Stacie Hays, career counselor at Morningside College, and Heather McFarland, a first-year adviser at Morningside, recently presented research at the 2015 National Academic Advising Association regional conference in Fargo, N.D.

Stacie Hays	Heather McFarland

Stacie Hays, career counselor at Morningside College, and Heather McFarland, a first-year adviser at Morningside, recently presented research at the 2015 National Academic Advising Association regional conference in Fargo, N.D.

Their presentation focused on research they completed with first-year students on the Morningside College campus. It was called “Fast Track to Graduation: An Analysis of Student Perception of Perseverance, Career Anxiety and Career Confidence. A Pilot with Programs.”

Last year Morningside started a new advising program where full-time, professional advisers focus on meeting the needs of first-year students. From summer registration all the way through to declaring a major, the first-year advisers work with students to lay the groundwork for a successful and gratifying college experience. Once the students have identified their goals and declared a major, they transfer to a faculty adviser.

The National Academic Advising Association is an association of professional advisers, counselors, faculty, administrators and students working to enhance the educational development of students.