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).
Graduate and Professional 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.
Jamie Heck
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati OH
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)
If elected as Chair of the Graduate and Professional Students Community, I will strive to enhance the visibility and engagement of our community members, while providing a voice for graduate and professional students. Some of the initiatives that I feel would assist in meeting the strategic goals of the Association are listed below:
• Continue to enhance the volume of research, literature, and presentation proposals focused on advising graduate and professional students.
• Implement a writing group to encourage networking, collaboration, and idea generation among members of the Graduate and Professional Students Community. The writing group will strive to contribute to the research and literature focused on graduate and professional students.
• Examine the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) in Higher Education: Standards and Guidelines for Academic Advising from the lens of advising graduate and professional students. The result of this examination will be the...
If elected as Chair of the Graduate and Professional Students Community, I will strive to enhance the visibility and engagement of our community members, while providing a voice for graduate and professional students. Some of the initiatives that I feel would assist in meeting the strategic goals of the Association are listed below:
• Continue to enhance the volume of research, literature, and presentation proposals focused on advising graduate and professional students.
• Implement a writing group to encourage networking, collaboration, and idea generation among members of the Graduate and Professional Students Community. The writing group will strive to contribute to the research and literature focused on graduate and professional students.
• Examine the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) in Higher Education: Standards and Guidelines for Academic Advising from the lens of advising graduate and professional students. The result of this examination will be the creation of the Graduate and Professional Students Community standards for advising graduate and professional students. These standards will provide framework for institutions, advising units, and advising professionals who offer graduate and professional opportunities.
• Identify strategies for Graduate and Professional Students Community members to enhance the voice and presence of graduate and professional students within their own institution.
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)
During this past year, in collaboration with two fellow colleagues at the University of Cincinnati, we have co-led the Graduate Student Support Community affiliated with our institutional level advising organization. The community has been an avenue for interaction, communication, and collaboration among persons who work with graduate and professional students across our campus. I am so grateful for the implementation of this community because it has provided advising professionals with a network of colleagues who possess a comparable interest and passion to support the needs and experiences of our graduate and professional students. As a leader within the Graduate Student Support Community at the University of Cincinnati, my role is to help advance the goals of our community. I am dedicated to ensuring that we keep the momentum of this group to accomplish our goals. It is not only important to identify our role in advising graduate and professional students, but we also have an obligation...
During this past year, in collaboration with two fellow colleagues at the University of Cincinnati, we have co-led the Graduate Student Support Community affiliated with our institutional level advising organization. The community has been an avenue for interaction, communication, and collaboration among persons who work with graduate and professional students across our campus. I am so grateful for the implementation of this community because it has provided advising professionals with a network of colleagues who possess a comparable interest and passion to support the needs and experiences of our graduate and professional students. As a leader within the Graduate Student Support Community at the University of Cincinnati, my role is to help advance the goals of our community. I am dedicated to ensuring that we keep the momentum of this group to accomplish our goals. It is not only important to identify our role in advising graduate and professional students, but we also have an obligation to examine how our Graduate Student Support Community at the University of Cincinnati can contribute to the national landscape of graduate and professional students as well. If elected as Chair of the Graduate and Professional Students Community, I would fulfill a comparable role within this organization as well.
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)
Over the last 9 years, I have worked with graduate students in the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati. My experience has enhanced my interest and advocacy for a student population (graduate and professional students) who I consider to be significantly underrepresented in the field of academic advising. As more colleges and universities are introducing or expanding their graduate programs in addition to increasing their graduate and professional student population, there is a heightened need to offer advising and support services targeted toward graduate and professional students.
I aspire to be a leader in serving as an advocate for graduate and professional students. Specific areas of interest for me include further exploration of the needs and experiences of graduate and professional students, identification of resources and services to better assist in their academic, professional and personal success, and examination of the faculty advisor and professional academic...
Over the last 9 years, I have worked with graduate students in the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati. My experience has enhanced my interest and advocacy for a student population (graduate and professional students) who I consider to be significantly underrepresented in the field of academic advising. As more colleges and universities are introducing or expanding their graduate programs in addition to increasing their graduate and professional student population, there is a heightened need to offer advising and support services targeted toward graduate and professional students.
I aspire to be a leader in serving as an advocate for graduate and professional students. Specific areas of interest for me include further exploration of the needs and experiences of graduate and professional students, identification of resources and services to better assist in their academic, professional and personal success, and examination of the faculty advisor and professional academic advisor roles in supporting graduate and professional students. If elected as Chair of this community, it would provide a platform for me to continue to serve as a voice and advocate for graduate and professional students as well as to collaborate with fellow NACADA members who share this same passion and desire. I feel that this leadership role within NACADA will create an opportunity to make significant contributions as it relates to graduate and professional 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) In the same manner that NACADA values the participation of its members and strives to create a culture that makes all members feel supported and connected, I will work to enhance inclusivity within the Graduate and Professional Students Community. Our community members as well as the students must feel valued, welcomed, and appreciated. We have to determine how we can support one another and our students as they experience situations that are not inclusive. If elected as Chair of the Graduate and Professional Students Community, I will work to celebrate the differences of our community members. I will engage in active listening while stressing the importance of every community member sharing their perspective and voice. Finally, I will make sure to continuously reiterate the goals of the community and to reflect on our progress as a community.
Platform Statement: Part V
5. Outline your past involvement in NACADA:
a. Years in NACADA
b. National Offices Help and Accomplishments Achieved
My involvement in NACADA began 13 years ago. Since then, NACADA has provided me with a platform to explore my research interests, while serving as an advocate for the student populations with whom I have worked. I am most proud of the diverse ways in which I have contributed to conversations and the exchange of ideas to promote the advancement of academic advising. I co-authored an article published in the NACADA Journal in 2011. In addition to this article, I have written four book reviews for the NACADA Journal. I have served in a variety of roles within NACADA, including presenter (seven national conference presentations, two regional conference presentations), conference volunteer, conference proposal reviewer, member of the Region 5 Awards and Grants selection committee, and member of various communities. In 2018, I was elected as the Region 5 Liaison-Ohio and was selected as a mentor in the Region 5 Mentoring program. All of these activities have allowed me to network with...
My involvement in NACADA began 13 years ago. Since then, NACADA has provided me with a platform to explore my research interests, while serving as an advocate for the student populations with whom I have worked. I am most proud of the diverse ways in which I have contributed to conversations and the exchange of ideas to promote the advancement of academic advising. I co-authored an article published in the NACADA Journal in 2011. In addition to this article, I have written four book reviews for the NACADA Journal. I have served in a variety of roles within NACADA, including presenter (seven national conference presentations, two regional conference presentations), conference volunteer, conference proposal reviewer, member of the Region 5 Awards and Grants selection committee, and member of various communities. In 2018, I was elected as the Region 5 Liaison-Ohio and was selected as a mentor in the Region 5 Mentoring program. All of these activities have allowed me to network with other academic advising professionals in an environment characterized by collaboration, cooperation, and inspiration.
In 2010, I was selected as the recipient for the NACADA Student Research Award in the "Doctoral Degree" category. As a recipient of this award, it reiterated the fact that I had a responsibility to serve as a voice for the student populations with whom I work.
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