Note from the American College Personnel Association President

Paul Shang, ACPA President

It seems so long ago when I was first notified of my nomination to run for President of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA). Until then I had been an active ACPA member for 13 years; I had made numerous presentations, held various leadership positions, and served on a convention planning team or two, and I felt I understood the Association well. I knew and respected the leadership of the Association; I admired the most recent presidents and was familiar with their goals, and I had worked with the Executive Director, so I believed in the potential of my vision to further what I considered to be an established and progressive agenda. I considered it a welcomed obligation to contribute to an association which had been the source of so many enjoyable professional relationships and had helped me immeasurably as I became a more seasoned and knowledgeable student affairs professional. Finally, my supervisors, colleagues and family enthusiastically supported my candidacy. I felt ready to serve, and although I did not really expect to be elected the first time around, I did think I would serve as president sometime in my career.

When I received notification of my election, I was surprised and very honored. In ACPA there are really no campaigns, so election depends upon how well the candidate is known and what the candidate describes as his or her agenda. In addition to those who knew me well through association activities, newer and more youthful members are also a consideration because although they might not have had a great deal of experience with the Association, they have high expectations, a positive relationship with the Association, and a deep commitment. I was not certain that my agenda of continuing to make ACPA more diverse and open to the professional needs of all members would resonate well enough to be elected.

In January 2001, after being notified of my election, I began to take steps in preparation for the implementation of my agenda. I identified two outstanding interns, both accomplished newer professionals, who would assist with keeping track of very complicated association business regarding preparations for the national convention in March-April 2003 and the Executive Council which acts upon all Association business. I asked two valued colleagues with whom I had worked closely in the Association to serve as co-chairs of the convention planning team; in addition, I planned to rely heavily upon the Minnesota College Personnel Association, an established ACPA State and International Division, to contribute to the planning of the convention. Somewhat contrary to tradition, I decided on the co-chairs and the reliance upon the State and International Division because I knew that the convention planning had to be managed much more closely and that regional participation would prove to be very important. Since State and International Divisions have always been a very strong part of ACPA this was an opportunity to give one division a more central role.

Although things seemed to be proceeding smoothly, I began to realize that one of my responsibilities was to not only serve as a change agent for the Association but to respond to significant changes as well. As I began my year as the president-elect in July of 2001, I became much more aware of some of the challenges of leading a national association comprised of many very dedicated volunteers accustomed to exercising a great deal of responsibility and leadership and an established national office made up of competent professional staff. Not only were there very different perspectives and contexts to consider, but it was essential to serve as a bridge for disparate perspectives to pursue further Association objectives. Furthermore, dramatic changes were occurring in my own work environment. The leadership with whom I was accustomed to working with was changing and the state economy was becoming much less robust. Then came the tragic events of September 11, 2001; suddenly, at Colorado State University, just as across the country, we became even more unsettled by grief for the victims and their loved ones, concerns about personal safety and whether we could travel, our nation's standing in the world, and the possibility of war.

Although the original commitments made before I decided to seek election were honored and colleagues on campus and in the HELP/Success Center remained enthusiastic and supportive of my presidency, there were no resources for any additional support which had been briefly explored earlier. Thus, I found myself in the position along with everyone else, of having to work even harder than before and devoting more time to the University and office matters. I was also working very hard during this period to be an effective and knowledgeable president-elect and making plans for the June 2002 Summer Meeting, when I would become president. Significant personal time had to be devoted to work and to the presidency. Fortunately, my partner who is a student affairs professional too has always been supportive of my efforts; and, having been very active in association activities, she has been understanding, encouraging, and insistent that we balanced our time and allowed for relaxation and renew.

After the 2002 Summer Meeting where our Executive Director announced her retirement effective the following year, I began to focus more on the special characteristics of being an association president. For instance, in comparison to your professional responsibilities where you do have some authority for certain activities, as the association president there were very few things for which you have direct control. The president is certainly very influential, but then so too are the other volunteer leaders who make numerous sacrifices to contribute their time and energies in addition to what they do at their home institutions. Differences need to be resolved in a much different way, more carefully even than at a university. The national office staff is another very important constituency. They have more knowledge of the history of the association, its services, and are full-time paid staff. While most of them have been student affairs professionals, they rarely interact with students or are on campuses for very long as their profession is managing the association. Their perspectives too are extremely important and usually do not include the campus context which I cannot seem to overlook.

Currently, I am nearly half way through my presidency. The finishing touches are being finalized for the 2003 ACPA Annual Convention Educating Students: One Purpose-10,000 Approaches, which will take place in Minneapolis, March 29-April 2, 2003. The conversation about possibly forming one comprehensive student affairs association with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) which developed early in August is now well underway. I am planning to implement the remainder of my original agenda. It has been an outstanding professional development experience. If you are considering involvement in a professional association to the extent of being a leader, which I encourage you to do, then I make the following recommendations:

• Enjoy the experience. Very few people ever get this opportunity. It will make you grow in unimaginable ways. Besides you volunteered to do it.
• Be balanced in your efforts and your assessments of what you have accomplished. I think it is impossible to really anticipate and set aside the time necessary to be as effective a volunteer leader as you want to be, especially president. Given that, you must be reasonable about what you can accomplish and focus your attention on both the responsibilities you volunteered for and your job-related responsibilities. Your control over events is very limited so you have to be flexible.
• Be adaptable. Opportunities and challenges will arise which are unanticipated and which must be managed well for the betterment of the association. Use your resources to respond; there are many former, current, and future association leaders whose perspectives and efforts will be of great value. You were elected to be a leader, not the sole decision maker.

Be gracious. Many people are contributing to your leadership opportunity. Whatever you accomplish has been made possible by the sacrifices of others at work or at home and the support of the national office staff.