The Faculty Commons in Alden Library, ONCA's current home
On Friday, a small delegation from the National Association of Fellowships Advisors (NAFA) visited with me, the Director of U.S. Fulbright Programs (OUSFP), and the Faculty Fellow for the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards (ONCA). Ann Brown, the Director Emerita of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, had arranged the visit with the goal of giving us a chance to learn from these experts in the field.
Ours guests were among the most prominent and influential fellowships advisors in the country: Jane Morris, the Director of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships at Villanova University; Betsy Vardaman, the Associate Dean for Special Programs for the College of Arts and Sciences at Baylor University; Mary Hale Tolar, Director of the School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University; and Suzanne McCray, the Vice Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions at the University of Arkansas. Morris is the current president of NAFA, and the other three members of the group were members of NAFA’s founding Board of Directors.
This visit, which lasted about 2 hours, was incredibly helpful. These women know what they’re talking about, so it was especially gratifying to hear them a) praise our awards staff for their success and dedication to advising students applying for nationally competitive scholarships and b) affirm my plans for reorganizing our awards offices over the next couple of months. They also gave us helpful advice about networking with other units on campus and about helping the university’s leadership take ownership of the awards programs. Their advice ranged from the specific to the general, and all of it will help us serve our students better.
Since its creation, the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has been housed administratively in the Honors Tutorial College. Until August 2009, it was also literally housed in the college and 35 Park Place. Since then, it and the Office of U.S. Fulbright Programs, which officially became a part of the Honors Tutorial College in July 2009, have resided in the Faculty Commons of Alden Library. Thus, when I became dean I also became the administrative supervisor for these offices and their staff.
