NODA’s Consulting Services are a cost-effective solution for higher ed institutions or departments looking to evaluate, enhance, or reimagine their current orientation, transition, and retention.

With 40+ years and a diverse professional interest, NODA offers expertise in a wide-breadth of orientation and transition programming. This includes but is not limited to new freshman, transfer student, and family orientations; student leader selection, and staff training and development.

Orientation & Transition Consulting Process

Content Analysis and Review
of Existing Processes
Facilitated Focus Groups
and Assessment
Final Report
and Recommendations

Fee Structure

External Review Fee

Membership TypeFee
Institutions with Institutional Membership$8,000
Institutions with an Individual Professional Membership$10,000
Non-Member Institutions$12,000

Consultant Travel

In addition, institutions will be responsible for reimbursement to NODA for consultant travel expenses and per diem. Estimates will be provided during the contracting process. Reimbursement rates are for actual costs or using federal reimbursement rates defined by the US General Services Administration.


Consultants

Charlie Andrews has been involved in the Orientation, Retention, and Transition fields since 1994. He has mostly worked at mid-sized to large, public institutions. The majority of his experience has been at Florida International University, a large, urban University with over 50,000 students, where he currently serves as the Director of Academic Advising and First Year Programs. He has had experience at both commuter and residential institutions. In addition to his experience with orientation programming, he has also had several years of experience coordinating academic advising functions both during orientation and at the institutional level. Along those lines, his dissertation research focuses on the predicting and supporting the retention and success of first-year STEM majors. He served as the NODA President from 2004-2007. To date, he serves as an external consultant for Colorado State University, Oregon State University, and the University of Minnesota.

John Britton, born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada where he lived until college. A first generation college student, he obtained an undergraduate degree in secondary education with a master degree in curriculum and instruction. Currently, Associate Dean of Campus Involvement and Leadership at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. He has 19 years of higher education experience, including residence life, judicial affairs, teaching adventure education experience, leadership development, student orgs, student activities and 15 years in orientation. Expertise in orientation include: creative programming development, staff oversight, student training, slo’s, strategic planning, FYE, retention, and mission alignment.

Beth Lingren Clark is an Assistant Dean and the Director for Orientation & First-Year Programs at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is responsible for providing direction and support to those who mage the processes for Orientation, Welcome Week, and other first-year initiatives to ensure that students have a seamless transition to University life and are personally and academically successful. She has worked on creating a common campus culture for assessment while developing an intentional assessment plan for her office in an effort to identify transitional themes and issues to alter program content and messaging to impact retention. She received her bachelor’s degree from South Dakota State University, her Master’s from West Illinois University, and her Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale.

Dr. Kathryn Kay Coquemont has worked in orientation, transition, and retention since 2003 in a several roles, including Director of New Student & Family Programs, Director of Orientation & Leadership Development, and Director of New Student Orientation, across diverse institutions like Georgetown University, University of Utah, University of Georgia, and Georgia Institute of Technology. She has extensive experience with Orientation, Extended Orientation, First-Year and Sophomore Year Experience, parent/family programs, student success initiatives, academic advising, serving specialized populations, for-credit leadership courses, and leadership development. She is passionate about her work with diversity, equity, and inclusion and incorporates it into her practice, research, and publications. She has won numerous awards and currently serves as the Vice President for Student Affairs at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. 

Andrene Kaiwi-Lenting has worked in various areas of campus life and in orientation, transition, and retention for over 25 years. She has extensive experience with campus life programming, such as clubs and organizations, student government, student leadership development and orientation, and first year programs. Currently, Kaiwi is the Assistant Director for Student Life and Leadership at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). New Student and Transition programs at Cal poly are recognized for the active student leadership format and volunteerism, community relations, comprehensive program offerings, and ability to outreach to and educate new students in transition through multimedia and technology.

Dr. Richard Mullendore is a Professor Emeritus of College Student Affairs Administration at the University of Georgia. During his career, Mullendore served as the Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Georgia and Vice Chancellor for Student Life at the University of Mississippi. he also worked at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the University of Charleston (WV), and Tusculum College (TN). He is a Fellow of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition (FYE).

Rick Sparks currently serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Learning Systems Innovation and Effectiveness and University Registrar at Virginia Tech. In this role he ensures the academic integrity of the university and provides accuracy and security of all academic records of current and former students. Previously he held the position of Interim Director of Student Centers and Activities and from 2003-2015 served as the Associate Dean of Students and Director of New Students Programs. Prior to coming to Virginia Tech he served in positions at the Virginia Departments of Alcohol Beverage Control, Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, and the Commonwealth of Virginia Governor’s Office. Rick is originally from Pembroke, VA and currently lives in Christiansburg with his wife and two kids.

Jeanine Ward-Roof is the Vice President for Student Affairs at Ferris State University. Prior to her current role, she served as Dean of Students at Florida State University and in a variety of roles including Director of Student Development Services at Clemson University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication from Ohio University, her Master’s degree in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University and her Ph.D from Clemson University in Educational Leadership. She has been involved in NODA since 1987 and has served as president, director of regions, member of the Board of Directors, editor of the Orientation Review, co-editor and chapter author for the 2003 Designing Successful Transitions: A Guide to Orientating Students to College and editor of the 2010 edition of the same publication, faculty member OPI and inter-association liaison.

Dr. Gregory Wolcott has worked professionally in higher education for 20 years in the areas of student engagement, transition, retention, and new student programs. He has also taught courses in counseling, leadership, and first year experience seminars. Dr. Wolcott currently holds the position of Interim Associate Vice President for Transition and Retention Services and Director of New Student and Family Programs at San José State University. In his role he oversees several departments including the Educational Opportunity Program, African American/Black Student Success Center, Chicanx/latinx Student Success Center, UndocuSpartan Student Resource Center, Asian/Pacific Islander/Desi American Task Force, and New Student and Family Programs.