5 Questions With... round 2!

As a sneak peek into some of our sessions next week, the conference committee has interviewed a few presenters about their session and what we can expect!

Enjoy this "5 Questions with..." Ann Lieberman Colgan from West Chester University, who will present Thursday morning: "Think About It: Advisors’ Philosophical Assumptions Matter".

1.       Tell us about yourself and your involvement in advising and NACADA?

I have been a Pre-Major (exploratory/undeclared) Faculty Academic Advisor at West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCU) for eight years and am completing an EdD in Jewish Education at Gratz College this year.  To my astonishment, advising suits me perfectly, and exposure to NACADA through Region 2 and national conferences helped shape my professional outlook.  Additionally, I developed deeper interest in several areas of research relevant to advising.  As a member of NACADA, I joined the Region 2 Commission for LGBTQA Advising and Advocacy and look forward to becoming more involved.  Before joining Pre-Major Academic Advising, I taught secondary Social Studies, but most of my work experience for the past 20 years has been in higher education.  I also supervised, evaluated, and trained tutors at WCU’s Learning Assistance and Resource Center.

2.       What motivated you to present on this topic?

I strongly believe that we must reflect on our actions and choices if we hope to make improvements.  My graduate coursework involved exposure to philosophies that I realized had application to advising, and I began to want to share those with colleagues.  I’m NOT a philosopher by nature, so I’m always looking for practical and functional uses for esoteric coursework.

3.       Tell us about your session. What can attendees look forward to?

“Think About It! Advisors’ Philosophical Assumptions Matter” will involve interactive discussion and reflection about the underlying assumptions we bring to advising.  We will ask critical questions and examine the implications of our tacit beliefs and the impact those beliefs might have on students. 

4.       What is the major take away you hope attendees gain from your presentation?

 I hope advisors will internalize the need to question their philosophical assumptions because we should be mindful and deliberate about the unstated ideas that inform our advising practices.  This opportunity for critical reflection will result in attendees’ increased awareness of the previously unexamined beliefs they and others bring to advising.

5.       What are you looking forward to most at the 2015 Region 2 Conference?

Since I will have defended my dissertation only days before the conference, I look forward to presentations and socializing with no outstanding academic obligations hanging over my head (except tenure and the publishing required)!  I also look forward to getting to know more NACADA colleagues, becoming more involved, and enjoying the lovely city of Richmond.