UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Registration is now open for the 23rd annual Penn State Conference on Academic Advising, featuring virtual and in-person options that will share practices in student guidance and support.
The annual conference is hosted by Penn State’s Division of Undergraduate Studies in partnership with the Office of Undergraduate Education, University Advising Council, The Spencer Foundation and the journal “The Mentor: Innovative Scholarship on Academic Advising.” Educators and advisers will share practices that advance the advising profession and help others to navigate the changing landscape of higher education.
The conference kicks off with a virtual day on Monday, Sept. 23, with an in-person day following on Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Penn State Hotel & Conference Center.
The virtual day’s keynote speakers will be Junhow Wei, assistant dean for studies, Yeh College, Princeton University; and Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng, vice dean for research and equity, and associate professor of international education, NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, presenting “Inequality and Advising.” Wei and Cherng will present findings from a series of research studies that examine differences between marginalized and mainstream college students in how frequently they meet with academic advisers, and to what extent those meetings impact academic outcomes.
This year’s keynote speaker for the in-person day will be Gabriel Bermea, a student success practitioner experienced in academic advising practices, especially within minority serving institutions. His talk, “Empowering Success: Transformative Advising Strategies from MSIs,” will cover topics such as equity-minded advising, post-completion success strategies, personalized advising approaches and holistic student support systems. This will be followed by the session “Cultivating an Equity Mindset: A Philosophy of Meeting Students as They Are,” which will guide academic advisers through the beginnings of adopting an equity-focused approach to advising.
Register now at dus.psu.edu. The cost is $145 for individuals who attend both the virtual and in-person days. A fee of $30 is required for attending only the virtual day. For accommodations at the Penn Stater, participants are encouraged to book rooms at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center using the group code PCAA24A to access a special rate of $139 per night plus tax.
“We are looking forward to bringing members of the advising community together from Penn State and beyond, to discuss new innovations and ideas for helping our students navigate their academic journeys,” said Meghan Cruciani, director of academic advising at Penn State Scranton and co-chair of this year’s conference. “Advisers tend to be natural helpers, so having the opportunity to come together to share best practices and discuss common challenges is helpful for all of us to bring back to our daily work.”
For more information, contact conference organizers Cruciani at mxc35@psu.edu or Richard Brungard at jrb320@psu.edu.
The Division of Undergraduate Studies is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.