Article By: Denise Ray
The National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS) hosted its annual conference in-person Feb. 2-4 in St. Louis, with a virtual option Feb. 23-24, with 928 in attendance between the two events.
This was the first time in recent years the conference was held outside of Atlanta.
It also marked the 20th anniversary of the organization. University of North Georgia (UNG) President Bonita Jacobs founded the institute in response to a lack of professional development opportunities and research literature focused specifically on transfer students. The institute is based on UNG's Dahlonega Campus.
Themed "From Moment to Movement: Shaping the Future of Transfer," the conference highlighted presentations, networking opportunities and awards in both in-person and virtual formats.
"The theme resonated with our attendees. These professionals are living through national moments of the pandemic, calls for an end to systemic racism and the great resignation while engaging in meaningful individual moments with their students," Dr. Janet Marling, NISTS executive director and associate professor in UNG's College of Education said.
These professionals are living through national moments of the pandemic, calls for an end to systemic racism and the great resignation while engaging in meaningful individual moments with their students.
Dr. Janet Marling
NISTS executive director and associate professor in UNG's College of Education
"They are passionate advocates who want to be part of a larger movement that puts transfer squarely in the equity conversation, moves beyond incremental change, and is carried out collaboratively across higher education. Their commitment to transfer inspires NISTS to work even harder on their behalf."
NISTS presented several awards at the conference including:
The Bonita C. Jacobs Transfer Champion-Catalyst Award recognizes mid-career professionals who are game-changers in the transfer field and have worked over time to make a significant impact at the institutional, regional and/or state level.
The winners were:
Bonita C. Jacobs Transfer Champion-Rising Star Award recognizes individuals who make significant contributions in the early stages of their careers, creating or improving programming that is responsive to the specific transfer student population and shows evidence of success. The awardees were:
NISTS Research Grants encourage transfer-related original research, creative and scholarly work. The awardees were:
Transfer Student Ambassadors were selected through a national competition intended to recognize outstanding students who represent the heart of transfer work. All four demonstrated excellence in leadership, public speaking, and their potential for sharing meaningful information with higher education transfer professionals. They were:
The 2023 NISTS Conference will be held in Portland, Oregon, and the 2024 event will return to St. Louis.