Mail Call – Message #1 from Your ACPA President by Dr. Tom Jackson, Jr., ACPA President 2009-10

ACPA is hot right now. What a fantastic convention we had in Washington, D.C.

Allow me to thank each of you for not only being a member of ACPA, but also taking an active role in our shared profession. A long time ago a mentor of mine encouraged me to be active in our professional associations. His point was that we, as professional’s, must give back to this profession. Whether it is doing presentations, writing, serving on committees or some other activity is very important. It is what professional’s do. You shouldn’t have to think about giving to your profession – you just do it.

I learned a lot from that mentor – who today remains my dearest friend. This, in part, is why I need your help. It is one of my goals, as your ACPA President, to communicate with you in a way that not only informs you of current issues within ACPA and the profession, but also uses the technology available to us today. Currently the means to communicate to the membership are the regular articles in our different publications. I hope to explore several methods, including Facebook, Twitter, and my blog. Using my blog I hope gives you further insight into why certain decisions get made or how I may be approaching an issue that the association must address. My hope is you will see the many perspectives and ramifications that are often involved in the many different things that the President and ACPA must address.

Think about it for just a moment. ACPA has 20 commissions/task forces, 6 standing committees, 33 state associations, and 24 different countries that are members of ACPA. ACPA has roughly 8,200 members, all with a voice and an expectation. It is impossible to touch each person, but each President tries in some way. I am no exception. Your help in guiding me and participating in the association makes things much easier. I encourage you to follow me on Twitter, join me on my public chats, and actively shape our global profession. Below is a summary of my efforts to reach out to you.

Blog: acpa-president.blogspot.com
Twitter: acpaprez (the goal is 500 followers – win a prize!)
Facebook: American College Personnel Association
Web: myacpa.org
Skype: Monthly public chat the 2nd Friday of EVERY month at 11:00 a.m. EST.

In the coming days I will share with you more insights on the items we are currently addressing as an association. If you seek greater involvement – we can find ways to get you even more involved. In fact, next time you speak to a colleague have them join ACPA, too. ACPA, in many respects, is not that different than your campus employer. We are facing budget challenges, seeking ways to collaborate more easily with our sister associations, trying to improve and retain membership, and trying to advance our work across the globe. We have assumed the leadership role in trying to bring associations together to enhance our global profession. This includes identifying opportunities to enhance student development research abroad while assisting with professional development. We are also looking at ways to better utilize technology in our very popular and successful Placement Services. If you can imagine improvements you can bet we are thinking or talking about them now.

Your membership matters to me and ACPA. ACPA is an association that is progressive, responsive to trends, viable, and one that I hope provides you the type of information and opportunity to learn and improve your campus environment. After all, it is about students. Take care.

Guest Blog - Importance of States to Our Association

Ever talk with an ACPA State Leader? After a few minutes in conversation with them, you soon realize that they can make any state event a reality regardless of the roadblocks in front of them. Take for instance the current economy. It hasn’t stopped New York CSPA from offering a $250 research grant to its membership, or prevented Wisconsin CPA from eliminating membership fees by working them into conference fees and tripling membership, or stopped Minnesota from funding 9 graduate student scholarships!

Despite the many challenges state divisions face; namely recruiting and retaining volunteer boards, operating on very low membership dues, retaining graduate student members whose job search takes them out of the state; ACPA state divisions provide the highest quality and most accessible professional development for our association members. They are small but mighty and nimble enough to respond quickly to changes in member needs and economic shifts.

Throughout our Convention 2009 experience, state and international division leaders invited Governing Board leadership, Convention Planning Teams, and task force representatives to its meetings. Every single one of those representatives served as state division presidents sometime during their ACPA journey. The divisions provide a foundational training-ground for ACPA leadership and offer every level of student affairs professional a unique and intimate leadership experience. The opportunity to present at state division conferences, to conduct research as part of a case study competition or grant-supported research, and to experience transformative leadership….state divisions of ACPA are phenomenal!

I remember my first foray into a state division of ACPA. I was working as a graduate assistant in the Office of Student Development at The University of Akron in 1987 and a colleague, Brian Brietholz invited me to go travel to Ohio University for a conference planning committee meeting. I had no idea what I might be in for, but I had about 5 hours of drive time to consider what I might contribute. We arrive and are greeted by the friendliest group of student affairs professionals anyone could meet. Regardless of the fact that I had very little experience with conference planning, a task was delegated to me. My job? Choose the conference gift (or as I like to call them, chotskies). Well I did (and boy did I think those printed four sided highlighters were da’bomb!). But, that was all it took for me to be hooked. A highlighter!

It doesn’t take a whole lot to introduce young professionals to ACPA. Connect them with your state association and watch their professional lives be transformed into rewarding lifelong careers.

One highlighter later, I find myself serving this valuable association as Coordinator of State Divisions. I am honored, not by the title, but by the opportunity to step in and out of the lives of the state division leaders as they create, innovate and communicate to provide their membership (ACPA’s membership) at every level of their professional journey with every type of learning opportunity a student affairs professional could ask for.

ACPA States Create, Innovate & Communicate!

Submitted by Dr. Sandra Emerick, Coordinator of State Divisions
Cleveland State University

2009-10 Presidential Initiatives Focuses on Internationalism, Veterans, Research, and Corporate Relations (3-2-09)

Written by Dr. Tom Jackson, Jr., Incoming ACPA President for 2009-10

Forward thinking, vibrant, and a world leader in student development -- ACPA is uniquely positioned to impact and engage the profession. As one of the world’s leaders in student development, ACPA will enthusiastically and actively inspire its membership, and the global profession, to advance knowledge and competencies, deliver professional and career development, and aggressively develop new and thoughtful strategies to serve the many different campuses and students.

ACPA has a long history of innovation, passion, tradition, and celebration and stands ready to deliver the critical services, education, and opportunities to lead the next generation of practitioners and scholars.

The priorities below unify the association’s strategic plan with the presidential vision and priorities. Collaboration, with a mindful eye on serving the greater good, is required to establish the global and systemic partnerships needed to advance both the association and the profession.

Themes

1. Becoming Truly International and Global
2. Serving Veterans
3. Focusing on Research
4. Developing a Sense of Giving

Becoming Truly International and Global

ACPA (and the profession) can broadly serve the international community and should discover ways now to not only have a presence internationally, but to more deliberately reach out to colleagues across the globe. Additionally, as campuses share resources and research, and students from abroad find their way to the United States, the Association must be open to the changing dynamic this may have on our campuses.

Serving Veterans

This honorable group brings full scholarships to our nations campuses. Best practices for recruiting veterans and active duty people to campus, as well as how campuses may have modified policy and services to best serve this at-risk group would be important. The influx of veterans may rival WWII. The impact that graduating veterans will have on the economy is very significant. Nationally we are at the infancy stage of this phenomenon, but it is moving fast and it will soon be beyond our grasp without deliberate action.

Focusing on Research

ACPA’s strength is inspiring new research, and one of the research needs is college mental health and veterans issues. Although not intended to be related, there is much discussion on college campuses about the mental health challenges of students. There is also growing research on the implications, yet the root causes of these challenges have not been revealed. Why is the profession facing increased mental health issues on campus? What has occurred in the past that is now contributing to these dynamics on our campus today? Discovering why these challenges exist (at the root) will enable the profession to demand change the formula so when students do arrive on campus they are in a healthier, more stable state of mine.

Developing a Sense of Giving

Many practitioners are accustomed to the giving of one’s time and intellect through scholarly work. That is a strength of this association and the profession. ACPA has the opportunity to envision how giving of other resources can contribute to the success of the association and its impact on student success. Cultivating relationships, an ACPA strength, is a requirement in the giving process. Identifying strategies to improve corporate relationships, establish innovative partnerships, or devise unique strategies to inspire giving in different ways is important if the association is to better serve the students at member campuses.

Themes Applied to the Strategic Plan

I. Expand Knowledge & Competencies

A. Advance Student Development Internationally and Develop
     International Institutes that Serve the Global Profession

1. Establish a South Africa summit and an Asia annual summit.
   
2. Develop strategic international Partnerships with IACSAS and ACUI.
   
3. Work to support and enhance the Caribbean student development initiatives.
   
4. Host an international conference with strategic partners.
   
5. Explore feasibility of establishing an international new professional institute in collaboration with ACUI and ACUHO-I.
   
6. Explore the feasibility of establishing an international mid-management institute or college student development/higher education faculty scholars symposium in collaboration with appropriate partners.
   
7. Develop Hispanic leadership by engaging both domestic and international Hispanic leadership.
   
8. Establish an international Hispanic Leadership Institute and develop the Hispanic network to promote knowledge and competencies to better serve Hispanic students in predominantly Hispanic serving institutions.

B. Initiate New Research

1. Develop rapid and timely topical white papers that are freely and easily distributed.
   
2. Expand research that addresses college mental health and helps define the root causes for student mental health challenges.
   
3. Initiate international comparative studies in student development and higher education trends to best support the global profession.

II. Enhance Professional & Career Development

A. Establish Innovative Programs and Partnerships

1. Develop new partnerships with NACE, ACUI, NASPA, Corporate Relations, NACADA, ASJA, NIRSA, NAFSA, and HACU.
   
2. Support current and emerging Task Forces and groups, including Recreational Sports, Veterans Services, Spirituality, Sustainability, and the Joint Task Force.
   
3. Review the feasibility of expanding international services to include university exchange programs, study-abroad programs, and international service learning programs.

B. Improve the Annual Convention and Year-round Placement

1. Develop a collaborative Summer Placement program with strategic partners that address summer recruitment needs.
   
2. Renew convention expectations and reduce convention expenditures.
   
3. Enact convention and year-round services that utilize the latest technologies available to supply and share educational programs and services.
   
4. Promote new international tracks and themes.

III. Inspire Membership & New Recruitment

A. Rejuvenate and Engage the Profession and the Association

1. Redefine and communicate who ACPA serves and how they are served.
   
2. Promote innovation and best practice in serving students.
   
3. Establish a network and presence internationally.
   
4. Deliberately partner with sister organizations to reduce duplication, improve professional development, and enhance membership services.
   
5. Utilize social networking and technology to enhance communication, outreach, and services.
   
6. Intentionally reach out to college student educators at proprietary and specialty schools (such as culinary institutes, art institutes, and health/wellness colleges) to better support these professionals and learn from their work with students.

B. Create Efficiencies to Improve the Association

1. Review association expenditures and enhance the Association infrastructure.
   
2. Transform the services of the Association to action that serves the student.

C. Develop the Role of the Foundation

1. Center the ACPA Foundation goals into the ACPA goals and strategic plan.
   
2. Create Foundation/ACPA synergy.
   
3. Develop new giving/sponsorship opportunities and grow the ACPA culture of giving.