Please consider assisting with BAAC committees for this upcoming year. Currently there are three standing committees and four ad hoc committees that need your help. There is information about each committee posted below and who to contact if you are interested in joining the committee.
Standing Committees:
- Communications and Public Relations: The Communications (Comm) and Public Relations (PR) Committee is responsible for maintaining the BAAC website and BAAC listserv. In addition, it is responsible for external communications to campus and the public regarding BAAC activities, awards, and more. The Comm and PR Committee tries to elevate not only the great work of BAAC on campus, but the work of IU Bloomington (IUB) professional advisors. If you are interested in helping with Comm and PR, please email the committee chair Jessica Staten (jgstaten@iu.edu).
- Membership: The BAAC Membership Committee is responsible for managing the membership process, including communicating membership rules, encouraging advisors to join, and confirming applicants for the year. The committee identifies new advisors at IUB, and reaches out to them individually to welcome them to the IUB advising community and encourage them to join BAAC. The committee ensures new advisors are on our email listserv. Recently, the committee has been implementing a new initiative to target regular chats (both online and in person) to new advisors and welcome experienced advisors to join in. The committee hopes to provide support and connection for newer advisors. In addition, the committee participates in the annual BAAC awards committee, in cooperation with the BAAC secretary. Please contact Liz Smith (elrsmith@indiana.edu) if you are interested in joining.
- Professional Development: The BAAC Professional Development Committee (PDC) plans and hosts the annual fall meeting and spring conference as well as monthly professional development events. The committee also tracks event attendance and awards a professional development certificate to individuals who attend five professional development events during the year, which includes attending the fall meeting or spring conference and two additional BAAC PDC events. This year and in the future, the committee hopes to continue offering events that allow advisors to better serve their students as well as events that will help advisors advance professionally, such as an upcoming two-part series, featuring advisor Nikki Blackwell, on advising philosophies. The committee is also excited, COVID willing, to have the spring conference in person again this year. Planning is quickly moving ahead for the spring conference, and the committee is looking for new members to help with planning and executing this event. The PDC is always open to new members, please feel free to reach out directly to Stacy Weida (sweida@iu.edu) or Patrick McKamy (pmckamy@iu.edu) to join!
Ad Hoc Committees:
- Advocacy: Over the past several years, BAAC members and leadership have explored the idea of BAAC becoming more involved in advocacy work on behalf of professional advisors and students on campus. Members of this committee will work throughout the year to more clearly define how BAAC will engage in advocacy work and create the framework for a standing advocacy committee to be approved before the end of the academic year. If you are interested in helping with getting involved in this process, please email Daniel Lersch (dlersch@iu.edu).
- BAAC By-Laws Review: BAAC’s by-laws are essential to the function of the organization. The by-laws describe what BAAC does as an organization and how it operates. The Steering Committee has approved the creation of the By-Laws Review Committee to assess what by-laws need updated or changed so that BAAC can continue to function effectively and efficiently as an organization. This committee will recommend by-law changes for BAAC to approve throughout the academic year. If you are interested in joining this committee, please contact Matt Bumbalough (mnbumbal@indiana.edu).
- Listserv Guidelines: The BAAC Listserv is an important tool for advisors and our colleagues across campus to share important information about advising events, policy changes and more. However, it is important that everyone is judicious in how this tool is utilized. Each year, BAAC shares listserv guidelines with the community to remind everyone about appropriate listserv use and etiquette. These guidelines are currently under review by this committee. If you are interested in reviewing and updating these guidelines, please contact Alice Dobie (adobiega@indiana.edu).
- Treasury Task Force: BAAC has an annual budget which is used to put on its events throughout the year for the campus advising community. BAAC is funded through generous pledges from various academic schools and university departments in addition to grant funds. The purpose of this committee is to assess BAAC’s current funding and budget model and work to identify a funding and budget process moving forward that will allow BAAC to continue its tradition of strong programming for professional advisors. If you are interested in joining this committee, please contact Myc Wiatrowski (michwiat@indiana.edu).