2012-2013 ACA Officer Elections - Vote for President-Elect

For our 2012-2013 Officer Elections the ACA membership agreed to elect those candidates that ran unopposed for their respective positions. The position of President-Elect was the only contested position and now requires a vote by our dues paid members. The position has two candidates running for election and their speeches can be read below.  Please look for an e-mail message from Jennifer Jordan with instructions on casting your vote.

Speeches (in alphabetical order):

 Rob Poyner - Senior Academic Advisor for the Department of Computer Sciences

I am very excited about the possibility of being a part of the leadership for ACA at UT Austin. I am not sure if we are all fully aware of the far reaching aspects of our involvement in ACA. The first campus wide advising organization I belonged to was created after a visit from a member of UT Austin ACA. There are 22,000 students being better served at that institution because someone at UT cared and took the time to help organize the voice of advisors on that campus.

As the climate toward higher education continues to change in our state the impact on our campus is great. The next five years are very important for us and our students. As graduation rates become the center of focus we will  undoubtedly face many challenges. I hope that we can face those challenges as if we were a new organization with the new ideas, vim and vigor. Yet with the seasoned experience of veterans understanding the obstacles and challenges unique to our campus.

I am not sure what the future holds but, I know there is not another group of people I would rather face that future with than my world class colleagues on this world class campus. Not only can we rise to the challenge we can master it and continue to provide a student oriented educational environment second to none.

My ACA Involvement includes:
ACA Co-Public Relations/Communications
ACA Advisory Council
ACA Professional Development Day
ACA Advising Day Committee (Is this what it is called still?)
ACA Scholarship Committee
ACC/UT Transfer Event Committee
ACA Mentor



 Kelly Strait- Senior Academic Advisor - College of Liberal Arts
Good morning, ACA! I am sorry I’m unable to be there with you today. (And many thanks to Jo Anne for speaking on my behalf!)

I am truly honored to be a candidate for the 2012-13 ACA President-Elect. We all know how overwhelming the UT campus can be, but being a member of ACA has provided me with something that’s crucial for everyone on campus to find: COMMUNITY. In my experience, ACA has been a place for advisors and other staff to share information, work together, and support one another in accomplishing common goals.

ACA has been a tremendous source of knowledge and encouragement during my (almost) 6 years at UT as an academic advisor. Though I am both an Aggie (WHOOP!) and a Sooner (BOOMER!), the ACA community has been incredibly welcoming and really made me feel a part of the Longhorn family. I’ve had the honor and privilege of serving ACA in a variety of capacities including, Holiday Party Committee, Advising Expo Co-Chair, Scholarship Committee Chair, and Public Relations Coordinator.

As we all know, the role of an advisor isn’t just advising anymore—we’re course schedulers, we advise student organizations, we plan events, we oversee programs and committees…the list goes on and on. And with budget cuts and constraints affecting us at every turn, it is more important than ever for ACA to provide opportunities for professional development and fellowship. As President-Elect, I hope to work with my fellow officers…
– To continue strengthening ACA’s voice and presence on campus.
– To provide educational opportunities to better advising procedures and resources and increase student success.
– To offer support in departmental and campus-wide programs.
– To push for our members to serve on campus-wide committees dealing with vital changes, like four-year graduation rates and orientation.
– And to make sure we take time to recognize our hard work and celebrate our successes.

I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity to serve ACA in this capacity. And I truly hope to follow in the footsteps of the great Theresa Thomas as the second president-elect/National Karaoke League Champion!