Advisory Council

Dr. James Applegate: Postsecondary Education

Jim Applegate is the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. He currently serves on the Education Advisory Board of the American College Testing Service and is a member of the Campus Compact Consulting Corp helping create more publicly engaged institutions. He served as the President of the National Communication Association, the world's largest association of communication scholars, and before that, president of the Southern Communication Association. Jim was a professor of communication, department chair, and University Senate chair at the University of Kentucky prior to coming to the Council. He was named an American Council on Education Fellow, studying leadership practices in higher education. Over the last ten years, he has authored or been a consultant on federal and foundation funded grants providing more than $70 million to support increased educational attainment for low income, minority, and non-traditional students. Jim's work for the last decade has focused on promoting partnerships between higher education and external constituencies to foster economic and community development working with, among others, the Carnegie Foundation, Council of Graduate Schools, Southern Regional Education Board, and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. Jim has served as a consultant and conducted over 150 seminars and workshops to improve communication and develop effective partnerships between agencies, colleges, and communities.

Jim earned his B.A from Georgetown College (KY) as well as an M.A. and Ph.D. from University of Illinois.

Mr. Thomas Brown: Thomas Brown & Associates, LLC

Thomas Brown is currently the Managing Principal at Thomas Brown & Associates, LLC. He served as an educator in academic and student affairs for 27 years, most recently as the Dean of Advising Services/Special Programs at Saint Mary's College of California. In addition to developing and administering Saint Mary's nationally recognized academic advising program, he was responsible for new student and family orientation programs, Academic Support and Achievement (e.g., tutoring, services for students with disabilities), pre-law advising, and the Offices of Asian Pacific American, Black, Latino, and International Student Programs.

Tom Brown has served as a consultant to more than 200 colleges and universities, and he is regularly invited to deliver keynote addresses at national conferences, campus colloquia, and workshops for faculty and staff. Tom has held numerous leadership positions in the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), served as Chair of the Pre-law Advisors National Council, and he has earned numerous awards and recognition for his leadership and program development in the US and abroad.

Dr. Bruce Chaloux: Southern Regional Education Board

Bruce Chaloux directs the 16-state Electronic Campus initiative of the Southern Regional Education Board. He also directed SREB's efforts to establish an integrated regional learning portal incorporating the Electronic Campus, launched in early 2004. In the Fall, 2005, he helped develop and lead an effort to assist students impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita along the U.S. Gulf Coast. "Sloan Semester," a project undertaken in cooperation with the Sloan Consortium, made available more than 1350 online courses from 158 colleges and universities across the country free of charge to students in a condensed "semester." Prior to assuming his duties at the SREB in 1998, he served in the Graduate School at Virginia Tech for 13 years, including four years as Associate Dean for Extended Campus Programs at the institution's main campus in Blacksburg and earlier for nine years as Associate Dean and Director of Tech's Northern Virginia Graduate Campus in suburban Washington, DC. He earlier held positions on the staff of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and as an academic affairs administrator and faculty member at Castleton State College (Vermont).

He has earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Florida State University in 1979 and has business degrees from the University of Florida (master's in 1972) and Castleton State College (baccalaureate in 1970) in his native state of Vermont.

Dr. Thomas Grites: The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

Tom Grites has served as Director of Academic Advising, Interim Director of Teacher Education, Interim Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and currently as Assistant to the Provost in his 28 years at Stockton. He currently has responsibilities for academic Orientation programming, First-Year Experience efforts, part of the Banner Student implementation team, and various other projects. He also teaches regularly, most recently piloting a seminar course for new transfer students.

 Dr. Grites is one of the founding members of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and served as its President for two terms. He currently serves as a Senior Editor of the NACADA Journal and regularly provides other services to NACADA. He has written over 50 journal articles, book chapters, and professional reports; he has delivered more than 70 conference presentations; and he has conducted faculty development workshops and academic advising program reviews on over 100 campuses. He has served on the Absecon Board of Education for over 20 years.

Tom earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Illinois State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. Both institutions have awarded him their Distinguished Alumni Awards.

Dr. Bonita Jacobs: University of North Texas

Dr. Bonita C. Jacobs has been Vice President for Student Development and Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of North Texas, a doctoral-granting university of 32,000 students, since 1998. Dr. Jacobs was formerly Director of Residence Life at Stephen F. Austin State University. Additionally, she was Dean of Students and Interim Vice President for Student Development at Western Carolina University prior to assuming her position at the University of North Texas.

Dr. Jacobs is the former editor of The Journal of College Orientation and Transition and is the recipient of the "Outstanding Contributions to the Orientation Profession Award" and "The President's Award," both from the National Orientation Directors Association, and the "Ted. K. Miller Achievement of Excellence Award" from the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS). She received the 2005 "John Jones Award for Outstanding Performance as a Senior Student Affairs Officer" from NASPA (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators) Region III. She is the founder of the "Institute for the Study of Transfer Students" and a faculty member for the American College Personnel Association "Donna M. Bourassa Mid-Level Management Institute." Her publications are extensive and include The College Transfer Student in America: The Forgotten Student and Starting From Scratch (a first-year experience textbook); chapters in Student Academic Services in Higher Education: A Comprehensive Handbook for the 21^st Century, Designing Successful Transitions: A Guide for Orienting Students to College, The Orientation Planning Manual, and College Counseling: Issues and Strategies for a New Millennium; and numerous journal articles and reviews. Dr. Jacobs is the past President of the Texas Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators.

Bonita holds an undergraduate degree in Spanish and history and a master's degree in counseling from Stephen F. Austin State University with additional studies in Morelia and Monterrey, Mexico. Dr. Jacobs earned her Ph.D. in educational administration from Texas A & M University.

Thomas Kerr: Campus Group International Education Services Inc.

Prior to accepting his current position as President/CEO of Campus Group International Education Services Inc. Dr. Thomas Kerr was employed at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ as Associate Vice President of University Partnerships. Previously he served as Dean of the College of Evening and Professional Studies and Associate Professor, School of Education, at Drexel University (PA), as Associate Provost for Academic Services at Rowan University (NJ), and as Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs and assistant professor in the College of Engineering at Boston University (MA) and Northeastern University.

Kerr is a charter member of NACADA and served as president of that organization from 1993 - 1995. In 2004 Dr. Kerr was an editor of a NACADA monograph entitled 'Advising transfer Students: Issues and Strategies. He recently served as Journal editor for the association and is former chair of the Distance Education Advising interest group. Kerr has written extensively about advising issues and drafted the Academic Advising Standards for Distance Learners developed by NACADA. Among his publications are "Recognition and Reward for Excellence in Advising", "Funding Advising: Grant Preparation and Other Creative Approaches", "Retention is Not an Isolated Event" and "A Multi-faceted Approach to Training Advisors". He is a recipient of the NACADA Award for Service to the organization and the Virginia N. Gordon Award for Excellence in the Field of Advising.

Kerr holds a B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from Northeastern University (MA) and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Boston College. He has gained national recognition for his expertise in curriculum development, transfer issues, recruitment, retention, articulation, faculty advising, and grant writing.

Margaret C. (Peggy) King: Schenectady County Community College

Margaret C. (Peggy) King is Associate Dean for Student Development at Schenectady County Community College, Schenectady, N.Y., where she provides leadership for the Division of Student Affairs as one of a team of three Associate Deans reporting directly to the President. In her position, she directs the Academic Advisement Center and supervises Counseling and Career and Employment Services.

A founding member of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), Peggy was President from 1991 ¨C 1993. She has been a faculty member for the Summer Institute on Academic Advising since its inception in 1987, served on the faculty of the first Advising Administrators Institute, and serves as a consultant on academic advising and student affairs for both two- and four-year colleges and universities. Peggy was editor of the New Directions for Community Colleges publication, Academic Advising: Organizing and Delivering Services for Student Success (1993). In addition she has authored numerous chapters and articles on academic advising in the two-year college, on advisor training, and on organizational models and delivery systems for advising. She is a recipient of the State University of NY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service, the NACADA Award for Service to the organization and the NACADA Virginia N. Gordon Award for Excellence in the Field of Advising.

Peggy received her BA degree in history from Ursinus College (PA) and her MS and Ed.D. Degrees from the State University of New York at Albany.

Dr. Kathleen Howley: PASSHE

Kathleen M. Howley serves as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic & Student Affairs for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education in Harrisburg, PA.  In this position, Dr. Howley provides academic leadership and direction to programmatic areas of the Dixon University Center Academic Consortium which provides undergraduate and graduate programming for primarily adult learners in the greater Harrisburg area; leadership and oversight of distance education initiatives that support the individual and collective efforts of the 14 PASSHE universities to expand on-line learning consistent with the System’s recently adopted strategic plan; and leadership in improving and increasing articulation and transfer of academic programs/courses among system universities, community colleges, and other education providers.

Prior to moving to the System office, she was the Dean of Extended Studies at Shippensburg University for over six years. Kathleen previously served for nine years as the Director of Articulation and Tech Prep and Assistant Professor of Counseling at Harrisburg Area Community College.  During this time, Kathleen was one of three Community College representatives to the Statewide Articulation & Transfer Advisory Council that developed the Academic Passport which became a Board of Governors Student Transfer Policy (1999) for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

In her previous positions, she has served on the board of directors of the Shippensburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Advisory Board for the Franklin County Career and Technology Center, Advisory Board for the Dauphin County Career and Technical School, Franklin County Economic Development Corporation’s Workforce Development Committee, United Negro College Fund, Articulation & Transfer Statewide Advisory Council, and the Governor’s Advisory Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  Dr. Howley has also served on many university committees, councils, and task forces such as graduate council, capital campaign steering committee, strategic planning steering committee, enrollment management committee, distance education committee, deans’ council, President’s Council, and curriculum council.

Dr. Howley recently co-presented (with Karen Todd, Academy One, Inc.) “Innovative Solutions for Easing the Transfer Process: Pennsylvania’s Transfer Initiative” at the 5^th Annual Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (January 29, 2007) in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Howley holds a B.S. in Science/Biology, a M.Ed in Counseling/Student Personnel Administration, and a D. Ed in Adult Education from Penn State University.

Dr. Meg Nowak: Ithaca College

Dr. Meg Nowak has worked in higher education for over 15 years. She is currently the Assistant Dean, Ithaca College School of Business. She has a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from Boston College. Her dissertation focused on understanding the transfer student experience from the student voice.

Meg is member of the National Orientation Directors Association (NODA) where she serves as the Transfer Network Coordinator. Meg won the NODA Norman K. Russell Scholarship which recognizes and assists graduate students who demonstrate a strong commitment to orientation, retention, and transition. She is also a member of the National Student Personnel Association (NASPA), the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and the American College Personal Association (ACPA). Meg is a member the ACPA Commission for Administrative Leadership where she served as Vice-Chair for programs and membership for three years. In January 2005 she was an invited pre-conference presenter at the Institute for the Study of Transfer Students for a session on transfer orientation programs.

Dr. Nowak has a Master of Science degree in Student Affairs Administration from Indiana State University, a Bachelor of Arts in psychology with a minor in human resource management from the University at Buffalo, and an Associates Degree in buying and merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Technology.