President's Corner
Dear NAFA Colleagues:
Once more, we're looking forward to a gathering—Denver in July—where we can share our stories and continue to refine and promote our NAFA plans. Several recent events, some broad in scope and others particular to my own situation, should illustrate why we have so much to look forward to in our discussions. Whether observing increased national interest in our efforts, or trying to understand how better to do my job, I believe NAFA is providing much-needed direction and organization for us all.
As president, not surprisingly I fielded many thoughts and suggestions following recent national publicity surrounding our work, students, and programs, and it occurred to me how fortunate we are to have organized when we did. How isolated we would have felt, or how difficult even to decide where we "stand" for that matter, had we not learned so much from each other through our list-serve, in Fayetteville, Tulsa, and Portland. I'm sure, for many reasons, more of us than ever will attend Denver with expectations and excitement over the events your convention committee is organizing.
Personally, I feel more comfortable than ever with my advising and teaching roles the last couple of years, thanks mostly to tips and clarifications I've heard from many of you. All this, and particularly how much our students depend on us, was "crystallized" for me recently when I had a remarkable experience with two students that displayed, almost in microcosmic perfection, what they sometimes are privileged to enjoy, or must endure, pending the results of their competitions. The mathematical odds, considering the relatively few numbers we work with at OSU, would seem nearly impossible—but consider. On the one hand we had a student win, in one year, all three competitions he applied for: Goldwater, Marshall, USA Today All-American. During exactly the same time frame, another student, most would say just as qualified and hard working, advanced to the finals of three major competitions (Truman, Marshall, Gates), but didn't win any of the three. You can well imagine our schizophrenic days following the nearly concurrent announcements, savoring the PR blitz and acclaim for the former, and comforting and re-assuring the latter that he will make it on his merits eventually, regardless of his current disappointments. Only we in NAFA know the thrills, and crises, that such situations bring.
For these and many more reasons, I invite you and your colleagues to come to NAFA's national conference in Denver, where we will affirm, to the Foundations who bring us these opportunities, and to each other, our commitments to our students and the general educational ideals our schools promote. There'll be much to learn, and to enjoy, I am certain.
Bob Graalman
Oklahoma State University
Greetings NAFAns!
Plans for the 2003 Denver conference are coming together nicely. We are happy to bring you presentations on many of the topics you have enjoyed in the past, and others you have requested we develop.
Soon, you'll be receiving a "survey of the profession" that we encourage you to complete. As more and more schools add fellowship advising positions, many of us and many administrators at our schools are asking questions about the structure of an office, salary range, expectations, recruitment and other areas of concern. Jim Duban and Richard Badenhauser will be compiling and presenting the results of this survey in Denver.
Highlights of the Denver meeting include:
- A special Fulbright Program Advisor Workshop (limited availability)
- Scheduled presentations from the Jack Kent Cooke, Gates Cambridge, Truman, Goldwater, Udall, NSEP, Mitchell, Madison, Rhodes and Marshall Scholarship Foundations
- A report on the summer 2002 UK trip, with an update on developments in higher education from the British Council
- A follow-up to the Bellagio Conference of scholarship foundations
We are also pleased to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Marshall and the 100th anniversary of the Rhodes with these foundations during our conference. Representatives for the Marshall Scholarships will be hosting a wine reception on Thursday night, and more developments are in the works.
Any of you interested in playing a role in NAFA's leadership should prepare to throw your hats—cowboy and otherwise—into the ring, since we will be electing new officers at the Denver conference. As co-organizer, I am excited about the program we are putting together and eager for you to join us, both for the formal sessions, and for the wonderful informal sharing of advice, woes, and stories that seems to always come up naturally when you put a few NAFAns together. Come join us for a fun, information-filled conference!
Beth Powers
University of Illinois-Chicago
American Rhodes Idol
“I don't mean to be rude, but that was terrible.”
“Don't take this the wrong way, but you may be the world's worst.”
Watching thousands of young men and women sing on national television for the chance 1) to be verbally humiliated by judge Simon Cowell or 2) to be the next American Idol PR sensation, I was struck by their touchingly naïve, endearingly hopeful, and utterly unrealistic fantasies. Each petitioner was convinced that, even if crooning to the showerhead constituted their sole experience as a performer, they were poised on the brink of stardom—so long as the judges recognized their unique genius.
I reflected that in some ways, many of the students who knock on the scholarships advisor's door are like American Idol wannabes.
How many young men and women, oozing with confidence, have strutted into my office, brandishing a resume listing a few student government and community outreach activities, expecting to be among the nation's next 32 Rhodes Scholars?
In the TV series, those who sang even moderately well passed to the next level of competition. Some, devoid of vocal talent, tried a variety of attention-getting maneuvers, from outrageous costumes to elaborate dance routines. But on the show, as with a scholarship application, meeting the criteria (can you sing?) is the bottom line.
Shown the door, a few argued with the judges. Who are you to tell me I'm not the next American Idol? I was forcibly reminded of a student I'd counseled only a few weeks before. When I gently informed him that a 3.2 GPA would not help—would indeed, hinder—his quest for a national scholarship, he replied, “I disagree.” As I persisted, giving him a forthright assessment of his chances, he aggressively countered with, “Well, that's just your opinion.”
Gate-keeping—determining which students receive institutional endorsement, and which are steered elsewhere—is one of the least appealing aspects of the job. Unlike Simon Cowell, I don't relish telling a student that their performance, whether in an interview or personal essay, was “just ghastly.”
It's the process, not the prize, we say, and mean it. Although sometimes I do tire of banging on that drum. One student, denied in his quest for Marshall and Rhodes scholarships, admitted, “I'm just about processed and personal growthed-out. Now I'd like to find something to do after graduation."
Jane Curlin
Willamette University
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