Comments from Past NITOP Participants

"As usual, I greatly enjoyed the conference and found it very informative. I returned with a renewed enthusiasm for teaching and several ideas that I want to try in my classes this semester. I even came away with a good research question that I hope my undergraduate research team will examine in the next few weeks. Over the years, NITOP has contributed greatly to our professional development as a department and to the quality of education that we provide our students."

"I never got a chance to thank you at the end of the NITOP conference, but I wanted to make sure that you knew that I had a wonderful time. The conference had the beautiful combination of being well organized, attended by friendly individuals, and having high-quality presentations. As a new attendee, it was nice to feel welcomed by “veterans” of the conference and in the field. In addition, I found the presentations highly engaging and worthwhile. So, I just wanted to thank you for giving me the opportunity to be there (I was also the recipient of one of the Early Career Scholarships) and congratulate you on putting together an excellent conference. I have spoken highly of you and the conference to my colleagues here at Nova Southeastern with the hope that they will attend in the future. Thanks again and I hope to see you next year."

"Let me start by saying this: go! Go to the next NITOP that you can possibly attend. Make it as soon as possible. Just, go.

Three things impressed me. First, NITOP has all of the best things about big conferences--with few of the bad things. One of the things that I like about big conferences is the keynote line-up. Hearing the "big names" in the field talk about their work, their perception of the direction of the field, etc. NITOP had it: Halpern, Cacioppo, Matsumoto, Benjamin, Steinberg, Lahey. Quite a line-up, in quite an intimate setting.

Second, NITOP also contained all of the best things about small conferences: sharing and collaboration. Participant idea-exchanges, poster-sessions that and social events that encouraged and engaged attendee-interaction were the norm. Generally speaking, I'm not a person who walks up and says "hello" to people that I don't know. At a conference, and as a closet-introvert, I prefer context for new introductions and the breaks, meals and social events at NITOP provided that sort of interaction on a small scale, with people like me!

This brings me to my third point. It is rare to go to a place where so many people of "like minds" and (as a fellow-attendee noted) "like hearts" gather in one place. There are times, I think, that being on the "dedicated" end of the "teacher dedication" distribution gets a little lonely. At NITOP, we were everywhere.

I've not been in academia all that long--5 years--but I've been attending various conferences for 10-15 years. NITOP ranks among my favorite. It is special and it ought not to be missed."

"This past week was my very first NITOP conference, but I can assure that it will not be my last. It was truly edifying to get together with other professional psychology academics from around the country and "compare notes," so to speak, finding out that what often feel like isolated and compartmentalized/departmentalized challenges and issues are more widespread then one may fear.

Discovering that issues related to student motivation, retention, and success are more common then I realized was both affirming and encouraging, as I was able to get great ideas from both new professionals and seasoned veterans.

The conference facilities were also to be commended. This is the first conference I've attended in ten years where the events did not STOP at 5 pm, where attendees could share meals together on a daily basis, each day with a different group of people, and where even a newcomer could quickly feel very welcomed.

Kudos to the ENTIRE NITOP staff for an excellent event. I will most surely be back in future years, hopefully as a presenter at some point."