You Ask, And We Continue to Do Our Best to Respond!
Dear ACPA Member,
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have distributed and collected responses to four Member Needs assessment surveys to stay connected on your programming, resources, and community building needs during this unprecedented time. Your responses allowed us the opportunity to shape our content development and delivery to match and exceed your needs in this important moment. Specifically, student affairs and higher education professionals asked for support in large numbers in addressing the following challenges:
- Engaging students virtually;
- Changes in higher education related to COVID-19;
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion work, particularly in regard to the recent and ongoing acts of violence towards Black people, racism, and anti-Blackness in the United States;
- Best practices and benchmarking for what institutions, departments, and other members are doing related to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming academic term;
- Supporting faculty in planning for future terms with respect to how the world has changed in the last 6 months;
- Networking and connecting for members at all levels/Opportunities to engage and dialogue with other professionals at similar career levels;
- Supervising and supporting staff during times of so much challenge and change;
- Job search and support in student affairs and higher education.
These are the areas that ACPA members told us they needed the most support from us earlier in the summer. We quickly turned to ACPA leaders and asked for their support and attention on these topics, and they responded! I would like to particularly name and appreciate the ACPA entity groups who offered programs, resources, and support for the membership in response to this call to action. They are:
Coalition for (Dis)Ability
Coalition for Multicultural Affairs
Commission for Academic Affairs
Commission for Academic Support in Higher Education
Commission for Administrative Leadership
Commission for Assessment & Evaluation
Commission for Global Dimensions of Student Development
Commission for Housing & Residence Life
Commission for Social Justice Education
Commission for Student Conduct & Legal Issues
Commission for Student Involvement
Latinx Network
Pan African Network
Because we know that you may need these resources at any time, I am including several of them below still available online as quick references for your work:
- Upcoming ACPA2GO webinars
- Previously recorded ACPA2GO webinars
- Possibility Conversations with the Washington Consulting Group
- ACPA/NASPA Capstone Panel on Combatting Racial Justice in Student Affairs
- Black Lives Matter blog posts from ACPA leaders and members
- Maintaining Connections & Community in the midst of COVID-19 (numerous resources)
- Student Affairs Assessment Institute recordings
The challenges we have faced as a community in the last six months are not yet over, however. We will continue to stay in touch on your most pressing needs so that we can always be a support and resource when you need us. We understand there is a tremendous desire for our content and community right now. Higher education is in-need of values-based leadership and support as we begin the fall term, and it is my commitment to our members that we will continue to amplify the issues where you need assistance in our programming, resource, and service delivery.
Thank you for your continued, BOLD leadership!
Chris Moody
ACPA Executive Director