Heart of Advising Conference to be held in February

The third annual Academic Advising Conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, on the lower level of Heth Hall.

The Advising Conference will feature sessions that relate to student development, student issues, data and assessment, as well as technology and techniques to assist student support professionals and faculty while working with students.

“When we as a campus are more aware of student issues and how to address [the issues], we can develop strategies and interventions to help our students and ultimately retain them,” said Rachel Hall, senior assistant director in the Pre-major Advising Center.

The keynote speaker for the conference is Joe Murray, the assistant dean of Undergraduate Studies for University Advising Services at Florida Atlantic University.

Murray helped develop and refine the Appreciative Advising Inventory and has been part of a national task force aimed at advancing the concept of Appreciative Advising. He has provided multiple training workshops and retreats to deliver the model from a customer service and employee management perspective. Murray has adopted the framework to all offices across FAU's campus.

Additional sessions available at the conference are led by Radford University faculty and staff and include:

• Strengths, Interests & Achievement: Integrating a flourishing model for positive career outcomes, given by Angela Joyner, Ellen Taylor and others
• Faculty Perspectives on Advising: “Yes We Can,” given by Dayna Hayes and Stirling Barfield
• Advantageous Advising Assets, given by Donna DeHaven, Allison McCoy and Dana Trask
• Family Involvement & How It Relates to Student Persistence and Motivation, given by Cammie Sgarella and Joel Hanlon
• The Truth About Micro Aggression, given by Buffy Ruffin
• From Admissions to Quest, given by Allison Pratt
• Mindfulness - Getting to the Heart of What Matters, given by Alan Forrest, Angela Cardenas and David Wooden
• Working with Students Who Self-Disclose Mental Health Issues, given by Nadine Hartig and Rachel Hall
• History 111 and Core 101: Connecting to Increase Student Success, given by Mary Ferrari and Michele Ren
• Bob Marley Was Right - Using Marketing Strategies to Get Students in the Door, given by Melanie Butler and Hillary Gaskins
• EZPZ: Using Qualtrics for Proactive Retention Interventions, given by Rachel Hall and Allison McCoy
• Challenges in Attracting, Recruiting and Retaining Transfer Students, given by Opal Merchant, Loretta Estes and Noelani Hall