HECA College Knowledge Major Talks: Exploratory Studies

Description

Entering college undecided is often seen as a problem to solve. This HECA College Knowledge session reframes it as an opportunity.

Join Dr. Steven R. Antonoff (Antonoff Consulting), a 40-year veteran IEC and author of College Match, alongside Tom Marshall (University of Colorado at Boulder) and Jenna Okula (Lehigh University) for a conversation on how to guide exploring students with confidence.

You'll come away with:

• Practical strategies for advising undecided and exploring students
• A shift in framing, from picking a major to developing durable, transferable skills
• An inside look at how CU Boulder's Exploratory Studies and Lehigh's Explore Lehigh programs support first-year students

Whether you work with students who feel behind because they don't have it all figured out, or you're looking for language to help families understand the value of exploration, this session will give you both the mindset and the tools to guide them well.

Entering college undecided is often both a curse and a blessing. As IECs, we have the tools to turn that initial uncertainty into a highly productive path. Let's talk about how.

Steven Antonoff, Ph.D
HECA Member, Independent Educational Consultant
Antonoff Consulting Group
Author, College Match

Steven R. Antonoff, Ph.D., has been an independent educational consultant (IEC) for over 40 years, working as a practitioner, author, and educator. He is the author of College Match: A Blueprint for Choosing the Best School for You, which is the longest-running college planning guide in print and is now in its 16th edition. He also wrote The College Finder (now in its fifth edition, co-authored by Jay McCann) and A Student of Colleges, a textbook for IEC professionals. His college planning materials and assessments, including the Self-Survey for the College Bound, are used daily by hundreds of students and are available at schoolbuff.com. Dr. Antonoff is active in HECA, IECA, and NACAC. In HECA, he serves on the Professional Development Institute faculty and the Standards and Ethics Committee. He has also served on the faculty of the IECA Summer Training Institute, the Commission on Credentialing, the IECA Foundation Board of Trustees, and the University of California, Irvine (UCI) IEC Certificate Advisory Board. He has taught IEC courses for both UCI and UCLA, and he is a popular speaker and trainer. Before becoming an IEC, he was the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid and Dean of Students at the University of Denver.

Tom Marshall
Curricular & Experiential Education Program Manager
Program in Exploratory Studies, University of Colorado at Boulder 

Tom Marshall is the Curricular & Experiential Learning Program Manager for the Program in Exploratory Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Tom's journey at CU Boulder began in 1998 as an undergraduate, where he earned a double major in history and political science. Prior to his current role, he spent over two decades teaching high school students and training educators across Wyoming, Virginia, and Colorado. A key focus of his work involves guiding students through advising and First-Year Experience (FYXP) classes to build their agency, interpersonal abilities, and professional skills. He is deeply passionate about helping students develop a sense of purpose and meaningful habits that will serve them throughout college and beyond.

Jenna Okula
Senior Assistant Director of Admissions, Lehigh University

Jenna Okula is the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Lehigh University. Over her two and a half years at Lehigh, she has managed recruitment and application review for students from Colorado, as well as Mercer, Monmouth, Middlesex, and Union Counties in New Jersey. A key focus of her role is overseeing email communication, bringing a personal, human touch to the university's outreach. With five total years of experience in higher education admissions, Jenna has developed a strong, student-centered approach to engagement and enrollment strategy. She is deeply passionate about her work and values the opportunity to guide students through one of the most important decisions of their lives.