WACADA | Wisconsin Academic Advising Association

Member Benefits

Being a member of WACADA means you’ll have access to several professional development opportunities.

  • Awards

    Awards

    The Wisconsin Academic Advising Awards are intended to recognize individuals who work with, for, and in favor of students in an academic advising capacity, and those who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the profession of academic advising. These awards are available to all individuals in any institution of higher education in the State of Wisconsin.

    The Process

    For all awards, except the Peer Advisor and Graduate Student Scholarship, the nominator needs only to complete the “Nomination Form,” and send to the Awards Chair (Past president of WACADA). For Peer Advisor and Grad Student Scholarship details, see below.

    The Chair, along with the Awards Committee, will contact each nominee and request information (a resume, an academic advising philosophy statement and a history of professional development). The Awards Committee will review all the information and make the selections prior to the annual WACADA conference. Awards will be presented at the WACADA conference on September 14-15, 2017 at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

    2017 Nomination Form: download here
    Awards Deadline: June 5, 2017
    Award Categories: (see descriptions below)

    Nominations are due by the Awards Deadline date listed above and will be announced at the annual WACADA conference. For more information please contact Janay Alston at alstonjs16@uww.edu.

    Faculty/Staff Categories

    • Advising Excellence Award (up to 2@ $150.00 each)
    • Advising Profession Impact Award (1@ $150.00)
    • Faculty Advisor Excellence Award (1@ $150.00 and one-year WACADA membership)
    • Foundation Award (1@ $150.00)
    • Leadership Award (1@ $150.00)
    • Outstanding Achievement Award (1@ $150.00)

    Student Categories

    • Graduate Student Award (1@ $150.00)
    • Graduate Student Scholarship (2@ $30.00)
    • Peer Advisor Award (up to 3@ $50.00 each)

    Previous Winners

    Congratulations to the 2016 WACADA Award Winners!

    Winners: Laura Polum – UW-Stevens Point (Advising Excellence Award), Mike Exum – UW-Extension (Advising Excellence Award), Dr. Quin Chrobak – UW-Oshkosh(Faculty Advisor Excellence Award), Alex Ferge – UW-Eau Claire(Foundation Award), Cindy Fruhwirth – UW-Oshkosh(Outstanding Achievement in Advising Award), Kelsey Kopp – UW-Eau Claire(Advising Profession Impact Award), Haley Rohe – UW-Oshkosh(Peer Advising Award)

  • Grants

    Grants

    Congratulations to our most recent grant recipients, Christine Wolf & Janay Alston!
    You could be next! Learn more below.

    Purpose:
    Advisors are responsible to their professional role as advisors and to themselves personally. The Wisconsin Academic Advising Association is committed to assisting member participation in professional development opportunities by offering grants to members who wish to conduct original research or to attend classes, workshops, seminars or conferences.

    Grants:

    • The number of grants awarded is dependent upon available funding.
    • Grants are awarded by the WACADA Executive Board.
    • The Board may award up to $250 for each grant.
    • The Board must receive confirmation of acceptance of the grant before funds will be disbursed.

    Eligibility:

    • Applicant must be a WACADA member in good standing.
    • Previous grant recipients are eligible to apply, but will be considered after applicants who have not previously received a grant.
    • Grant recipients will be announced in the newsletter/blog and at the annual WACADA Conference.

    Application Deadline:
    The WACADA Board meets quarterly (usually January, March/April, July, November) and appreciates ample lead time to consider your request. Please submit your proposal well in advance of the professional opportunity for which you are seeking support. Questions about this timeline should be directed to the VP of Programs (see below).

    Application Submission Procedures: The individual must include the following items in the grant proposal to be given full consideration:

    • Applicant contact information: name, institution, department or office, your position title, status (faculty, staff, administrator, or student), mailing address, phone, e-mail.
    • A brief description of the research or professional development activity for which this grant will be used.
    • An explanation about how the activity relates to advising and how it will benefit you, your department, and the students you work with.
    • An explanation about how you will share the professional development experience with colleagues at your institution, or at a seminar, workshop, or conference (such as WACADA or NACADA). Ideas to consider: Write a summary for a WACADA blog post, record a short video for WACADA social media, submit a presentation proposal for a WACADA conference or Professional Development Workshop (PDW), NACADA regional or national conference, or a NACADA publication.
    • A detailed list of budget/costs and indicate how you’re funding other portions of the activity (i.e., department support, other grants, personal funds). How much are you requesting? A maximum of $250 can be awarded, but you may request a lessor amount.

    Submit proposal to or for more information contact:
    Tiffany Kelly, Vice President of Programs
    tleflore@uwm.edu
    (414) 229-4195

  • Newsletters

    Newsletters

    Here’s an archive of our past newsletters. See our blog to check out the latest WACADA happenings.

  • Professional Development

    Professional Development

    WACADA offers several professional development opportunities. Please see below for additional details.

    WACADA Fall Conference

    The WACADA Conference is offered every fall (September) in various locations throughout the state. The conference is a great opportunity to connect with advising colleagues near and far and learn from each other during interactive and informative conference sessions. Take your development to the next level and submit a proposal to present or lead a session at the next fall conference! While the conference is packed full of learning, there is also plenty of fun – from networking socials to local entertainment, it will be a professional event you won’t quickly forget!

    WACADA Winter Professional Development Workshop

    The winter workshop is offered on one or more campuses across the state as an opportunity to dig deeper into advising topics by reviewing and discussing webinars. The workshop is typically a half-day event and the perfect way to reconnect with WACADA members in the early part of the spring semester (January/February).

    Webinars

    WACADA owns several NACADA webinars that may be borrowed by members in good standing. The webinars run 60 to 90 minutes and are available to borrow for a two-week period.

    See Webinars

    Campus/Regional Representative Program

    Proposed Responsibilities:

    • Serve as WACADA resource or “point person” for campus/region
    • Assist the VP of Membership in informing members about resources, conferences, other happenings, etc.
    • Coordinate and promote additional professional development activities for respective campus/region
    • Promote membership recruitment of both professional and graduate student members
    • Outreach to non-WACADA members

    Proposed Requirements:

    • Should be experienced WACADA members
    • Must attend the annual conference
    • Stay up-to-date on WACADA news and other topics in student services
    • Work collaboratively with VP of Membership to increase the value of WACADA membership

    How Do We Get Started?

    • Determine how the current membership would like to see this program structured
    • Develop a working description for the role, including requirements and responsibilities
    • Identify possible representatives from campuses across the state

    TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN, WE’LL NEED YOUR HELP!

    If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity to increase your involvement in WACADA, please touch base with Danielle Stertz, VP of Membership, by sending an email to danielle.stertz@uwex.edu.