2023 AAA Session Descriptions

Session titles below link to presentation materials.
Session Session Title Presenter(s) & Institution Session Description

Poster Session

9:30-10:00am

International students’ experience with college admission consultants for study in the U.S.

Truc Nguyen, Graduate Student, Educational Administration,

-University of Nebraska-Lincoln 

The poster presentation will include information and an assessment plan for those who want to know about college admission consulting services at schools and agencies. The poster will provide international students’ various supporting networks from the early stage to program enrollment, a re-examination of international student recruitment and recruitment strategies for international markets, especially Vietnam. It is relevant for academic advisors, admission and enrollment professionals and anyone desiring to support student transition and international student enrollment in the U.S. The first stage in retention efforts is to find the correct prospective students with appropriate recruitment strategies for an institution.

Keynote Address

10:00-11:00am

Nurturing Happiness at Home and Cheerfulness at Work - Mindfulness for All

Video presentation the keynote address was based on

Patrick T. Randolph, Independent Lecturer, Freelance Author This fun, informative, and interactive session briefly surveys the social, work, and/or school issues that many people face in their everyday lives. Next, we look at how mindfulness and meditation can help solve or lessen the severity of these challenges and, as a consequence, create happier human beings. The physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual benefits of mindfulness are offered, and then we will engage in a number of effective, simple, and short mindfulness activities. Each of these practices can be used at home, at the office, in meetings, in the classroom, or even while walking from your car, bike, or bus to your home or office. Participants will discover that mindfulness is a natural faculty we all have; it is merely a matter of being aware and being open to this blissful gift that presents itself to us every moment of the day. The goal of this presentation is simple: To rediscover the friendships we have with our breath, our being, and life itself. 

Concurrent Session #1

11:15am-12:00pm

Keynote Breakout: The Recipe for Longevity Awaits: 13 Scrumptious Well-Being Tips for Now and After Retirement

Patrick T. Randolph, Independent Lecturer, Freelance Author

If you are interested in a long, healthy, and happy life, this session is for you! This cutting-edge presentation offers 13 essential ingredients supported by the neuroscience and mindfulness communities that contribute to mental wellness, physical health, happiness, and longevity. I have researched these ingredients for 12 years and found them to be the fundamental “longevity keys” for those living in the blue zones (i.e., longevity zones with the most centenarians) around the world. These include such practices as moderate aerobic exercise, stress-reduction, finding a sense of purpose, mindfulness practices, a good diet and intermittent fasting, continued learning, and short meditations. Participants learn about these 13 factors and discuss how to implement them in their lives. Please bring a peaceful smile to this session and watch it unfold.

Re-Energize Your Well-Being

Connie Boehm, Director of Student Resilience 

-University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Big Red Resilience and Well-being staff aim to support the well-being of students. Research brings to light that happy and engaged faculty and staff members have a huge impact on student learning.

Attend this presentation to:
• Learn about your well-being through the well-being assessment and connect to well-being resources,
• Discover the impact of becoming REACH trained,
• Experience the benefits of connection.

Mindful Movements at the Workplace

Handout

Annalisa Mazza, Assistant Director of Employee Wellness

-University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Do you find yourself restless after hours of working at your desk or in your office? Constantly reaching for that second or third cup of coffee just to make it through the work day? Join Assistant Director of Employee Wellness, Annalisa Mazza, as she demonstrates some strategies on how to reenergize throughout your workday! This presentation will include a variety of activities including chair yoga, seated meditations, easy to implement healthy work life changes, and more!

Concurrent Session #2

1:15-2:00pm

Managing Change and Planning for the Future: Lessons Learned in Transitioning Technology 

Handout

Tony Lazarowicz, Director of Academic Advising, College of Arts and Sciences


Bill Watts - Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education and Student Success


Jennifer Mostek- Director of College of Business Advising and Student Engagement


Alan Frizzell- Salesforce Project Analyst- Office of Enterprise CRM

-University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Change. A word that many dread. However, with effective planning and implementation, change can be managed and embraced. Recently, our campus engaged in a significant technology change. Not everything went perfect, but that was expected. Join us to hear a panel of our implementation team discuss how our campus planned for change and approached change management; built an implementation team, and what mistakes we made along the way. Regardless of the change your campus may be looking at in the future, this panel session will help you think broadly about how to incorporate such a large-scale change more effectively.
Welcome to the Team! An Innovative Approach to Onboarding and Training New Advisors 

Megan Christensen, Assistant Director, College of Business Advising and Student Engagement

-University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Onboarding and training new advisors is critical to building positive and meaningful experiences for both staff and students. This session will provide an overview of the innovative onboarding and training structure one business school advising office uses to ensure an effective experience that guides new advisors in learning their position and feel connected in the advising and college communities. Participants will learn ways to approach onboarding and training new advisors and explore strategies to improve their own onboarding and training plans. The session will focus on the key components of onboarding and training, as well as provide participants an opportunity to discuss ideas and strategies to meet the needs and concerns of new employees and academic offices.

Re-imagining Student Affairs through Effectively Responding to Bias Incidents

Stephanie Bondi, Associate Professor of Practice, College of Education and Human Sciences, Educational Administration


Trish Manga, Graduate Student, College of Education and Human Sciences, Educational Administration

-University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Research has shown that higher education institutions are often the site of bias incidents. These incidents can create fractures in an individual's experience at the institution. Many are not aware and have not been trained how to effectively respond to bias incidents even when they intend to be supportive.  An ineffective response can create additional harms and fractures in our community.  This session will provide information about and a process for those who want to support anyone who has experienced bias or discrimination.  It is relevant for administrators, supervisors, office staff, and anyone else desiring to support faculty, staff and/or students.  Effectively responding to reports of bias is critical to the future of the field.

Concurrent Session #3

2:15-3:00pm

Parallels to Parenting: Using Preschool Strategies to Support College Students

Rachel Wesley, Assistant Director, College of Business Advising and Student Engagement

-University of Nebraska - Lincoln

I’ve hit a point in my life and career where I don’t relate to the current student body as I once did, and our lived experiences don’t match up as often. As a mom, I often find myself going “back to the basics” in my thought processing and communication. That mindset has found its way into my work with students and created positive changes that I feel have made me a better advisor. In this session, we’ll share resources, strategies and lessons learned for connecting with students in a way that feels refreshed through group activities and discussion.

Just What is Critical Race Theory and What's It Doing in a "Nice" Field like Academic Advising?

Handout

CJ Venable, Training and Professional Development Specialist, UNL Academic Advising

-University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Inspired by Gloria Ladson-Billing's (1998) classic paper “Just What is Critical Race Theory and What’s It Doing in a Nice Field like Education?”, this session explores the foundational tenets of CRT and how they might be used to understand the field of academic advising. In addition, this session will also consider how advisors might make different choices in response. Drawing upon the literature from CRT and from academic advising, as well as the presenter’s decade of experience in academic advising, this session will help re-strengthen advisors’ commitment to students even in a time of intense political rhetoric.

Early Alerts - Identifying and Supporting Struggling Students Before Mid-Semester

Eric Einspahr, Retention and Student Success Coordinator, College of Engineering


Nicole Binderup, Academic Navigator, College of Engineering

-University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Higher education has long known how critical the first six weeks of college can be. However, there is often a lack of data on student success during this time. Starting in Spring 2022 the College of Engineering piloted an Early Alert and Intervention System in key first year math and engineering courses on both the UNL and UNO campuses. EAIS had two goals: to identify students in need of support early as possible and connect them with resources. This presentation will focus on how effective the EAIS system was, with particular attention to MATH 103/1340 and MATH 106/1950 courses.