Now, I get it

We’ve all sent an email to our Vice President and not received a response…sometimes for days…or weeks.  Count me in this category.  I would wonder….what did I say?  Is she mad at me?  Did I suggest something stupid?

Well, today was day five of me being a Vice President and if you are one of those 500+ folks that are waiting for a response from me…..well, sorry.  Read this first and you will get it.

I get it now.

In the 40 hours that made up my first week as a VP, 37 of them were spent in meetings.  And that doesn’t count the evening activities I attended to become acquainted with my new community.

Hardly leaves any time to eat a proper lunch or go to the bathroom, let alone reply to the steady stream of email that requires my attention.  And I have hardly been on facebook at all this week! 

In the time that I was not at meetings or activities, I was catching up with my kids so that they don’t resent me when they are 18, washing dishes, making school lunches and taking care of the dogs.  Regular people things. 

So, I apologize if I have not returned your email this week.  I don’t hate you, you didn’t say something stupid.  I was just really busy.

 Dr. Keith Humphrey

ACPA President, 2012-2013

A Career in Boxes

I’m sitting here looking at bare walls and empty bookcases.

Fifteen years worth of student affairs “stuff” is now packed and ready to go as I transition to a new position.    It only took the moving company an hour to pack up what it took me a decade and a half to amass.

I always knew this day would come, but at the same time never thought it would be here.  I am one of those folks who have been fortunate enough to have a great run at a greater university.  I have met amazing people, worked with great colleagues and built relationships with students who have become alumni and friends. 

It’s exciting to go, but I can’t help but have a very heavy heart today. 

I will miss the people that invested in me.  The colleagues who challenged me to be better, the supervisors who guided me, and those who laughed with me in difficult times.  I will even miss the people who I had disagreements with…and there are a few.

Leaving is not so much about stepping away, but taking all that I have learned and carrying it forward.    It is about carrying the spirit of these people that have meant, and still will mean so much to me, with me as I move on.

I have tried to make sure they know how wonderful I think they are and how proud I have been to be their colleague over the years. 

No matter where you are in your career on your campus, I encourage you to make sure your colleagues and students know how valuable they are to you.  We are in the people business, and these are our people.  And they deserve to know.

Still looking at those walls and bookcases, but now I see much, much more.

 Dr. Keith Humphrey

ACPA President, 2012-2013

The Kitchen Table

It’s a time a year when many gather with their family to celebrate the season.  I look forward to spending time with my partner and children and our extended family.  It’s also a time of year when I spend time with the family I choose.  My ACPA family.

One of the best parts of ACPA are the relationships that we develop with colleagues around the country.  Over the years I have been fortunate to grow friendships with a key group of trusted friends.  We get together at some point each fall, around someone’s kitchen table for the weekend, to talk about the profession and our goals for each other in the coming year.  We talk about how we can support each other in achieving our goals. 

We also eat well, enjoy some wine, stay up late and talk, and get very little sleep. 

It’s rejuvenating, inspiring, empowering and surprisingly relaxing. 

This year we talked about how we want to grow personally, professionally and how to effectively balance the two.  The theme this year was clearly transitions….and I am making one.  I am moving from the family at The University of Arizona that has raised me for the last 15 years since my professional beginnings as a hall director, to my new family at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where I will begin as their Vice President for Student Affairs in February. 

I am going to be quiet for the next six weeks or so.  I’m packing boxes, finding schools for my boys, getting acquainted with new colleagues in California and setting up a new household.  ACPA will continue to move forward towards advancing our leadership in the profession and preparing for our groundbreaking convention in Las Vegas this March.

I couldn’t get to the Vice President’s role without the support of many of my family members, especially my ACPA family and those around the kitchen table.

I cherish them, and hope that you use this season to cherish your family – those given and those you choose.

 Dr. Keith Humphrey

ACPA President, 2012-2013