NACAC-AC-AC-AC-AC

Where’s Billy Joel when you need him??

It was the first full day of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) National Conference. The conference opened on a somber note with Tulane University’s Dean of Admission Richard Whiteside thanking the members for their help in placing Tulane students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. It was particularly poignant for, as he was speaking, the rest of the Tulane administration was in the process of evacuating their temporary headquarters in Houston in the face of oncoming Hurricane Rita.

It was a great day for NOLS in the exhibit hall. I had the opportunity to introduce a number of guidance counselors to NOLS. Most people in high school education are very familiar with our summer program, but not as aware of the NOLS semester program. They are excited to hear about the college credit program and the opportunity that NOLS offers high school graduates to take some time out from a classroom education, yet keep on learning.

The first person I talked to was Tinsley Furry, a consultant with ACT. She is a NOLS graduate from an Alaska Backpacking course. I also met a guidance counselor from the Chicago area that did a Wyoming Outdoor Educator course in the mid-90s.

A buddy of mine, Bill McClintock, stopped by to give me an update on Derry Mason. Derry is a NOLS grad and he runs the new outdoor program at Bill’s school, Mercersburg Academy. Bill says that the outdoor program at Mercersburg is really growing under Derry’s leadership. Bill and I go way back. We played basketball together at Hartwick College in the mid-70s.

Several guidance counselors came by to say what a difference NOLS had made in the lives of some of their students. The rep from the booth next to ours said he felt like he was witnessing a meeting of the NOLS Fan Club. Yep!

Til tomorrow,

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director