This year's National College Fair in Chicago boasted some pretty amazing statistics: 10,000 students registered 322 students were helped in the counseling center 43 volunteers 471 college and university attendees A few changes were in store for both admission representatives…
The 2011 Assembly took place on Saturday, September 24, 2011. While there were no immediate changes to the SPGP or action items, there was plenty to discuss. New Business Two new motions were presented to the board during the 2011…
Aliza Gilbert College Counselor Highland Park High School Claim to Fame: Last Year's NACAC Human Relations Award Recipient, Aliza Gilbert Works Closely With Undocumented Students Aliza Gilbert has been working to help underrepresented students - particularly undocumented students - since early in…
Do you often feel squeezed between those you supervise and those who supervise you? If so, you are a middle manager, a job that sometimes seems impossible because no one likes feeling as though they are shoved into the middle. Help is on the way.
Members of IACAC and ISCA met with Governor Pat Quinn
to discuss the MAP Grant and counselor ratios for students in Illinois.
From left to right: Dan Stasi, Executive Director for ISCA, Illinois Mental Health Counselors Association, Coalition of Illinois Counseling Organizations PAC; Robert Freitag, St. Charles North High School, IACAC Government Relations Committee Member; Governor Pat Quinn; William Morrison, Highland Park High School, IACAC Government Relations Committee Co-Chair; Sam Stover, Beloit College; Erin Mason, De Paul University, President Elect-Elect for ISCA; Laura Docherty, Fenwick High School, President-Elect for IACAC
On Thursday March 3rd, members of the Government Relations Committee (GRC) partnered with members of the Illinois School Counselors Association (ISCA) in a Springfield Advocacy Day. This annual event has grown in size each year. This year was no exception, with approximately sixty counseling professionals and graduate students in attendance. The agenda for the day included a brunch where participants were trained on how to speak with legislators and a visit to the hill where members of both organizations met with legislators at the capitol and in their offices. In addition, a core group of members representing the two organizations had a meeting with Governor Quinn. This is the second year in a row that IACAC had an opportunity to meet with the Governor, a definite sign of growing name recognition in Springfield (many thanks to President-Elect Laura Docherty for arranging the meeting!).
As you know, the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling is affiliated with the National Association for College Admission Counseling. In order to remain a member in good standing, we need to adhere to the guiding principles of that organization, especially in the area of Membership and adherence to the Statement of Principles of Good Practice.
From time to time, NACAC reviews the By-laws of its affiliates and makes recommendations to bring us into compliance with NACAC By-laws. Such a review occurred during this fiscal year. Most of the proposed changes involve minor language adjustments and will not affect the way that we conduct IACAC business. Where there are substantive changes in Board policy, these are explained in the rationale below each section.
With all due respect to Dan Brown and the Da Vinci Code, the Admission Practices Committee is not a secret society that meets in a hidden underground bunker somewhere in Illinois. Committee members are not a collection of zealous policing agents who are constantly on the prowl for violators of the Statement of Principles and Good Practice (SPGP). Instead, it is a committee designed to help educate all players involved in the college search and decision process about the principles and guidelines that have been established by the membership of the National Association of College Admission Counseling.
In the spring of 2010, President Carin Smith created an Ad Hoc Committee to evaluate the IACAC Board Structure. The committee is comprised of Co-Chairs Sandie Gilbert (retired, Highland Park HS) and Maryanne Kelly (Maine South High School), members Nate Bargar (Illinois State University), Bob Murray (Illinois Wesleyan University) and Amy Thompson (York High School). The committee was charged with analyzing the current executive board and committee composition to determine if restructuring would provide a more efficient and organized system that would better suit the needs of our members.
At the NACAC National Conference held in St. Louis, Missouri, three members of IACAC were honored for their long-term commitment to our profession and serving students in their postsecondary transition. Marybeth Kravets (retired from Deerfield H.S.) received the Gayle C. Wilson Service to Education Award, Aliza Gilbert (Highland Park H.S.) received the Human Relations Award, and Marsha Hubbuch (retired from Riverside-Brookfield H.S.), for her initiation of Project Reach, received the Rising Star Award.
The 2010 version of the NACAC Annual Conference is now a part of history, and after hearing from individuals who attended, this conference was a resounding success.