The Future of Student Affairs

Remember that moment when you realized “yes, I do want to work in student affairs!”

For many of us it happened while we were in college at a time when we were setting up for an event, sitting in our RD’s office, planning a special Mass in campus ministry, or learning more about admissions and academic services.  For a few of us, it happened while we were at a conference with other college students.  That’s me!  I realized that higher education was the place for me while attending the Next Generation Conference in Nashville, TN in 2005.  What a great opportunity!  This is a chance to meet people who share passion in working with college students and to connect with experience professionals in student affairs. 

Now it’s time for us to share this passion with our students.  The ACPA Convention is in Baltimore this year, which means NextGen is close to all of us!  Consider sending some of your student leaders to this amazing conference.  I guarantee they will have a great time, meet some wonderful professionals and come away with a strong desire to serve other students.

Early Bird Registration ends March 7^th, so please take some time over the next 2 weeks to consider sharing this opportunity with your students.  For more information, visit us online at http://convention.myacpa.org/program/next-generation.php

Eddie Wright

MCPA Executive Board Member

NextGen Leadership Team

MCPA Executive Board Nominations- Submit Today!

The Maryland College Personnel Association is looking for colleagues from around our great state to join the MCPA Executive Board! Nominate a colleague or yourself today. The form takes only one minute to complete!

Nominations are due by Monday, February 21, 2011. 

All MCPA members are encouraged to use our online submission form, which is accessible right from the MCPA’s homepage (http://www.myacpa.org/sid/md/).

The positions open for nominations are as follows:

President Elect: This person will serve as President-Elect in 2011-12, President in 2012-13, and Past President in 2013-14. As President, this person will preside over all meetings of the organization, provide leadership in association activities, and be the representative of the MCPA in all ACPA business.

Membership Coordinator: This person is responsible for maintaining accurate records of all association members by maintaining the MCPA member database. This person also confirms new members, distributes membership materials, and submits reports to the Executive Board. Finally, the Membership Coordinator updates the listserv and identifies populations for targeted recruitment. 
Treasurer: The treasurer is responsible for all finances belonging to the association. In particular, the treasurer is responsible for bank deposits, payments, and reimbursements as well as keeping accurate reports of association expenses. The treasurer also prepares the budget and works with program chairs regarding workshop and event purchases.
Website/Newsletter Coordinator: The primary responsibilities of the Website & Newsletter Coordinator are (1) to ensure that the webpage is updated regularly with accurate information, (2) to solicit articles from the membership to compile the newsletter, and (3) to assist with the development of the online blog.
Member-at-Large (2): These individuals provide support services to the association by coordinating one MCPA event (e.g., programmatic, professional development, networking, and membership activities) each year during their two-year term.

Please note that elected board members must:

*Be a member in good standing of the MCPA and ACPA.

*Serve a two-year term, with the exception of the President-Elect, which is a three-year term.

*Not be a candidate to succeed him/herself in an MCPA office to which he/she has been elected by the membership.

*Take office on June 1, 2011.

*Be in attendance at the four Board meetings (typically June, August, October, & February) in addition to monthly conference calls.

*Be in attendance at a minimum of two MCPA events and the annual MCPA conference.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions and make sure you nominate today!

Thank you,

Lorrie Budd

President, Maryland College Personnel Association

Mock Conference vs. Real Placement

It is that time of the year again...when many higher education professionals from master's students to seasoned professionals find themselves in the same exact spot, the job search!

For some, this is a daunting experience filled with uncertainty and uncontrollable situations, for others this is nothing short of full blown fun.  But regardless of your experience or your feelings, this time can be stressful.  It can even drive you crazy if you do not take the tme to prepare and brush up on your skills.

ACPA hosts a fairly competitive placement program at its national conference, called C3.  This is not the only placement program out there, as many of us know, but it is the one that is in Baltimore this year!  Check it out if you have not done so already.  See if there are any schools or positions you might be interested in.  This is only one way to go about a search.  You can visit many websites such as higheredjobs.com or reconnect with professional colleagues that you would like to either work for or work with.

Whatever avenue you choose to seek out that new job, don't forget to practice!  Review your resume, think about where you want to go professionally and what your model of leadership is.  Find a friend and practice phone interviews and face-to-face meetings.  This last one might be a bit difficult to do, so let us help.

Have you heard of MCPA's Mock Interview and Convention Preparation Program?  We round up seasoned professionals and give you the opportunity to practice your skills. This year's conference will be hosted by the University of Maryland, College Park on Friday, March 4th from 11:30am-4pm.  Let us help!!!

No matter what your search process is like, remember to relax.  Don't let the stress build up.  There is a reason you want to work in higher education, a passion of sorts.  Let that guide your way.

How do you de-stress?  What do you do when you have the chance to take a break?  Share your thoughts here so that other professionals can learn some new tricks!

How do you professionally develop your Administrative Assistants and Support Staff Team?

MCPA has made the committment to assist in the professional development of all professionals who work in Student Affairs and Higher Education. 

We accomplish this goal through many different ways, including continually updating this blog, our facebook page and our website.  We also offer many different types of local conferences for professionals to choose from and we provide direct contact information for all members of the executive board for any questions you might have.

One of those great, upcoming conferences is the Support Staff Conference.  This is an amazing opportunity for Administrative Assistance and Support Staff members to network with other professionals in the field and attend some educational sessions.  This conference also allows Support Staff members to take a lead in the direction the conference will go in.  Right now, program proposals are being accepted and who is better equipped and knowledgable about issues facing Support Staff members than their peers?

This year's conference is being hosted at Goucher College on Friday, March 18, 2011.  We really hope to see you there!

If you have questions, post them in the comments or contact our conference co-chairs directly- Crystal (hollenbaugh@msmary.edu) and Brian (beccue@msmary.edu)

Presenting at ACPA in March?

As many of you know, ACPA (our parent organization) will be holding its annual convention at the Baltimore Convention Center from March 27-March 30.  This is a great opportunity to meet and network with other student affairs professionals throughout the country and attend numerous educational sessions that will enhance your professional knowledge and resources. 

Since the convention is in Baltimore, we hope to see many Maryland professionals through socials, sessions and random gatherings in hallways! 

In order to support those professionals who are presenting from our state, we would like to gather all of your presentation information.  Simly post a comment and tell us who you are, where you are from, the title of your presentation, a brief blurb and the date/time/location of the session.

See you in Baltimore! 

National Convention in our own Backyard!

We should have a great showing at ACPA’s National Convention since it’s in our back door. Together, we can be more in B’More with our colleagues from all over!

The deadline to register for regular registration is tomorrow, Friday, February 11, 2011.

If you haven’t already registered for the Convention, here are the top 25 reasons to do so:

1.       B’More is an accessible and very affordable city (and it’s right here in Maryland!)

2.       Extraordinary line-up of speakers, panels and faculty presentations

3.       Celebrating the 20^th anniversary of ADA with an exhibit called, “Allies for Inclusion: The Ability Exhibit”

4.       Family-friendly options searchable via our ACPA website

5.       50 years of Commissions (special celebration)!

6.       Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA) meeting and 50 years of the Commission for Counseling and Psychological Services

7.       Institute for Community Colleges with a Community College President presenting at a networking social

8.       The Be More Challenge

9.       Graduate Student Scholarships via the Board

10.   Graduate Student Ambassador Program

11.   The ACPA convention has been approved by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) for up to 20 category 1 Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) contact hours

12.   The “level” and “competencies” categories for educational program offerings were verified/vetted

13.   Institutes for Social Justice & Sustainability

14.    Continuing Education units (CEUs) toward certification or re-certification for counselors will be available through ACPA, which is approved to award CEUs by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC)

15.Globalization colloquium and focus on international/globalization issues

16.Over 50 educational programs and networking opportunities for “advanced” levels

17.Over 150 faculty members have currently committed to attending

18.Institute for HBCUs with a HBCU President presenting at a networking social

19.Should we consolidate, while we may have 1-2 more ACPA only conventions due to contractual commitments, the 2011 convention will be the last ACPA convention as we know it to be and we will find ways to honor/celebrate

20.A big surprise at opening

21.Corporate partners plus Convention Showcase will share space

22.LGBT innovative education regarding AIDS/HIV

23.Convention itinerary builder/scheduler plus a mobile-friendly website for convention happenings

24.   Prayer, meditation, and reflection space

25.    Next Generation Program

Be there and be more in B’More with us!