts on Black Student-Athlete Success, Eric Davis (Washington); and Producing Academic Champions – USD Mentoring Program, Sarabeth Pollock (San Diego).

continued on pg 7

3

Administrative Task Force Submitted by: Jennifer M. Kulics

The Administrative Task Force (ATF) is charged with the overall management of the partnership. This administrative team has been assigned to address the implementation requirements of the partnership including the member application and selection process, budget, and program evaluation. In addition to the three required presentations scheduled by the NCAA in New Orleans, Atlanta, and Raleigh, designed to address APR improvement plans and initiatives, the ATF fi nalized the fee structure for consultation and presentation request for services as well as the honorariums for each consultant and presenter. All administrative forms to request services were also confi rmed and posted on the N4A website. By way of conference calls every Friday, the ATF discussed fi nancial issues, procedural and structural goals of the partnership, and future marketing strategies for APR services (consulting and presenting).

Information has been shared with the ATF on the two previous conference calls by Steve McDonnell (11/30/07) and Gerald Gurney (12/7/07), the chairs of the Instructional Workshop/Presentation Task Force and the Consultant Task Force respectively. Steve briefed the ATF on the success of the three required instructional workshops sponsored by the NCAA and the general plan for the impending training session for selected presenters tentatively scheduled for early February. Subsequently, Dr. Gurney provided an update on the most recent training session for consultants held in Raleigh. Carrie Leger from the NCAA will be joining the ATF conference call on December 14th in an effort to provide similar updates and provide insight on future marketing strategies and NCAA assistance. Lastly, the N4A National Offi ce is compiling copies of all training materials to archive as well as disseminate to the members of the ATF.

Future goals of the ATF will involve developing a comprehensive marketing strategy relative to the request for APR services (consulting and presenting). Preliminary discussions indicate that a detailed brochure describing all services must be created in an effort to illustrate what services an institution may utilize, how the request for services can be initiated, and the direct costs involved. The ATF would also like to solicit one to two new members. Lastly, chairs and members of all of the partnership task forces will convene in San Antonio to present a comprehensive update and forecast future plans to the N4A Board of Directors at their mid-year meeting from January 24th through 26th.

Consulting Task ForceSubmitted by: Gerry Gurney

The NCAA/N4A Partnership on Consulting has had a fl urry of activity in the past several weeks. Our goals were to design the structure of consultant services for institutions expressing needs for assistance with APR problems or outside evaluations of academic support services required by the NCAA 3rd cycle certifi cation. The Task Force, including Colleen Evans from San Diego State, Michael McDaniel from Oral Roberts, John Anderson from Texas Tech, Jim Rost, from Middle Tennessee State, and Dr. Nicki Moore from Oklahoma, met with Carrie Leger from the NCAA in October in Norman, Oklahoma to develop the structure, materials, and a consultant selection process. An unexpectedly large pool of qualifi ed candidates applied for being N4A consultants. Eighteen N4A members were selected for training in Raleigh December 2 -4, 2007. Selected candidates represented diversity in gender, ethnicity, regions, and university missions. I am also very pleased to report that Dr. Alan Hauser, FAR from Appalachian State and President of the FARA also joined us for consultant training. Dr. Hauser’s personal commitment to the academic success of NCAA student-athletes is impressive and commendable.

With the assistance of Jane Moore and her staff at the N4A National Offi ce and Phil Moses and his NC State academic support services staff, we were able to train 24 consultants for future requested services at the start of 2008. Training covered a variety of important topics including APR strategies, admissions and special admissions, the uniqueness of HBCUs and limited funding institutions, interviewing skills, the NCAA grant for APR assistance, APR Improvement Plans, 3rd Cycle Certifi cation academic support review, the site visit process, and report writing. The training involved two days of intensive education on consulting. Consultants, now having endured my lectures, graduated, and are excited to begin their work as “agents for change”.

Special Thanks toSandy Meyer and Tom Langan

For all their help with thisEdition of The N4A News!

NCAA/N4A PARTNERSHIP UPDATE

N4A made history on September 28, 2007, with the press release of the N4A/NCAA Partnership. The Partnership will help educate athletics administrators and develop strategies for success in the classroom. The N4A’s partnership with the NCAA has set into motion the design and implementation of instructional workshops and consultation visits to colleges and universities across the country. The implementation of this process has been developed through three task forces; Administrative Task Force, Presenters Task Force, and Consultants Task Force. The Administrative Task Force is chaired by Jennifer Kulics, the Presenters Task Force is chaired by Steve McDonnell and the Consultants Task Force is chaired by Dr. Gerald Gurney. Each of these task forces has included an update for the membership on their progress since the announcement of the Partnership. As the Partnership with the NCAA continues to develop we will look to many individuals in our membership for support to create a strong future for our organization with the development and delivery of educational initiatives with the NCAA.

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Workshop Task ForceSubmitted by: Steve McDonnell

The Workshop Presenters Committee has been very active this fall. In late September, after the NCAA/N4A Partnership agreement was signed, the NCAA staff sent a request for three APR workshops to be conducted in November and December. The NCAA staff has identifi ed 36 schools that qualify for their Supplemental Support Fund. These are schools that have limited resources and also have sports that are subject to contemporaneous and/or historical penalties.

Since we had a very limited time to create the materials and train personnel to present the workshops, we selected members of the Committee to be the presenters. We hired Pam Overton to help develop the training materials, workshop schedules and evaluations. Pam most recently served as the Senior Women’s Administrator at Florida State University. She has extensive experience in developing and presenting workshops. She was an active member of the N4A for many years and worked in academic support at East Carolina University and Life Skills at FSU. On October 20-22, Pam Overton, Demetrius Marlowe and Steve McDonnell met in College Station, Texas to develop the workshop format. The materials are designed for full day workshop about APR issues.

Demetrius Marlowe, Kim Ross Watkins, Pam Overton and Steve McDonnell presented the fi rst workshop in New Orleans on November 6-7. Carrie Leger, Bob Chichester, LaKeisha Marsh, Joyce Bell and Matt Burgemeister represented the NCAA as facilitators for this workshop. We had 17 schools represented with 32 participants. Pam Overton compiled the evaluations from the workshop and we met with the NCAA staff to process the workshop. The workshop was well received by all participants but we also came up with some suggestions for improvements for the next session.

On November 14-15 we presented the second workshop to members of the SWAC Conference in Atlanta. Demetrius Marlowe, Kim Ross-Watkins, Phil Moses, Pam Overton and Steve McDonnell presented the workshop. Carrie Leger, Bob Chichester, Walter Brock, Diane Dickman and LaKeisha Marsh served as NCAA facilitators. We had 24 participants from the SWAC Conference. The modifi cations we made to the fi rst workshop were positive changes to the program. We conducted a de-briefi ng after the workshop. Pam completed an evaluation of the workshop and prepared materials for the third presentation.

The third workshop was held in Raleigh on December 4-5. Phil Moses and Demetrius Marlowe and Pam Overton presented to 25 members of the MEAC Conference. They were accompanied by Carrie Leger, Bob Chichester, LaKeisha Martin, and Kristen Robertson from the NCAA. Pam compiled a summary of all three workshops and submitted a notebook and CD of the entire process to the N4A National Offi ce.

As a result of the three workshops we now have the materials and format for a full day workshop to present to groups as requested. We have 15 N4A members who have expressed interest in becoming facilitators for future workshops. We are scheduling training dates to occur in Raleigh in late January. We have presenters from all fi ve regions so we should be able to accommodate future requests very effectively.

Newsletter Editor

Katie Sheridan, North Carolina State UniversityKatie_Sheridan@ncsu.edu

N4A News is published three times per year for current members.

NCAA/N4A PARTNERSHIP UPDATE continued

5

PDI…WHY?Submitted by: Ashlee Anderson

Have you caught the latest Apple commercial touting the benefi ts of a Mac computer over a PC? Like others, this ad features two men comparing notes on the well-known computer systems, most notably how the PC doesn’t measure up to a Mac. In this particular commercial, the PC representative has written two books for his faithful followers – I WANT TO BUY A COMPUTER…NOW WHAT? and I JUST BOUGHT A PC…NOW WHAT? Even something that appears to be simple, like buying and operating a computer, can be exciting, intimidating, frustrating, and possibly life-changing.

Interestingly, our career paths can often be compared to this commercial. We can’t wait to begin a career in student-athlete services, only to land that fi rst job and wonder what attracted us in the fi rst place. After a few years of providing academic support to student-athletes, we are ready to take the next step in our profession but not quite sure how to make the leap. Whether you feel drawn to the fi rst or second scenario, consider the N4A Professional Development Institute (PDI) to guide you through your journey.

I ADVISE STUDENT-ATHLETES…NOW WHAT?Welcome to one of the most rewarding, perplexing, interesting professions. You have the opportunity to infl uence student-athletes of all capabilities and help them succeed in the classroom and in life. This can be a challenging task to say the least. The New Practitioner track within PDI will help you develop the integrity, knowledge, and confi dence to provide the support necessary to be a successful athletics/academic advisor. New Practitioner’s comprehensive agenda will help prepare you for challenging situations, refer student-athletes to appropriate resources, grasp the details of academic eligibility, and realize your role within campus. This track is geared to who else but new practitioners who have been advising student athletes for a short time and feel their knowledge base and training could be improved by an intensive series of workshops and case studies.

I WANT TO DO MORE THAN ADVISE STUDENT-ATHLETES…NOW WHAT?Congratulations. You have survived at least fi ve years of providing support services to student-athletes and wonder what else this crazy profession has to offer. Not that you’re bored with advising or coordinating tutors or assessing learning disabilities – those are the basis of our profession. But wouldn’t it be exciting to take on more responsibility, to supervise staff, to solve problems at the management level, to develop and implement a strategy for your academic unit? The Leadership & Management track of PDI is a powerful, eye-opening series of workshops, discussions, and case studies that imparts real-life knowledge to prepare you for a director-level position. Graduates of Leadership & Management are prepared to orchestrate the behind-the-scenes responsibilities of a manager including budgets, facilities, personnel, and communication. Go beyond internal relations, and you’re then ready to navigate campus administration and implement a strategic plan for your department. Career advancement takes center stage with Leadership & Management so you are able to position yourself for the perfect job when opportunity knocks.

PDI IS THE ANSWER! NOW WHAT?New N4A members, who are just scratching the surface of available training, or more seasoned members, who feel they are at a crossroads in their careers, consider applying to the 2008 PDI. Information and application materials can be found on the N4A Web site. The deadline to apply is March 15. Remember, PDI could be the best opportunity of your professional career. It could fi ll that void in your professional training or be the extra push you need to make a career change. Best of all, we won’t make you declare your affi nity for PC or Mac.

Academic Reform Curriculum Advisory Board UpdateSubmitted by: Brian Evans

As part of the continuing effort in Academic Reform, the NCAA Academic Reform Curriculum Advisory Board (ARCAB) met this past August at the NCAA National Offi ce in Indianapolis to continue dialogue and program development. N4A members Jack Rivas, Melanie Richardson, Phil Moses, and Brian Evans joined NCAA offi cials, NACADA representatives, and two Faculty Athletic Representatives to review recent initiatives and discuss future programs and activities.

“The goal of the advisory board is to develop educational programming that will assist those on a campus who contribute to student-athlete success”, states Carrie Leger, former N4A member and now Associate Director of Membership Services at the NCAA overseeing ARCAB.

Initiatives that were accomplished in 2006-07 were APP workshops during NCAA Regional Rules Seminars, NACADA Academic Reform Summer Institute and Online Course, and the APR Pilot “Winning Strategies for Academic Performance and Retention” series at the N4A National Convention in Phoenix. The focus for future programming, specifi cally for N4A, is to continue establishment of the APR Consulting and Presentation initiatives, conduct necessary programming at the N4A National Convention, and be represented on the faculty for the NACADA online course and summer institute.

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