Community Chairs are elected by their Community members and provide leadership for Community activities in support of the profession by representing its members and their needs and concerns through the Division Representatives and communicating with the members. Community Chairs coordinate community activities and lead Community meetings during the Annual Conference. Community Chairs report to the Division Representatives for the Advising Communities Division (ACD).
First-Year Students Chair - (elected, term October 2019-October 2021). Prior to taking office, candidates must have completed the previous year as a member in the Community and be a current member in that group.
Sarah M Kyllo
Oregon State University Corvallis OR
Platform
Platform Statement: Part I
1. If elected to this position, what will you attempt to accomplish that will help to meet the strategic goals of the Association? (1500 characters or less) As the First-Year Students Chair, I would like to create a strong community for those that work with first-year students where members can share best practices, find resources, and discuss new ideas, technologies or issues facing our students. I would like to have a space where members can network and connect on projects around assessment of first-year students and advising. I would also work to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels they have a voice and feels their work and ideas are valued. The community should also be a space where members can easily find other members to work together on presentations for regional or national NACADA conferences or publish for NACADA or other publications.
Platform Statement: Part II
2. Describe an accomplishment on your own campus or within NACADA of which you are proud. What do you believe your accomplishment demonstrates about your abilities as a leader? (1500 characters or less) Last year, I served as the chair of the Hospitality Committee for the Region 8 conference in Portland, Oregon, which was our highest attended regional conference. As the leader of our committee, I worked with the volunteers to find out what they were interested in personally and assigned tasks based upon those interests. I created a timeline and communication plan and worked to make tasks and deadlines as streamlined and organized as possible by utilizing technology for meetings and documenting our tasks with a shared document. Our group worked to get people excited about visiting Portland through blog posts and provided materials and recommendations on things to do when they visited our desk at the conference. We also were able to connect attendees through our dinner groups and a morning walk/run. As a leader, I try to recognize, acknowledge, and appreciate individual contributions and strengths and work as a team to reach our goals.
Platform Statement: Part III
3. Why are you interested in serving in this leadership position or what influenced you to run for this leadership position? (1500 characters or less) I have really enjoyed the opportunities for professional development I have had with NACADA and I have been interested in taking the next step into serving in a leadership role. This role interests me since I have been working solely with first-year students in the College of Engineering at Oregon State University for just over four years and I am really passionate about advising students as they transition to a college or university. I have been advising for 8 years and feel that I have a lot of experience to share and at the same time, I am very interested in learning more from others in this community. I would love an opportunity to explore new ways to engage the first-year advising community and advance best practices for advising first-year students.
Platform Statement: Part IV
4. Please describe how you will work to promote the enhancement of inclusivity throughout (or within) the association. (1500 characters or less)
I would hope to enhance inclusivity within the association by encouraging more people to join the first-year advising group who either currently work with first-year students or are interested in this population, including graduate students. Within the group, I would work to provide a variety of options for people to interact with the group, whether that is through a Facebook group, a newsletter or blog, online meetings or face-to-face at conferences based on participants interest and availability. Since not everyone has the opportunity to come to conferences, I think it’s important that the conversations around best practices and sharing of ideas can reach as many of our members as possible. I would like the group to be as accessible as possible and to be a place that people feel comfortable, respected, and valued to talk about their experiences and ideas for advising first-year students. I would want our mission and values to be visible for all members to have a shared expectation...
I would hope to enhance inclusivity within the association by encouraging more people to join the first-year advising group who either currently work with first-year students or are interested in this population, including graduate students. Within the group, I would work to provide a variety of options for people to interact with the group, whether that is through a Facebook group, a newsletter or blog, online meetings or face-to-face at conferences based on participants interest and availability. Since not everyone has the opportunity to come to conferences, I think it’s important that the conversations around best practices and sharing of ideas can reach as many of our members as possible. I would like the group to be as accessible as possible and to be a place that people feel comfortable, respected, and valued to talk about their experiences and ideas for advising first-year students. I would want our mission and values to be visible for all members to have a shared expectation as a place to learn from each other.
Platform Statement: Part V
5. Outline your past involvement in NACADA:
a. Years in NACADA
b. National Offices Help and Accomplishments Achieved
I first joined NACADA when I was in graduate school in 2009 and have been involved in NACADA since that time almost 10 years ago. I have had the opportunity to attend several advising seminars and conferences, present a poster at an annual conference, and present at a regional conference. I served last year as the chair for the hospitality committee for the region 8 conference and have had 2 articles published in Academic Advising Today.
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Kansas State University
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