Academic Advising Enrichment brings together more than 150 undergraduate academic advisors for the 10th annual Academic Advising Conference April 30. This year’s topic, “Empower advisors: fostering a culture of engaged learning and continuous improvement,” aims to reinvigorate advisers and support them in their integral roles in helping UC Davis students reach their academic goals.

Kayton Carter, who leads Academic Advising Enrichment, said "the annual conference provides a platform to prioritize practitioners, thereby elevating the profession and aiding advisors in improving their support for a diverse undergraduate student population.”

The advising conference includes advisors from the four undergraduate colleges, global learning hub, athletics, graduate studies and more.  The purpose is to offer the campus advising community an annual opportunity for professional development and training, and a broadened focus on academic advising. This year’s conference begins with welcome remarks from Michael Bradford, Undergraduate Education vice provost and dean, followed by Kyle Ross, executive director of NACADA, who is set to deliver the keynote address.

Workshops are set throughout the rest of the day with content led by the Center’s staff, along with the Transfer and Reentry Center, the Internship and Career Center, Services for International Students and Scholars and Continuing and Professional Education.  

“For me, the conference is a day filled with dedicated time for learning and professional development, fun and connection,” said Reina Gonzalez Smarkel, a senior career advisor on campus. “Knowledge sharing with advising colleagues with similar interests and values and who experience similar work situations is motivating and energizing.” 

This year, Gonzalez Smarkel is scheduled to present at the conference but previously attended when working as an academic advisor. 

“It’s lovely to reconnect with colleagues I’ve known for years and meet newer advisors who bring a fresh perspective to our common goal of supporting students on their educational, career and personal journeys,” she said

The conference is just one component of the broad offerings from Academic Advising Enrichment, a program of Undergraduate Education. Advisors can find training, onboarding materials, mentoring, tools and resources. Past conference materials and highlights are on the Academic Advising Enrichment conference website.