From the President

ACPA President Jeanne Steffes

Thank you for making the 2006 ACPA Convention a great success! We had more than 4000 guests join us in Indianapolis.  It was truly an honor for so many of you to join us as part your yearly professional renewal; a time to seek out new ways and ideas to serve students in the future and also to process and reflect upon this past year.  For many, the 2006 ACPA Indianapolis experience offered a chance to seek out a new professional opportunity or fill an important position in your efforts to continue to be a dynamic student affairs organization. For some, the 2006 Convention was an opportunity to introduce yourself to the profession as a new guest! I hope that you felt welcomed and will be back to join us next year in Orlando for the 2007 ACPA/NASPA Joint Meeting (March 31- April 4, 2007)!  It has been quite an eventful few months. This issue of the President’s column is to thank so many people for their leadership efforts this past year and to shed a bit of light on the next steps for ACPA for the 2006-2007 year. What a year it will be but first a look back with gratitude.

I want to take time a moment to thank a number of people who have helped ACPA grow, prosper and continue to provide our members and prospective partners with their enduring leadership and commitment to the profession.  First I would like to thank Dr.Gregory Blimling for his leadership this past year in serving as President of ACPA. Thank you Greg for your many gifts to assist the association this past year!  I want to take some time to honor and thank the members of the 2006 Convention Planning Committee led by Convention Chair Boyd Yarbrough, The Furman University and Vasti Torres, Indiana University-Bloomington who served as the Program Chair. I would also like to thank:

• Jason Cassidy, Logistics Chair, The Furman University
• Ray Quirolgico, Pre-Convention Programs, University of San Francisco
• Robin Diana, General Programs, Rochester Institute of Technology;
• Megan Palmer, Sponsored Programs, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
• Myra Morgan, Major Speakers, University of Florida
• Tom Bowling, Next Generation, Frostburg State University
• Lori Patton, Local Arrangements, Iowa State University
• Heather Webb, Hospitality, Purdue University
• Danielle DeSawal, Volunteers, Indiana University-Bloomington
• Deb Casey-Powell, Access, Florida Atlantic University
• Ruby Brown-Herring, Marketing, Duke University
• Leslie Rand-Pickett, Publications, North Carolina State University
• Beau Seagraves, Special Events, Presbyterian College
• Linda Jameison, Exhibits/Partners, Presbyterian College
• Mike D’Attilio, Placement Coordinator, The College of St. Rose
• Peter Brown, ACPA International Office
• Jeffrey Brown, Registration, Clemson University
• Darren Kaltved, Opening Event, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• Susan Johnson, Theme Tracks/Special Events, Indiana University-Bloomington
• RJ Holmes, Convention Showcase, Cornell College
• Scott Eckhardt, Evaluations, Loyola College of Maryland
• Tom Jackson, General Programs, Texas A & M University- Kingsville

Special thanks also to T.Todd Masman from Bemidji State University for his efforts to coordinate the Awards Reception and Luncheon and to John Mueller, Indiana University of Pennsylvania for coordinating the major award processes. Job well done and congrats again to all of the award winners!

The 2006 Placement Coordinating group set up another incredible service for our participants and helped schedule more than 9000 interviews for approximately 1000 candidates and more than 700 employers. Many thanks to:

• Mike D’Attilio and  Dennis MacDonald, The College of Saint Rose
• Michelle Myers-Brown,University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• John Bradac, Ithaca College
• Idonas Hughes, University of Nevada, Reno
• Jennifer Bevins, Tufts University
• Peter Brown, from the ACPA International Office

There is another group of leaders who I have come to know well the past couple of years and greatly respect-the ACPA Scholar/Practitioners who served as editors and leaders of our publications. As you know ACPA’s publications,Journal of College Student Development, About Campus, Books and Media Group, and Developments, are some of our “crown jewels” of the Association. Susan Jones, University of Maryland, did a great job to help coordinate these efforts as the Chair of the Generation and Dissemination of Knowledge Core Council. Special thanks to Florence Hamrick and John Schuh from Iowa State University for JCSD; Marcia Baxter-Magolda, Miami University (Ohio) and Peggy Meszaros, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for About Campus; Nancy Evans from Iowa State University for the ACPA Books and Media; and Richard Stevens, Editor, Developments, Shepherd University , and Amy Hirschy, Associate Editor, Developments, University of Louisville. I would also like to thank Liz Whitt from the University of Iowa for her leadership with the Senior Scholars Program and Chris Strong, SUNY-Potsdam for their work with the Senior Student Affairs Practitioners Program.

It was a very productive year for the ACPA Executive Council and the Association.  Those members who completed their term of office this past March included:

• Lynn Willett, Past-President, Coastal Carolina College
• Joe Onofrietti, Director of Core Council for Membership and Interests Services Emmanuel College
• Susan Jones, Director of Core Council for Generation and Dissemination of Knowledge, University of Maryland
• Heidi Levine, Director of Commissions, State University of New York, Geneseo
• Myrna Hernandez, Chair for the Standing Committee for Women, University of Minnesota-Mankato
• Matthew Helm, Chair for the Standing Committee for Men, Michigan State University
• Boyd Yarbrough, 2006 Convention Chair, The Furman University
• Teri Hall, Director of Core Council for Outreach and Advocacy; Towson University

Thank you kindly for your immeasurable service to the Association. We are a better organization because of your leadership!

Those Executive Council members who served this past year and who are returning the 2006-2007 Council include:

• Greg Blimling, Past-President, Rutgers University/New Brunswick
• Ann Groves Lloyd, Director of State and International Divisions, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Carla Jones, Director of Core Council for Professional Issues, University of Kansas
• Kent Porterfield, Director of Core Council for Professional Development, Northwest Missouri State University;
• Julie Bell-Elkins, Treasurer, University of Connecticut
• Kristan Cilente, Chair for the Standing Committee for Graduate Students and New Professionals, University of Maryland
• John Fox, Chair for the Standing Committee for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Awareness, University of Colorado-Boulder
• Mary Tregoning, Chair for the Standing Committee on Disability, University of California-Riverside
• Ronald Jackson, Chair for Committee on Multicultural Awareness, Marymount Manhattan College
• Kevin Bailey, Director of the Core Council for Membership Interests and Services, Tulane University
• Tracey Wright, Affirmative Action Officer, Appalachian State University
• Katie Sermersheim, Director of Commissions, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
• Karen Myers, Director of Core Council for Outreach and Advocacy; St. Louis University
• Cathy McHugh-Engstrom, Director for Core Council for Generation and Dissemination of Knowledge, Syracuse University
• Jill Carnaghi, 2007 ACPA/NASPA Joint Meeting Chair, Washington University in St. Louis
• Gregory Roberts, ACPA Executive Director and Senior Operating Officer

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the Executive Council for their work this year. It was a pleasure to work with all of them this past year!

I also want to share the names of those Executive Council Members who are newly elected members and have come to the council full of energy and a willingness to serve their association, they are:

• Vasti Torres, President-Elect, Indiana University-Bloomington
• Jodie Castanza, Chair for the Standing Committee for Women, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
• Michael Strong, Chair for the Standing Committee for Men, University of Akron
• Melissa Jones, Director-Elect for State and International Divisions, Virginia Commonwealth University
• John Hernandez, Director-Elect for the Core Council for Professional Development, Santiago Canyon College
• Kathleen Gardner, Director-Elect for Core Council for Professional Issues, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

A Review of the President-Elect’s Last Year’s Efforts

During the 2006 ACPA Convention in Indianapolis I shared my goals and projects that I hoped to work on for the upcoming year as President.  Before I share those goals I wanted to give you an update on a couple of this past year’s efforts:

• Professional Development Program on Multicultural Competence. This professional development program is in the final development stage. The curriculum was designed by Raechele Pope, University at Buffalo- State University of New York, Amy Reynolds from Buffalo State College, and John Mueller,Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The project is being assisted by Kent Porterfield from Northwest Missouri State University. We await the completion of a partnership in order to fund the pilot project of this initiative.
• Learning Reconsidered 2. The joint ACPA/NASPA national committee convened in fall 2006 and the document was released in March 2006. Copies of the book can be purchased one this website and a web version will soon be available to download. More to come on this soon!
• ACPA Statement Ethical Principles and Standards Approved. An updated ACPA Ethics Statement was approved at the Convention. The Ethics Committee, co-chaired by Dean Kennedy and Penny Pasque has been tasked to create and publish an executive summary or practitioner’s version. This version should be available later this year.

A Look at the Year Ahead

The two main Presidential Goals that I have for the 2006-2007 year are to focus on completing the tasks associated with the ACPA Governance Taskforce and Sustainability.

• ACPA Governance Taskforce (GTF). An ACPA Governance Taskforce was established to examine the operational and organizational opportunities and barriers of the Association. Patty Perillo, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, facilitated this task force. This group has worked for over 16 months to listen to member voices and respond to needs of our Association. Please visit the taskforce page to retrieve updated information. It isvery important that you are aware and a part of this conversation!

• ACPA Sustainability Taskforce (STF). As some of you might know the United Nations as declared 2005-2014 as the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.  I think this is a very important and timely topic for our profession to consider as we contemplate the future of our world. I have asked the co-chair of this global effort Dr. Debra Rowe, Oakland Community College (MI) to work with us on this national effort. When we traditionally think of sustainability we think about the environment and that piece is only one component of the larger milieu.  Dr. Rowe suggests that sustainability is working toward “healthy social systems, healthy ecosystems, and a healthy economy.”  If you think about  our roles as college student educators we help build and foster ethical and just social systems, ecosystems that are connected to us and through us with civic engagement and we are and help sustain significant economic and intellectual engines around the nation and world.

I have asked Kathleen Gardner and Boyd Yarbrough to help lead a national effort with Dr. Rowe’s assistance to see how ACPA can be a leader in sustainability in higher education. A group will be convening soon to set the agenda, strategize, and outline what theoretical and practical contributions ACPA leaders and members can make to this important effort.

A  Much Deserved THANK YOU to the ACPA International Office!

I would be remiss in this column if I did not give thanks to the wonderful work of the staff in the ACPA International Office. Their work many times goes unseen by the membership but many times their work is the backbone of the association and allows the volunteers leaders to be as productive and motivated to serve the membership as we hope to be. Special thanks to Stephanie Chaney, Jennifer Garcia, Jennifer Kelly, Michael Hernandez, Jacqueline Skinner, Dottie Seville, Ron Campbell, Rita Bowers, Shilo Lillis, Cynthia Johnson, and again many thanks to Peter Brown for his Convention assistance, and Greg Roberts for his wisdom, energy, and vision to help all of us in our current and aspiring roles as college student educators.

Thank you again for all of the many kindnesses that you have shared with me this past year. I look forward to serving as the ACPA President for 2006-2007. Your collective gifts to our Association are greatly appreciated and your impact on and to our students are immeasurable!