At the National NACAC Conference at the end of the month several major issues are at play that will impact the National Association - and has the potential to alter the Admission landscape. The following is a break down of the issues as outlined by Past President and Chief Delegate to the NACAC National Conference, Aaron Andersen.
WHAT IS THIS I’M HEARING ABOUT A USA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE LEGAL INVESTIGATION INTO NACAC?
School Profiles - Nuances, Benefits, and Fresh Ideas!
For many of us who have experience managing and creating our school’s profile, it’s well understood that the purpose of it is to provide insights and knowledge of our school and our students. And rightly so - the school profile is used by university admission officers to understand the context of every senior class and to evaluate students within their educational environment.
Each portion of the school profile is important, but there are elements most schools would consider the be “fundamental,” -- the school’s name, contact information, history, demographic breakdown, curriculum, and university matriculation list. However, when it comes to displaying this information as well as using the school profile for advocacy purposes, we see great diversity.
Last Spring the International ACAC board placed their votes for three awards that honor leaders in our field. These include the Distinguished Service Award, the Rising Star Award, and the Peter Hauet Lifetime Achievement Award. This year the awards went to some inspiring individuals who have made big contributions to International ACAC over the years.
Jenny Tassell and Christine Grover were selected for the International ACAC Rising Star Award for their service to their students and our community, especially due to their tireless work in organizing the recent International ACAC Regional Institute in Panama City.
Jenny writes, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this great honor. There is really no other association like International ACAC. I have been lucky enough to have some amazing mentors who have encouraged me to keep pushing myself towards goals that have seemed too challenging at times. Fred Johnson, Juan Camilo Tamayo, Ray Marx, Meg Mahoney, Christine Grover, and Jolynn Vallejo to name a few. Everyone in this association wants its members to become more involved and they will encourage you every step of the way.
In Panama it all started with helping to create the Panama School Counselor Association (PASCA). With the amazing counselors in Panama we worked hard to help Panama become a place that was easy to navigate and welcoming to all university reps that came here. We created the PASCA website which has become a model for other countries.
A UK All Party Parliamentary Group is currently conducting an inquiry into international students in the UK. Details of the inquiry:
http://www.exeduk.com/appg-for-international-students/inquiry
The Advocacy and Outreach Committee are keen to submit a written response to this by the deadline of 3rd September.
The focus of the response will be from high school and independent counsellors as our UK HE members views will be represented by UUK. We will however work with UUK to ensure our responses are coordinated as much as possible. In order to capture the views of high school and independent counsellors AOC have developed a brief survey for high school and independent members:
Counter point: Admission Officers Seek Direct Contact; Counselors, students, and parents need to be willing to receive it.
In a professional WeChat admissions group, a high school counselor in southern China lamented that she couldn’t get parents to come to information sessions at her school hosted by admission officers from lesser known U.S. universities. Several colleagues, including myself, proffered suggestions: create a fact sheet about the university, advertise the event in Chinese on her school’s WeChat account, and provide translation on the day of the event. Since this was a counselor I had come to know through multiple exchanges, I then messaged her privately and joked that she should say representatives from an Ivy League school would be joining the unknown school. I guaranteed she’d have a full house. We laughed, but it wasn’t funny; it was true.
Registrations, fairs, curriculum, grants, networking and additional events (as of June 10th), basic information and practicalities
The East Asia Regional Institute Fair takes place on Saturday August 12th
Hone and enhance your summer learning! Join us for an extended stay in Cleveland this summer by adding on a pre or post-conference offering:
The Professional Development committee has worked this year to offer engaging and energetic programs that will compliment the annual summer conference:
Are you an international school counselor or educational consultant who is new to guiding students in international admissions and university counseling? Do you feel that you would like to learn more about fundamental topics in the field of international admissions? If so, be sure to sign up for the Pre-Conference International Counseling 101 workshop created especially counselors and consultants with 0-2 years experience. In the two days that lead into main International ACAC Conference, experienced counselors and university admissions representatives will present on a wide variety of topics to help you feel more comfortable, confident, and knowledgeable in your work with students as they prepare for post-secondary life and studies. See more detailed information here.
By Tatjana Guadalupe
NACAC International Initiatives Coordinator
The Vancouver International Universities Fair (VIUF) will be held this coming April 30 at the Vancouver Convention Centre-East from 1pm-4pm (PDT). Registration for exhibitors and students is now open through the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Fairs website.
By Lisa Hollett
Special Programs Coordinator, International ACAC
In May, we undertook an ambitious project, a Strategic Planning Survey of all International ACAC members. The survey was sent to our over 2000 members, and we received over 700 responses. Hopefully, you took the chance to let your voice be heard!
A number of our questions focused around our annual summer conference, and the results were illuminating. Over 50% of you attend the conference for the networking opportunities, but professional development opportunities are also very important, with discussions of new trends in Admissions garnering almost 10% of the vote.
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By Kelly Braun
International School of Sacred Heart, Tokyo
Dear International ACAC Members,
By Robbie Jefferis
United World College South East Asia, Singapore
You can book an uber online, buy your groceries online, schedule your dentist appointment online…. So why not schedule your school visits online? A new tool is attracting interest with busy college counselors and even busier admissions representatives, called www.repvisits.com
Could this be the end of all the back and forth emails?
NACAC’s first International Universities Fair is being held in Vancouver May 7 and the city is ready to welcome visitors from institutions all over the world. The fair, Saturday May 7 from 1:00 - 4:00PM has over a 150 universities from a dozen different countries converging on Vancouver Convention Center to promote higher education options to the region's secondary school students. Recognizing that many university representatives will only have a few spare hours before or after the fair, International ACAC has received special advice from a local Vancouverite to come up with the ever helpful Top Five Things.
TOP FIVE THINGS TO DO IN VANCOUVER BEFORE OR AFTER THE NACAC FAIR
1. Take a Water Taxi Ride to See the City
In the summer of 2015 International ACAC conducted a Workplace Survey of its members to get a better understanding of their workplace experience. 30% of AAPS member institutions responded to this survey and the Communications Committee has reviewed the results over the past several months. The survey had a set of questions for both university admission and secondary school counselling offices. While there was also a short set of questions for educational consultants, it is acknowledged that future editions of the survey will need to have an expanded question set for this member group.
The responses will be presented in a series of articles available exclusively to International ACAC members on this website over the next few months. The data is intended to support our members strategic initiatives, and we hope that it may provide helpful context as they review their own workplace environments
The International ACAC Board wishes to thank the members for their time in completing this survey.
By Beth Cleary
NACAC, International Initiatives Coordinator
The National Association for College Admission Counseling and International ACAC are co-hosting the first International Universities Fair in Vancouver on May 7, 2016.
Chaired by Nancy Cromarty, director of university and career counseling at West Point Grey Academy in Vancouver, the fair preparations are off to a great start. “Interest and excitement about this first time event has already begun among parents, students and counselors here in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver,” says Cromarty.
While OACAC Events can never be just about the numbers… here it is just about the numbers 
An interview with Nancy L. Cromarty
Colleges: mark your calendars for next May - NACAC is going International
Next spring the NACAC will host the first stand alone College Fair outside the United States. The Vancouver International Universities Fair is scheduled for Saturday, May 7, 2016.
Whenever NACAC runs a National College Fair in the United States, the regional affiliate serves as a local organizing committee, and supports NACAC in the promotion and planning of the event. Since Vanoucver, Canada is 'international' Overseas ACAC has the privilege of supporting this event. Recently, OACAC.com talked with Nancy Cromarty, Chair of the Organizing Committee and Director of University & Career Counseling at West Point Grey Academy in Vancouver, about this exciting new initiative and what participants can expect.
If you’re like the Executive Board, you’ve probably had to explain what “OACAC” means to colleagues, family and friends. Some parts are easy to explain:
When you look at these answers, and reflect about who we are, the answer is “we’re international.” Overseas doesn’t factor into the discussion. So why is it in our name?
The dictionary definition of Overseas is:
FAQ : 2015 SAT Update
The past several months the SAT has been a hot topic amongst our members. From security concerns and reports of test fraud in Asia to international testing dates to the pending roll out of the redesigned test, there has been a lot to think about with regards to The College Board's SAT. In February, OACAC was pleased to present a Webinar in cooperation with The College Board as opportunity for members to listen to updates and ask questions. Clay Hensley, Senior Director, International Strategy & Outreach, walked through the latest news concerning the SAT.
As a follow up to the webinar, Clay has provided responses to a good number of the questions that were poised during the webinar and shared the answers exclusively with OACAC members.
ACCESS THE ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, AND MANY MORE HERE (login required)
Would CB consider different security measures for different parts of the world ?
What are the consequences when a student is caught cheating on the SAT? Is the cancellation of scores between ETS and student only? In what case would the student´s parent, school or institution where s/he is applying be notified?
When will practice PSAT questions be available?
Would you provide info to counselors for parents ?
Will Khan Academy use practice questions from the actual redesigned SAT? Some of the questions I've seen from them don't seem helpful.
Could you speak more about the three sections of the Essay Section?
By Kelly Braun
Int'l School of Sacred Heart, Tokyo
Dear Road Warriors, young, old, new, international, domestic, director, counselor,
I just want to let you know something: You matter. You matter to students a lot. Although I know it may not seem like it. After spending several years on your side of the desk, I think I can safely assume this is what a typical day in your fall season looks like:
Wake up
Get dressed (don’t forget the comfy shoes!)
Pack materials for the day
Head out
High school visit #1 (yay, on time!)
High School visit #2 (woof, barely made that on time)
High School visit #3 (I have no clue where my cab driver is taking me, 10 minutes late)
Lunch (hahahahahahahaha, I am lucky to get a small break let alone food)
High School visit #4 (I am so tired)
Evening Fair (Final push, I can do it)
Each year OACAC selects high-impact, under-resourced counselors to receive funding to attend the OACAC Summer Conference as an OACAC Scholar. These counselors are nominated by their peers and are provided funding to cover their travel, registration, and accommodation at the conference. These are counselors who would not have been able to attend a professional OACAC on their own; often it is their first introduction to the OACAC community.
Please consider nominating your colleague to be a 2015 OACAC Scholar. Perhaps you are in a high school yourself, and know of another school in your community whose staff could really use the support. Perhaps you are at a university and work closely with a counselor who you know is under resourced, and would benefit from the experience of attending OACAC. Either way, counselors who are selected speak of a life changing experience - and that life changing moment starts with your nomination. Nominate a deserving counselor today.
Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Institute
October 11-13, 2019
South Africa
East Asia & Pacific Regional Institute
May 1-3, 2020
Hong Kong
2020 Conference
July 14-17
University of New Mexico
