NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

3/12/2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES- The 27th annual Southern Regional Orientation Workshop will be held at Northwestern State University March 15-17. Approximately 1,200 students along with student affairs personnel representing more than 60 colleges and universities from 10 states will attend the conference.

The Southern Region includes nine states and is one of nine regions making up the National Orientation Directors Association (NODA), The organization provides services to new student programs in institutions of higher education. Professional administrators, students, faculty and related organizations form the group's membership.

Colleges and universities from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Indiana are registered for the workshop.

"It is an honor for Northwestern to host this event. This is a great learning opportunity for our students who have been involved in every step of the planning," said NSU Director of New Student Programs Reatha Cox. "Our students have come up with the theme of the workshop and a number of other ideas. They have gotten experience which will help them as professionals."

Cox has been assisted by Northwestern student Quincy Spencer of Crowley, who has spearheaded the planning since NSU won the bid to host the conference last year.

During the three-day workshop, participants will attend educational sessions designed to help them run student orientation sessions more effectively. They will also take part in song/skit competition, spirit competition, banner and T-shirt competition.

NSU has won the song competition for the last two years and has placed for four years in a row. Northwestern will not participate this year while serving as workshop host.

Events will begin at 4 p.m. Friday with the traditional Roll Call on the downtown Riverbank in Natchitoches. Those attending will also get to see a mini-Mardi Gras parade staged by Natchitoches' Krewe of Dionysus and the Krewe of Gemini from Shreveport.

Among the speakers at the workshop are motivational speakers David Coleman and Brent Sharpo, Sharon E. Whittaker, vice president for student affairs at Stillman College and professional entertainer, lecturer and workshop moderator Curtis Zimmerman.

Coleman, who is known as the Dating Doctor, is a six-time winner of the National Lecture Entertainer of the Year from Campus Activities Today Magazine. He has been featured in national publications including Cosmopolitan, USA Today, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Scarpo recently produced and directed a documentary, Journey to a Hate Free Millenium, a look at the subject of hate as seen through the eyes of Matthew Shepherd, those at Columbine High School and the family of James Byrd in Jasper, Texas.

Whittaker has held positions at Howard University, Paine College, Mary Holmes College and Stillman College. She has made presentations at more than 280 colleges and universities, state and regional conferences and local organizations.

Zimmerman has presented thousands of workshops specializing in the topics of performance optimization in the workplace, goal setting and the role failure plays in success. He is a recipient of the Most Outstanding Educational Seminar from the National Association of Campus Activities.

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