Volume VII | October 2021
October CCAA Counselor Corner (CCC):
Important Fall Updates For You
We hope the fall edition of the CCAA Counselor Corner (CCC) finds you healthy and well. Fall is upon us and for many of us that means the leaves are changing, the weather is cooling down, and the countdown to Thanksgiving break has begun.

In addition to the yearly traditions of picking out pumpkins and enjoying a glass of apple cider, the fall also includes some different types of traditions for those of us in college admissions. It means early application deadlines, long lists of recommendation letters that need to be written, PSAT tests, visits from college representatives, and meetings with worried parents and stressed-out students. Did we mention all the deadlines?!

In Summer 2020, we started our Dealing With Stress During a Pandemic conversation by speaking with the Director of Counseling and Psychological Services at National CCAA member Mount Saint Mary's University (Los Angeles, CA) where we learned some self-care tips.

In Fall 2021, we've continued our conversation by speaking with Gary L. Petiprin, Ph.D., Counseling Center Director at National CCAA member institution Bellarmine University. (Louisville, KY). During our conversation, Dr. Petiprin shared updates from Bellarmine's campus and Counseling Center, as well as helpful tips for counselors, students and parents as we continue navigating these stressful and uncertain times of working, learning and living during the Covid-19 pandemic. View our recorded conversation here.

Our fall edition is also full of some quick, but important updates about the work we've been doing lately, and some reminders about a few events happening this week. Keep reading to also find announcements about updates to the National CCAA Board of Directors and a list of the eight new Catholic colleges and universities who have joined our growing list of member institutions for the 2021-22 year.

Whether you're at the beginning, middle, or end of your growing to-do list this fall, we wish you luck and hope that you'll be able to enjoy some stress-free moments along the way.
Recap: Previous Fall Events
We've been busy this fall with multiple virtual events for students, parents and counselors. In case you missed any of them, here's a recap for you:

  • College Application Workshop: On August 31, members of our National CCAA board hosted a virtual college application workshop designed for incoming high school seniors. View the recorded workshop here. To access the recording, you will need to enter the passcode: CG+J4NxP.

  • Catholic Educators Special Interest Group Meeting: The National CCAA runs a special interest group (SIG) --Catholic Educators--at NACAC each year. It is open to anyone who is interested in discussing anything related to Catholic education (secondary school or college). The mission of the Catholic Educators SIG is to work collaboratively on issues that impact educators in Catholic high schools, colleges, and universities and to network between high school and post secondary professionals with an interest in Catholic education. Access a recording of the September 24 Catholic Educators SIG meeting here. To view the recording, please enter the passcode: =1i#x47o.

  • 6x6 Virtual College Fair: This fall, the National CCAA has partnered with the Jesuit Excellence Tours (JET) to present three virtual recruitment events that highlight the value of Catholic higher education and feature many of our member colleges and universities. The first of our events was a Virtual College Fair held on October 6. Watch the 12 recorded fair sessions here.

  • Virtual Catholic Colleges Panel Presentations, Night #1: Continuing our partnership with the JET, we created a two-night virtual panel presentation event featuring 70 different Catholic colleges and universities. Our first night of panel presentations took place on October 19. View the recorded presentations here.

Join Us Thursday (October 21) For Virtual Panel Presentations
Thursday, October 21
5:00-7:45 pm Central Time

National CCAA and Jesuit Excellence Tour members hope to "see" your students on Thursday as we host our second night of virtual panel presentations.

During the virtual presentations, students, parents, and counselors will have a chance to learn about many Catholic colleges and universities, college admission, and Catholic college academic and co-curricular opportunities. We will also offer a presentation entitled, "Why go to a Catholic College?", which will cover the value and benefits of Catholic higher education. Registration and a complete list of panel topics can be found at www.strivescan.com/nccaa.
Thank You Seattle!
Thank you to all of our counseling colleagues who visited us at the National CCAA's exhibit booth during the 2021 NACAC Conference in Seattle last month.

We were thrilled to have the chance to say hello to so many of our colleagues in person and had fun watching as you took your chance on our own "Great Wheel" and won some of our exciting prizes including Seattle chocolate, sweatshirts and other items donated by our National CCAA member colleges and universities, National CCAA swag, and a ticket to next year's 2022 Catholic Colleges Reception in Houston.

We enjoyed the chance to catch up and hear how you've been and to share information about our member colleges and universities and the National CCAA organization. Thank you to everyone who visited our booth and to the city of Seattle for such a great return to the NACAC conference! And a big thank you to all of our National CCAA Exhibit Booth Sponsors who made our fun activities possible through their generous sponsorships.
News From the National CCAA Board of Directors
We are proud to announce Elizabeth “Beth” Sullivan, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing at Saint Peter's University (Jersey City, NJ), as our new President. She succeeds Jean Marie Cox, Assistant Vice President of Enrollment and Dean of Admission at Saint Louis University (Saint Louis, MO) who is now Past-President. Jean Marie has done a tremendous job of continuing to lead our organization and guiding us through a rapid time of change while keeping our mission of promoting Catholic colleges and universities. 

In addition, Dean Kilgour, Assistant Vice President of Enrollment at Mount Saint Mary's University (Los Angeles, CA) has been elected President-Elect and will succeed Beth as President next fall after the Houston NACAC. These three enrollment leaders are incredibly dedicated and talented and we look forward to their continued hard work and passion.

We are also excited to welcome Claudia Valbuena-Mejia, College Counselor at St. Pius X High School (Houston, TX) to the National CCAA Board of Directors. Claudia will serve as one of three secondary school counselors on our board and will lend her expertise to many of the Association's initiatives including future CCC newsletter editions and virtual events like our counselor town hall sessions. In addition, Claudia will also serve as our resident expert and local counselor in charge as we plan for the 2022 NACAC National Conference and our annual Catholic Colleges Reception in Houston next fall.
News From Our National CCAA Member Campuses
As the school year is in full swing at our member campuses across the country and the world, there are many different celebrations taking place this fall. This week, many of our National CCAA members are celebrating National Transfer Student Week 2021. Taking place from October 18-22, schools will celebrate transfer students and the professionals who support them on their journeys. The theme of this year's NTSW is "These Transfer Shoes: Step Into My Journey."

According to the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students, this annual event is held every third week of October with the goal of "challenging assumptions, building empathy, and instilling transfer pride" across campuses.

Take a look at what some of our National CCAA members have planned for the week:

  • DePaul University: DePaul University will host a week of tours, panels and events geared towards prospective and admitted transfer students.
  • Le Moyne College: Le Moyne College is offering an Instant Admit Day where prospective transfer students can schedule an in-person or virtual appointment and receive an admission decision the same day.
  • University of Dayton: University of Dayton will host a week of virtual and in-person events for prospective, admitted and enrolled transfer students. The events include information sessions, tickets to soccer games, and an opportunity to trade a shirt from your prior institution for a new UD one.
If you have any questions or would like to add a counselor colleague to our email list, please contact us at info@nationalccaa.org.  

Additional helpful links, available on our website, which is a great resource for counselors, students and parents:
Welcome to Our Newest Member Institutions
We recently completed our membership drive for the 2021-22 year and are excited to welcome eight new Catholic colleges and universities to our growing list of National CCAA member institutions.

Welcome to our newest National CCAA Members:

Follow us for National CCAA Updates

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The National Catholic College Admission Association (The National CCAA) is a nonprofit organization of Catholic colleges and universities committed to promoting the value of Catholic higher education and serving students in the transition to college.