New Student Orientation director elected to NODA board of directors

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Katie Motycki, senior associate director for New Student Orientation within Student Orientation and Transition Programs (SOTP) at Penn State, was recently elected to the NODA board of directors for a 3-year term. The position will enable Motycki to shape national conversations related to acclimating entering students to college life.

NODA: An Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education, brings together professionals from colleges and universities for peer-to-peer learning opportunities for its members. Motycki, who has worked at Penn State for seven years, will join 11 other board members from member colleges and universities as they lead the organization through the pandemic and what lies beyond.

Colleges and universities have already begun orienting students who finished high school in pandemic conditions, and that will only continue for the near future. Students who begin college during summer and fall 2021 will have had three semesters learning in remote or hybrid models at their high schools.

“I think that the issues facing the NODA board and its members are about how to support a population of students starting at our universities post-COVID-19,” Motycki said. “We need to be thinking about how to shift our programming to prepare students for in-person learning and on-campus living in a new way.”

Motycki said she and the board will be thinking about how to support the NODA membership during times of financial uncertainty for many colleges and universities and offer creative, low-cost ways to provide professional development opportunities and support.

“We should also be thinking about how our orientation programs are keeping equity and diversity at the core of our work,” she added.

Motycki earned her bachelor’s degree from Penn State and a master’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She began her career in higher education by working first for La Roche College in Pittsburgh and then Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

Those running for a seat on the NODA board must first apply to the organization’s election committee, which evaluates if a candidate has met the criteria to be on the board. NODA members then vote on candidates in a virtual election. The board meets three times per year and discusses issues such as budget, membership, policies and the organization’s national conference.

Student Orientation and Transition Programs is part of Penn State Student Affairs and the Office of Undergraduate Education.