UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Registration will close Sept. 15 for the annual Academic Advising Conference at Penn State, now in its 25th year.
The two-day conference will be held virtually on Sept. 22 and in-person at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference on Sept. 24. Attendees who cannot attend the in-person day may register for only the virtual day. Registration details, including hotel reservation information, can be found at dus.psu.edu.
Hosted by Penn State’s Division of Undergraduate Studies in collaboration with the Office of Undergraduate Education, the University Advising Council and the journal The Mentor: Innovative Scholarship on Academic Advising, the annual conference showcases novel research and practices that contribute to the field of academic advising. Last year’s conference welcomed more than 440 attendees, 165 of those coming from other institutions.
This year’s virtual keynote speakers are Scott Carlson, one of the authors of "Hacking College: Why the Major Doesn’t Matter — and What Really Does," as well as Joshua Morrison, director of academic retention programs at the University of Indianapolis. Thursday's in-person keynote features Kevin Clark, associate director with EAB’s Research Advisory Services, Starfish's parent company.
A full list of sessions and presenters can be found at dus.psu.edu.
Conference enters 25th year
The annual Academic Advising Conference marks its genesis with the 2001 Mid-Atlantic NACADA (then the National Academic Advising Association) spring conference that rotated to Penn State for that year, titled “2001: An Advising Odyssey.” Coming off the internal success of hosting NACADA, the next year the Division of Undergraduate Studies hosted its own fall conference: “Academic Advising at the Speed of Light.” It would grow in the 2000s to two and a half days of programming, then reduce back down to one day in 2009.
Throughout its history, the conference has sometimes focused on specific issues of the day, such as the fiscal challenges of the late 2000s. It’s also been centered on a specific topic such as the needs of second-year students. The focus has often been on academic advising as a profession, turning the lens back onto the practices of advisers and scholarship that supports them.
“Over this time, our academic advising community has grown and strengthened,” said David R. Smith, associate dean for advising and executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies. “In 2001, some of us were just starting careers as higher education professionals, others were still college students (or aspiring college students), and others were too young to even aspire. As our profession has grown, especially in terms of our use of data to drive proactive outreach to students, our commitment to helping students make meaning of their education remains our driving focus. Coming together as a community for the last 25 years speaks volumes about the central role academic advisers play in helping students to learn and grow as individuals.”
The first conference planning committees were composed of DUS coordinators in the colleges. Today, it is facilitated by DUS but led by a team with members from across the Penn State advising network. The 2025 and now 2026 conference are being chaired by Richard Brungard, academic adviser in the Division of Undergraduate Studies; Caitlyn Catalfu, academic adviser at Penn State Behrend; and Megan Schrock, academic adviser in the College of Liberal Arts.
The Division of Undergraduate Studies is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.