Mason Advising Symposium
Mason Advising Symposium 2025 information coming soon. Save the date: Thursday, May 22, 2025.
See the Mason Advising Symposium 2024 (Archive) page for information about last year’s event.
Advisor Refresh Sesh Series
The Advisor Refresh Sesh series (ARS) aims to provide new and updated information to the George Mason academic advising community from other advisors and our constituents. We currently hold two virtual sessions each semester.
See the Advisor Refresh Sesh page for details about upcoming and past sessions.
Monthly Advisor Roundtable: Conversations in Advising
The Office of Academic Advising hosts virtual monthly conversations designed for advisors to share experiences, gain skills and insights, and connect with others in the George Mason advising community. These meetings are open to any George Mason faculty, staff, and graduate assistants that are currently academic advisors, have academic advising experience, or are interested in becoming advisors.
See the Monthly Advisor Roundtable page for more information and registration links.
Mason Academic Advisor Network (MAAN)
The Mason Academic Advisor Network (MAAN) was formed to help promote advisor collaboration, advisor development, and disseminate information to all undergraduate academic advisors in a timely fashion. In principle the Network includes all academic advisors at Mason and is governed by a Steering Committee that represents all schools and colleges concerned with academic advising. MAAN is committed to implementing ideas and programs to strengthen undergraduate advising at Mason.
All new advisors are added to the MAAN listserv after they submit the new advisor form. If for any reason you are not on the listserv, there is a form to join on the MAAN website.
MAAN offers several professional development opportunities and programs throughout the year including their Developing Advising Practice (DAP) Certificate Program, which is the second tier of training for academic advisors at Mason after completion of the Fundamentals of Advising at Mason training.
Other Mason Opportunities for Professional Development
Mason offers many opportunities for training and professional development. Below is a list of opportunities to be on the look out for, but keep in mind, this list is not exhaustive, and there are always new opportunities offered every semester, many of which are advertised and promoted on the Mason Academic Advisor Network (MAAN) list serve. A brief description and link to more information is provided below.
- ARIE (Access to Research and Inclusive Excellence) National Conference – Mason’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers this conference to promote inclusivity within higher ed and other fields.
- Career Influencers Network Training – The Mason Career Influencers Network is a nationally recognized model for providing career development support to students through their relationships with professors, advisors, success coaches, supervisors, community directors, and many other roles at the university.
- Center for Culture, Equity and Empowerment (CCEE) – Coalition Building and Diversity Education (CBDE) currently offers three trainings: Beyond Diversity; Creating Community; and the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI).
- Safe Zone+ Program – This program is offered by the LGBTQ+ Resources Center multiple times a semester as well as asynchronously.
- University Life Student Success Symposium – Learn the latest information and programming for all of the University Life units/departments. Offered in the spring every year.
NACADA: the Global Community for Academic Advising
The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) is an association of professional advisors, counselors, faculty, administrators, and students working to enhance the educational development of students. NACADA programs and events include annual conferences (international, national, and regional), drive-ins, symposiums, workshops, webinars, and more. There are many leadership opportunities and other ways to get involved. You can also find resources and articles on their website.
George Mason University is a part of NACADA Region 2, which consists of Virginia, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey.
NACADA Clearinghouse websites bring together resources in specific academic advising areas. This website is dedicated to academic advisor professional development, where you will find relevant articles and other helpful resources.
More Professional Associations for Academic Advisors
In addition to NACADA, here are more professional associations that academic advisors may want to join:
