Letter from the Chair

Dear Friends and Colleagues of PAC,

I am excited to serve as Chair of the Professional Advisers Council for the upcoming year! Since joining OU as an academic adviser, I have enjoyed engaged and thoughtful conversations with many of you about our work, this institution, and the challenges and opportunities we anticipate as a professional community. Above all, the passion underlying these conversations underscores our collective investment in building and sustaining a University that produces successful students and enlightened citizens. PAC is critical infrastructure for achieving this shared vision, and in collaboration with the rest of the executive board, I look forward to keeping this investment as a centerpiece of our programming this year.

As members of a large and diverse team of advisers across campus, we each bring a different and invaluable perspective to the broader project of student success. Our aim this year is to maximize opportunities for collaboration and generative exchange between advisers across campus. We have made this the primary goal of our monthly in-person general meetings for the coming year; when we invite guests and campus partners to join these meetings, for example, our intention is that their contributions will primarily be a starting point for discussion and conversation with advisers. Likewise, we are excited to work with the members of PAC committees on programs that foster dialogue in our meetings and connections across units. We see PAC primarily as a forum for these dialogues, and the time, energy, and perspectives you contribute as members of PAC are a part of what makes advising a unique asset to OU and the communities it serves.

In addition to me, our executive board this year includes Ariana Abbott in the role of NACADA Liaison, Patty Allen in the role of Secretary, and Steven Bryant in the role of Chair-Elect. The role of Treasurer will be filled in an upcoming special election following Grace Shinske’s departure.

As PAC Chair, I hope you will see me as a resource and partner in our work together, and I sincerely look forward to the conversations and collaboration ahead.

Cheers,