Record of Business Transacted by the Association and the ACPA Governing Board

written by: Chris Moody, ACPA Executive Director

written by: Chris Moody, ACPA Executive Director

Dear ACPA member,

The Standard Operating Procedures require a record of the business transacted by the Association to be shared with you in at least one issue of this publication annually. Although the ACPA fiscal year follows the calendar year, most of our members think about their professional involvement and connection from convention to convention each year. As a result, this documentation of ACPA business transactions reflects a summary of the business actions and decisions taken by the Governing Board and International Office since the 2022 Annual Convention in St. Louis, Missouri and includes the 2023 Annual Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana.

March 2022

  • The 2022 Annual Convention was held March 6-9 in St. Louis, Missouri, and welcomed 1,349 attendees back to the first in person convention since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Contracts for this convention were renegotiated by the International Office with the event facility hosts to minimize financial effects of fewer registrants than anticipated.
  • At the 2022 Annual Business Meeting, the members in attendance accepted two Bylaws proposals to create new membership types, the All-Campus Membership and the Graduate Preparation Program Membership as strategies to reduce the financial burden of membership for individuals. Both new membership types transitioned from pilot to full implementation following the member votes.
  • During the March meeting, the Governing Board appointed Beverley Ellis from the University of Trinidad & Tobago to a one-year term as the Assembly Coordinator for International Divisions & Members, approved a position description change for the Director of Equity & Inclusion role to include responsibility for universal design in the Association, accepted the proposal to change the name of the Coalition for Disability, and voted to modify the ACPA Standards for Demographic Questions.
  • The ACPA Foundation Board of Trustees voted to forgive a $60,000 loan made to ACPA as one of the COVID-19 financial mitigation strategies. The ACPA Foundation also voted in March 2022 to contribute up to $125,000 to ACPA for the purchase and implementation of a new association management software.

April 2022

  • Director of Equity & Inclusion, Jonathan McElderry, provided the annual summary of bias incident reports received to the Governing Board. Four submissions were received and resolved between the ACPA21 and ACPA22 Conventions.
  • On behalf of the Governing Board, a statement was issued to members by President Andrea D. Domingue, Past President Danielle Morgan Acosta, and Vice President Heather Shea on the topic of certification in student affairs.
  • The Audit & Finance Committee of the Governing Board approved rates and registration policies for the 2023 Annual Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana.

May 2022

  • Following the closing of the financial transactions associated with the 2022 Annual Convention, the Governing Board approved a mid-year, restated budget for fiscal year 2022, reducing a projected deficit from $258,287 to only $44,830.
  • The Governing Board also reviewed and approved revisions to the 2023 Annual Convention schedule

June 2022

  • In advance of the start of the Fall 2022 Nominations & Elections Process, the Governing Board approved position description changes for the Assembly Coordinator and Member-at-Large roles.
  • The Audit & Finance Committee of the Governing Board approved additions and edits to the ACPA Accounting Procedures Manual and also approved rates and registration policies for the 2024 Annual Convention in Chicago, Illinois. A restated budget for the 2024 Annual Convention was approved in September 2022.

July 2022

  • The Governing Board did not meet in July 2022 in lieu of hosting an Association-wide virtual leadership summit on July 8 to share and discuss topics including the 100th anniversary in 2024, proposed changes to the governance model, and equity and inclusion training for leaders. Entity leaders, Convention team members, Senior Scholars, and ACPA Foundation Trustees were among those invited to participate in the virtual summit.
  • The Presidential Task Force on 21st Century Employment in Higher Education met on July 12-13 in-person in Raleigh, North Carolina.

August 2022

  • Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June 2022 to overturn the landmark Roe vs. Wade (1973) ruling, the Governing Board voted to task the International Office with considering alternatives for relocating the 2027 Annual Convention out of St. Louis, Missouri in response to Missouri state laws on abortion and reproductive justice.
  • Also in August 2022, the Governing Board appointed Z Nicolazzo, University of Arizona, as the 2023-2028 Executive Editor of the About Campus publication, and approved a revision to the Standard Operating Procedures related to the utilization of Association technologies for entity groups. Dr. Nicolazzo’s appointment to this role follows a five-year editorship by Ryan Gildersleeve.

September 2022

  • During the September 2022 meeting, the Governing Board accepted the report and recommendations issued by the Governance Transformation Task Force, chaired by Rachel Aho from the University of Utah, by advancing the work to the Bylaws Committee and the Nominations & Elections Committee for further consideration in preparation for a member vote on the proposed model at the 2023 Annual Business Meeting.

October 2022

  • Following up on the August 2022 vote, the Governing Board approved the cancellation of the 2027 Annual Convention contract in St. Louis and approved hosting the 2026 Annual Convention in Baltimore, Maryland. The 2026 Annual Convention had not yet been secured, and the contract with Marriott hotels for canceling the 2027 Annual Convention required rebooking at another Marriott property.
  • During this month, Vice President Heather Shea appointed a Presidential Task Force on Future Conventions to advise on future site selection and to consider possible structural changes to the convention experience. Director Elect of Professional Development, Kelvin Rutledge, was appointed as chairperson and will issue a first report of recommendations to the Governing Board in summer 2023.
  • Additionally, the Governing Board approved edits to the Event Restroom Policy and Protocol, the hiring of a new full-time position in the International Office, and the appointment of Leonard Taylor, Jr. from Auburn University as the incoming Director-Elect of Research & Scholarship during the October 2022 meeting.
  • The Audit & Finance Committee of the Governing Board approved the 2021 fiscal year 990 and 990-T U.S. Federal Tax Forms.

November 2022

  • The Governing Board accepted the report from the 21st Century Employment in Higher Education Task Force, chaired by Roshaunda Breeden from East Carolina University, to publish and share with members as a resource connected to the Strategic Imperative for Racial Justice and Decolonization.
  • During the November 2022 meeting, the Governing Board also approved the Phase 3 action items of the Association’s Strategic Plan to cover years 2023 and 2024, approved the fiscal year 2023 Association Budget, and accepted proposed revisions to the ACPA Vision Statement.
  • The Audit & Finance Committee of the Governing Board approved a registration discount for professionals and students at HBCUs within a 6-hour radius of the 2023 Annual Convention site in New Orleans.

December 2022/January 2023

  • Based on the report and recommendations from the Governance Transformation Task Force received in September 2022, the Bylaws Committee proposed a new governance model and set of Bylaws to be voted on by the members at the 2023 Annual Business Meeting. This proposed set of proposed set of Bylaws changes approved to advance to the membership for a vote also included changing the Emeritus membership type and eligibility.
  • Continuing the work of revising documents leading into the 100th anniversary in 2024, the Governing Board approved revisions to the ACPA Core Values in the December 2022 meeting.
  • In January 2023, the Governing Board approved a name change for the Latinx Network.
  • Jenny Small and Kari Taylor were appointed to be the next co-editors of the ACPA Books portfolio, following the transition of prior co-editors Mimi Benjamin and Jody-Jessup-Anger.

February/March 2023

  • Much of the work of the Governing Board during this time was spent preparing for the 2023 Annual Convention and proposed Bylaws votes for members.
  • The required communication to members regarding the proposed Bylaws votes at the 2023 Annual Business Meeting was distributed to members with a video providing an overview of the proposed changes, and also included an invitation to vote electronically if unable to attend the 2023 Annual Business Meeting.

April 2023

  • The Governing Board voted to authorize the Executive Director to relocate the International Office to a new, more modern and functional space in Washington, D.C. (still located at One Dupont Circle) through June 30, 2030.
  • Additionally, the Governing Board approved all the new position descriptions for the future Leadership Council governance model scheduled to begin the first phase of implementation in March 2024. The new position descriptions will be utilized to recruit and select the first members of the Leadership Council during the Fall 2023 Nominations & Elections Process.

Questions or feedback on any of these decisions or updates may be sent to [email protected]. A summary of the highlights from 2023 will be shared at the 2024 Annual Business Meeting in Chicago, Illinois on March 20, 2024, and I hope you will join us there during ACPA’s 100th anniversary year.