From the Editor – Summer 2015

Summertime Greetings! Welcome to the Summer Issue of Developments.  For those who have just recently wrapped up an academic year I hope you are finding time to enjoy the warmer weather and a bit of “down time” on campus.  For those working in summer programs of all varieties, thank you for your outstanding work over the summer.  Transition programs, summer camps, and academic year preparations are so important, and summer can be a wonderful time on campus as we welcome or prepare to welcome new members of our campus community.

I hope you will take the time to engage the summer issue, which is full of some enticing and thought-provoking articles.  We are wrapping up our Series on the LGBTQ Retrospective and also beginning a new series sponsored by the Standing Committee for Men and Masculinities. The focus of this series of articles, which will run over the next few issues, is on college men and intersectionality.

The article on straight white college men pairs well with other articles in this issue, including the Ethical Issues column, which focuses on the morality of social justice ally development.  We encourage you to utilize these articles not only for your own professional development, but also with other staff and faculty, and perhaps even with students.  As Dr. Cindi Love reminds us in her column, “mobilization” is an important part of the work we do as college student affairs educators, particularly around issues of social justice.

This issue also features some outstanding columns focused on the importance of academic advising, brought to us by Marisa Vernon, as well as skill and attitude development to increase cultural competence, brought to us by Tadd Kruse.

Finally, I encourage you to read Alison Andrade’s perspective on reducing cheating behaviors in college students, as well as the Innovative Ideas article, focused on digital storytelling.  This piece was brought to us by the faculty and students at the University of Alabama, and offers a fantastic opportunity for faculty and staff who work in the classroom to think about different ways of engaging students with technology.

Finally – I want to put in a plug, encouraging everyone to think about registering for ACPA 2016 in Montreal. Registration is now open. Taking advantage of the early bird registration is a fantastic way to ensure you are registered, and gives you plenty of time to ensure you are prepared to join our Association in Montreal (Don’t forget your passport!)

Enjoy the summer and look for our next issue at the start of the 2015-2016 academic year.