Dear ACPA,
Here we are at the start of another fall term. We hope that each of you found some time for rest, relaxation, adventure, and whatever your spirit needed in the past few months. As always, there is work to be done. While we may find ourselves in challenging and messy circumstances, we remain a community of creative and dedicated people seeking to create positive change in the world.
In fact, if there is a theme to the articles in this issue of Developments, it is community. Starting with an article by Emily Braught connecting The Art of Gathering with assessment practice to Kai Hammonds’ piece on navigating conferences as an introvert to the third and final installment from the FSU cohort about how they build and have maintained their relationships beyond graduation, our authors speak out about finding and building community. The same holds true in understanding the experiences of mid-level staff in the article exploring a recent Mid-Manager’s Institute survey written by Adrienne Craig and Ken Gassiot. And, finally, we have pieces about transition (Mandy Vitale), building (pieces by both Kaleb Scott and Allison Weihe), and protecting communities (Virginia Byrne, Juana Hollingsworth, and Alex Perry) for students and practitioners alike.
Things are – without a doubt – challenging and difficult. It is important to remember in the midst of it all that we live in precedented times. Higher education, student affairs, and society in general have been in these difficult places before. We have found our way forward. We will, without a doubt, do that again.
All the best as you continue the difficult work.
The Developments Editorial Team,
Michelle L. Boettcher
Samantha Babb
Mary Dueñas
Ricardo Montelongo