Professional Development

The excitement is palpable! This past month has been a time of incredible member engagement and energy. I’ve come to think of October and November as “State Division Conference Season,” and one of the perks of being ACPA President is having the opportunity to visit with our State Division members at those gatherings. I, along with ACPA Executive Director Greg Roberts, Vice President Keith Humphrey, Past President Susan Salvador, and other members of the Governing Board, have attended almost a dozen state conferences over the past 6 weeks. At those conferences we’ve had the chance to attend outstanding workshops, hear inspiring speakers, share news about what is happening on the national agenda, and – best of all – talk with members about the issues that are most important to them.

During this same time several hundred ACPA members and friends participated in one of more than 50 visioning “MeetUps” that took place around and beyond the United States. During these sessions participants shared their visions of the future of higher education, their beliefs about what values and activities will be needed to meet those future challenges, and their suggestions about how ACPA can lead the way in addressing those issues. At a Governing Board meeting later this month we’ll be reviewing the summary report of those MeetUps and using what we’ve learned from our members to help us start crafting our next strategic plan.

In the meantime, this week's edition of ACPA's ecommunity is full of information about upcoming professional development opportunities that are helping our members address the challenges they face on their campuses today, updates about emerging legislative and (inter)national issues, and news about the important work our ACPA entity groups are doing. With all this energy, it’s a great time to serving ACPA as your President!

Heidi