Fall 2025 OACADA Conference Schedule

Supporting Online Learners within Oklahoma Universities

Natalie Haberstroh, University of Central Oklahoma and Melia Kane, University of Central Oklahoma

With online learning now a core component of higher education, supporting online student success is more critical than ever. At the University of Central Oklahoma, the Center for eLearning and Connected Environments leads efforts through award-winning, student-centered course design, faculty development, and research-backed strategies. UCO promotes faculty innovation via internal research grants and supports a flexible online learning ecosystem—offering hybrid, fully online, and self-paced courses. Comprehensive student services and a strong technological infrastructure further enhance online learning experiences. To strengthen support for online learners, institutions should expand broadband access, implement device lending programs, and adopt readiness tools like UCO’s “R-U-Ready” assessment. Support must also extend beyond the classroom to admissions and first-time enrollment, where students are often lost. This session will share best practices, successful models, and practical strategies that can be adapted across institutions to improve retention, reduce isolation, and promote online student success.

Learn from my Journey: Steps to being a Leader in NACADA

Kristal Soderstrom Junkens, Oklahoma State University

This session will share advice, tools, and resources from a seasoned advisor and advanced leader within the NACADA organization covering opportunities and best practices for professional development within our field. Learn from the presenter’s personal journey to help you find the confidence to pursue your own professional development goals and discover why it is important for everyone’s growth. Attendees will leave with a stronger understanding of conference networking, professional organizations, and using personal strengths to begin their journey.

Inside a Young Professional’s Mind: What We Want and Need!

Hannah Lea, University of Central Oklahoma and Elizabeth Wallace, University of Central Oklahoma

This session explores the perspectives and needs of emerging professionals in Oklahoma, offering actionable insights for both new professionals and supervisors. Through the lens of intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivators, participants will delve into self-discovery exercises to identify their values, purpose, and goals. Attendees will learn how aligning personal “why” with professional roles transforms work into meaningful career growth. Supervisors will gain tools to better understand and support their teams, fostering environments where employees feel valued and empowered. The session will culminate in creating personalized “Growth Maps” to chart professional journeys, leveraging opportunities like PD, mentorship, and conferences. By treating roles as careers, not just jobs, this session inspires leaders to cultivate lasting impact and equip their teams with transferable skills, ensuring growth both within and beyond their institutions.

Speak Life a Leader: Small Shifts, Big Impact

Twambi Kerstetter, Oklahoma State University

In today’s diverse work environments, effective leadership communication requires more than confidence. It demands empathy, adaptability, and presence. This interactive session, grounded in The Well-Balanced Leader and Communication Accommodation Theory, introduces “egolibrium”, balancing ego with humility for inclusive leadership. Participants will examine how intentional shifts in tone, language, and listening can strengthen connection, trust, and influence. Through reflection and real-world scenarios, they’ll uncover personal growth areas and develop adaptive strategies to enhance communication across generational, cultural, and conflict-style differences. Designed for professionals, advisors, and leaders, this session offers practical tools to boost credibility, elevate team dynamics, and lead across differences. Small communication changes can spark meaningful impact, equipping participants to lead with authenticity and clarity.

Gen Z on Campus: What Today’s Students Need from Advisors – Advising with Awareness, Adaptability, and Authentic Connection 

Dr. Diana Goodwin, East Central University

Generation Z students—born roughly between 1997 and 2012—are shaping a new era of higher education. They are tech-savvy, diverse, anxious, and justice-oriented, and they expect meaningful engagement from university advisors. According to the American Psychological Association, 9 out of 10 (91%) Gen Z individuals surveyed reported experiencing physical or emotional symptoms of stress, such as feeling depressed, unmotivated, or lacking interest and energy. Additionally, only half believe they are doing enough to manage these stressors. This interactive session explores the core traits and evolving needs of Gen Z students, providing practical tools for fostering trust, promoting mental well-being, and communicating authentically. Participants will gain insight into creating responsive advising relationships that foster a sense of belonging, empower self-advocacy, and enhance retention in a rapidly changing student landscape.

Tell Me the Lore: What I Wish I Knew

Melissa Cooper, Oklahoma State University

Stepping into academic advising is like opening a book mid-chapter—there’s rich backstory, unwritten rules, and hidden footnotes only time reveals. This session shares the “lore” of the field through the lens of the hero’s journey: a collection of lessons, gleaned and passed down. We’ll explore the advisor’s character arc: from cultivating a steady presence to navigating plot twists like policy changes and the challenges of self-management. Attendees will learn to care for themselves as protagonists and to seek guides like the mentor in the hero’s journey. This session offers a library of quiet truths and field-tested wisdom to help first-year advisors read between the lines and more intentionally craft their path forward using a narrative approach.

Training with Purpose: A Structured Approach to Onboarding and Supporting New Academic Advisors

Wora Fox, University of Oklahoma; Jennifer DuBois, University of Oklahoma;
Katelyn Bredy, University of Oklahoma; and Ashley Girard, University of Oklahoma

At the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Oklahoma, we’ve developed a structured, scalable onboarding model that fosters foundational advising skills, professional identity, and a strong sense of belonging. Our three-month in-person onboarding integrates classroom-style training, workshops, shadowing, guided degree audits, supervised appointments, and a Canvas-based Training Portal organized by experience level. Designed for flexibility, this model can be adapted for implementation across advising units of any size. Support extends beyond the onboarding period with intentional check-ins at 6, 9, and 12 months to reinforce learning, reflection, and growth. This session will highlight how our training approach combines technical instruction with intentional culture-building and leadership development to equip and empower new advisors with the confidence, competence, and community they need to succeed and support students..

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE) Update

Dr. Joel Kendall, OSRHE

Join Dr. Joel Kendall, Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, for an update on statewide higher education initiatives. This session will highlight current priorities, policies, and developments impacting students, advisors, and institutions across Oklahoma. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about recent updates from the Regents and engage in Q&A to better understand how statewide decisions shape the advising landscape.

Smart Start Orientation: Supporting Major Decisions 

Hailey Rogers, Tulsa Community College

Tulsa Community College has provided Smart Start Orientation programming for several years that orients students to their majors, specifically Nursing, Allied Health, Child Development and Education, and more recently Visual and Performing Arts. Through a group advising model, Smart Start assists students with understanding their major, career opportunities, support systems, and their opportunities after TCC. Smart Start orientation has grown to encompass transfer pathways and connects students with our transfer and community partners. In our presentation, we will discuss our orientation programming in detail to educate the audience on how programming is structured and how your institution can create a program like this, too.

Advising with Empathy: Basic Helping Skills for Academic Advisors 

Kelsey Hulgan, Tulsa Community College and Sam Watson, Tulsa Community College

Advising with Empathy: Basic Helping Skills for Academic Advisors explores how academic advisors can enhance student engagement and support through empathetic communication. Rooted in student development theory and basic counseling principles, this interactive presentation introduces foundational helping skills essential for building trust, fostering student growth, and promoting retention. Participants will examine real-life case studies, practice core advising techniques such as active listening, reflecting feelings, and asking open-ended questions, and consider how empathy can transform everyday advising interactions. By integrating theory with practical strategies, advisors will leave with tools to create more meaningful connections, recognize student needs more effectively, and respond with compassion and competence. This session is ideal for both new and experienced advisors seeking to strengthen their advising practice through a human-centered, developmentally appropriate approach.