Kaci B Kortis

Kaci grew up in Waverly, a small town in southern Ohio, and left to come to the 'big city' and attend UC.  With almost 10 years of experience in various sectors of the education field she has a vast understanding of the K-12 setting, college environment and general educational policy.  Prior to returning to UC, she was a high school teacher.  Currently she works with students who are exploring various majors at the University of Cincinnati.  In her spare time she volunteers for the Stray Animal Adoption Program, helping rescue dogs get adopted into forever homes.  She also enjoys spending time with her husband Adam and dogs Abbey and Oscar.

Masters of Education, School Counseling : University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio, 2013

Bachelors of Science in Secondary Education: University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio, 2006 (Integrated Social Studies)

Research areas include: exploratory students, first generation students, low-income and/or disadvantaged students, and the experience of Appalachian students in college.

2011 -2013 Graduate Assistant, Disability Service Office, • Counseled University students with documented disabilities to plan and initiate appropriate academic accommodations through performing over 200 intake appointments. • Routinely interpreted psycho-educational diagnostic reports such as the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale and The Woodcock Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities during intake appointments. • Managed the daily implementation of academic accommodations for over 800 students registered each quarter with Disability Services in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. • Advocated on the behalf of a diverse student population on disability related issues • Informed potential and incoming students and parents about programs offered through the Academic Excellence and Support Services offices. Led parent informational sessions for each freshman orientation from June-August. , University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

2013 -2014 Program Coordinator; Learning Assistance Center, • Advising and advocating for 550 Pell-eligible students at UC Clifton and UC Blue Ash participating in the Cincinnati Pride Grant program to ensure academic retention and progress. • Increased CPG appointments six-fold and increased overall first semester freshmen GPA when compared fall-to-fall • Planned Cincinnati Pride Grant events including grant orientation and semester workshops • Coordinated Academic Alert program to increase retention with four colleges to mandate use of LAC services; communicated with students in bi-weekly emails, track data and report weekly to participating colleges, and communication with mandated students. • Sent semester data reports to stakeholders for Academic Alert program • Co-chair, LAC Assessment Team; coordinated office evaluation, data collection and standardizing reports. • Office liaison to Institutional Research to launch standardized data collection • Completed Citi Training for Human Subject Research clearance , University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

2014 -To Present Assistant Director, Academic, • Advise on first two years of all 120+ UC undergraduate majors for students looking to transition to a new UC college • Meet daily with student from 400+ person caseload, plus the general UC community, to find students’ best fit major; keeping detailed notes for records in database • Create assessment reports, incorporating My Plan and ACT career assessments, to discuss personality type, interests, career and major options for exploring students • Monitor student progress, using Starfish early alert system, communicating with struggling students to make a plan of action regarding classes • Teach fall semester Discovering UC course to 60 freshmen who are exploring majors at UC • Responsible for social media communication with students including Facebook, Twitter and Remind • Fluent in social media analytics tools; tracked office usage and student engagement with social media messages to adjust communication strategy as needed • Serve on various committees including UC Advising Conference Planning Committee 2014 and 2015; acted as a proposal reader and evaluation chair • Attend recruitment events such as Open Houses and Bearcat Brunches to interact with prospective students and parents • Selected for National Academic Advising Conference to present on social media analytics in Las Vegas, NV, October 2015; received Technology in Advising Commission Sponsorship award for presentation • Conduct orientations, both summer and transfer, to familiarize students with college processes, schedules, and campus • Implemented event for A&S transfer student to help students acclimate to UC and campus culture • Systematized assessment in Exploratory advising office and established relationship between Institutional Research (IR) and Exploratory Studies creating research questions and collaborative reporting , University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

Invited Presentations

Kortis, Kaci (02-2015. ) Appalachian Students at UC .College of Arts and Science, Cultural Compentency Series, Level:Department

Kortis, Kaci (10-2015. ) What the Tweet? Twitter Analytics for Beginners .Ceasar's Palace, Las Vegas, NV. Level:National

Korits, Kaci; Pamela Jackson (09-2015. ) • “Statistics and Metrics and Data, Oh My! A quick start guide to common assessment analyses .Tangeman University Center, Cincinnati, OH. Level:University

Kortis, Kaci; Lauren Clark (04-2015. ) Collaborate to Retain: Probation Programming .NACADA Region 5, Indianapolis, IN. Level:Regional

Kortis, Kaci (04-2015. ) Appalachia: In UC’s Backyard .Tangeman University Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Level:University

Sperandio, Jaime; Kaci Kortis (06-2014. ) Collect, Assess, Report, Now What? Learning to Leverage Your Data for Institutional Gain .Ohio State Student Union, Columbus, Ohio. Level:University

Lecture

Kortis, Kaci; Clark, Lauren (04-10-2015. ) Collaborate to Retain: Effective Probation Programming .Indianapolis. Conference.

Kortis, Kaci (04-01-2015. ) Appalachia: In UC's Backyard .Cincinnati, Ohio. UC. Level:University

Kortis, Kaci; Sperandio, Jaime (06-19-2015. ) What the Tweet? Social Media Analytics for Beginners .Columbus, Ohio. Other Institution. Level:University

Sperandio, Jaime; Kortis, Kaci (06-2015. ) • “Collect, Assess, Report, Now What? Learning to Leverage Your Data for Institutional Gain,” .Columbus, Ohio. Other Institution. Level:University

Kortis, Kaci; Jackson, Cami; Shade, Courtney; Barnett, James (04-2015. ) • “Challenges to Student Retention Among Groups at UC,” .Cincinnati, Ohio. UC. Level:University

Clark, Lauren; Pettyjohn, Heidi; Vance, Katherine; Zippin, Angela & Kortis, Kaci (02-2014. ) Mentoring 101 .Cincinnati, Ohio. UC. Level:University

• Emerging Leaders in Student Affairs (ELSA) at the University of Cincinnati; member of Professional Development committee

• University of Cincinnati Undergraduate Academic Advising Association (UCUAADA), member

NACADA, member

2011 -2013: Chi Sigma Iota Honor Society University of Cincinnati,

2005 -2006: Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society University of Cincinnati,

15-MLTI-175 DISCOVERING UC Level:Undergraduate