Advising 101: Introduction to advising

Whether you’ve been advising for six months or six years, you likely have been asked the question, What does an adviser do? This session will help you better understand your role so you can help others understand what you do and what you don’t do. Topics include the role of the adviser, its ethical boundaries, and the basics of advising. This session is required to earn a New Adviser Training certificate of completion.

Bill DiNome, UNC Wilmington
Casey Musarra, Ithaca College

9 am Thursday, Oct 16

Advising 102: Policies and procedures

Written policies and procedures provide an essential foundation for organizational management that is equitable and effective. This session highlights the rationales and essential elements of policies and procedures that can guide your student staff and operations to success. This session is required to earn a New Adviser Training certificate of completion.

Jean Norman, Weber State University
Elizabeth Smith, Pepperdine University

10 am Thursday, Oct 16

How to build a media center in 547 days

Here’s how we turned an abandoned newsroom into a hub of media production through a strategy of relationship building and radical co-creation in order to unite and revitalize three different media groups on UMBC’s campus.

Ann Tropea, University of Maryland Baltimore County
Arpa Shahnazarian, The Retriever content managing editor

1 pm Thursday, Oct 16

Advising 103: Budgets and revenue

College media advisers often start out knowing plenty about journalism or related technologies but too little about running the business, the side that keeps the lights on. This session addresses key topics including establishing ad rates, managing expenses, and finding additional revenue. This session is required to earn a New Adviser Training certificate of completion.

Sara Bauknecht, Chatham University
Julie Lewis, University of Central Missouri
Jasen Solok, John Carroll University

2 pm Thursday, Oct 16

Assess for success: A discussion and deep dive into campus media assessment

Join two veteran advisers – both currently directors – and explore a variety of methods to conduct meaningful assessment of college media organizations. Discussion will include how we can use assessment to move these organizations forward toward innovation.

Jessica Clary, Virginia Commonwealth University
Elizabeth Smith, Pepperdine University

3 pm Thursday, Oct 16

Advising 201: Recruiting, training, and retaining

It isn’t student media without students, but recruiting talented, dedicated students every year can be a struggle. This session presents tips for staff recruitment and retention, leadership development and training. This session is required to earn a New Adviser Training certificate of completion.

Kelly Merges, UNC Charlotte
Tom Nelson, Loyola Marymount University

4 pm Thursday, Oct 16

Advising 202: Relationships on campus

Advisers are often stuck between a rock and a hard place – between your students and your administration. In this session, veteran advisers discuss how to manage your program’s image on campus, navigate campus politics, and leverage professional relationships to support your students’ success. This session is required to earn a New Adviser Training certificate of completion.

Sara Bauknecht, Chatham University
Billy Ferris, Auburn University

9 am Friday, Oct 17

Advising 203: Connecting with resources

It can be difficult to know where to turn when you need help with contest entries, applying for awards, designing training, defending your students, even defending yourself. This session will point you in the right direction by supplying a boatload of CMA resources and professional contacts – support that every adviser can’t live without. This session is required to earn a New Adviser Training certificate of completion.

Sacha Bellman, Miami University
Matt Bird-Meyer, Monroe County Community College
Bill DiNome, UNC Wilmington
Andrea Lewis, Ohio University

10 am Friday, Oct 17

Law 101 for advisers

In this first of a two-part session, learn the rights and responsibilities that accrue to your media students and to yourself as their adviser. Presented by legal experts from the Student Press Law Center, this fast-paced tour of legal basics will present ways to protect yourself and your students and will suggest resources for getting legal help, should you need it. This session is required to earn a New Adviser Training certificate of completion.

Jonathan Gaston-Falk, Student Press Law Center staff attorney

2 pm Friday, Oct 17

Law 102 for advisers

This session extends the legal guidance in Law 101 on issues affecting students and advisers, and will avail you the opportunity to pitch your questions to a legal expert. This session is required to earn a New Adviser Training certificate of completion.

Jonathan Gaston-Falk, Student Press Law Center staff attorney

3 pm Friday, Oct 17

New advisers forum

This open forum for new advisers presents CMA veterans who can answer your questions, provide much-needed perspective on the work, and help you process the information gleaned over the course of the convention. This session is required to earn a New Adviser Training certificate of completion.

Jessica Clary, Virginia Commonwealth University
Lori Dann, Tarrant County College
Rita Fernandez-Sterling, Miami Dade College, Kendall Campus
Kelly Merges, UNC Charlotte
Jermaine Proshee, Southern University and A&M College

4 pm Friday, Oct 17