Friday, July 22, 2016

ACA June 2016 General Meeting

Tacos, fruit and coffee -- oh my!
June's meeting was all about transitions. From the Provost's Office unveiling of new initiatives for the 2016-2017 year to the new ACA officer inductions, this meeting was packed with exciting updates!

Thank you to the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost for sponsoring this meeting and providing us with a delicious breakfast. As you can see, the spread was on point.






First up, updates from the Provost's Office and Student Success Initiatives:

New to summer Freshman and Transfer Student Orientation sessions is the Orientation Help Desk located on the first floor of the FAC. Students are able to visit the help desk to turn in transcripts, find registration help for needed classes, and troubleshoot other questions. The Provost's Office is also leading the charge on the transcript recognized minor/certificate declaration process. There is more to come this fall on that important change.


The team also announced the new student portal - MyUT.

This customized UT Austin-branded experience is an evolution of UT Direct. It is optimized for mobile devices, personalized to each student, and socially engaging. Check it out: my.utexas.edu
 
Loving that "Important Info" Widget!

Next up: The Terry Scholar Program 

Did you know that there are currently 310 Terry Scholars at UT Austin? That's 310 students completing their undergraduate (and sometime graduate) programs with the cost to attend UT Austin completely covered by the Terry Foundation.
Jaden Felix, Coordinator of Sorority and Fraternity Life and Terry Scholars Program Advisor, DOS,  spoke about the UT Austin Terry Scholars that he advises.
Michelle Guzman, Manager, Scholarships and Outreach with OSFS, helped to fill in some of the blanks about the application process and how students with the scholarship remain eligible at UT Austin.

Javier Carmona, Terry Scholar Relations Coordinator with the Terry Foundation, helped to provide context for the Terry Scholarship. Describing the path to success Howard Terry, B.B.A. '38 took leading up to the start of Terry Foundation established in 1986 by Howard and his wife Nancy. The Foundation's mission "is to improve and develop the State of Texas by assisting Texas students to attend the state’s finest public universities. The Foundation hopes that these students will have a significant impact on the future leadership of the state and nation. To achieve this goal, the Foundation awards scholarships to students who meet the high standards set by our Founders."

Fun facts from Jaden and Javier:

Terry Scholars must:
  • maintain full-time enrollment and should meet with Jaden if a change in enrollment status would be beneficial. 
  • maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5, and maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA each semester
Terry Scholars can now receive a study abroad stipend up to $15,000 depending on the length of program!


Ana Dison provided a quick update on behalf of the Advisory Council. A last recommendation from Dr. Gage Paine was to consider ways to incorporate checklists into our work lives. The Checklist Manifesto is the catalyst for this initiative. We will be setting up a public folder in ACA Box for you to share the checklists that you currently use to make work more effective and/or efficient. More to come!


Lauren Contreras and Casey Butler were the lucky winners of their very own copy - thanks for signing up for an ACA committee!


A reminder from Yesenia Sanchez regarding ACA By-Law update: The proposed change to Article VII. Standing Committees, Section 1. Executive Committee will move the nomination process a month later where new officers will be appointed in July instead of June. Voting will begin by electronic ballot soon.



In one of her last official acts as ACA President, Sarah McKay asked all new ACA Executive Committee Officers to join her at the front of the room to be inducted.  New Officers include:

President:  Kayla Ford
President-Elect:  Justin Brady
Vice-Presidents/Program Co-Chairs:  Jillian Sise & Daniel Zarazua
Treasurer:  Sara Sanchez
Treasurer-Elect:  Alexis George
Secretary:  Anne Pugh
Historian:  Katie O’Donnell
Communications Coordinator:  Blake Willms

That's a big group - this is as close as we get to a panoramic shot. Congratulations!


Finally, to help ACA members get a better sense of what each ACA Committee does, we held quick meet-and-greet to learn more and sign-up. Didn't have time to stay? Don't worry!
There's still time to join in. Just sign-up here.

Professional Development Day (PDD) Committee
Nominations Committee
ACA Mentor Program (aka PODS) allowed members to learn more about the mentor program and sign-up if interested in participating in a POD or leading a POD
Awards & Recognition Committee
(There's no incentive quite like chocolate.)
R.O.A.D. Committee
Annual Advising Event formerly known as Advising Expo
Holiday Party Committee
FUNdraising Committee - look how fun they are!
KUDOS!

From Lovelys: "Cheers to Yesenia Sanchez for overseeing a very exciting election process. You worked so hard during an extremely busy time and the amazing slate of officers is a testament to this hard work."

From Lovelys: "Cheers to all of the people who ran for ACA Officer positions this year. I left the last ACA Meeting so excited about the energy created in the room with on-the-floor nominations in addition to the amazing slate of candidates who agreed earlier on. Thanks for all that you do to create a support community on our campus. "