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It is my pleasure to serve as the 2003-04 MCPA President. I am fortunate to be given the opportunity to serve at a time when MCPA is a strong organization. Strong leadership in the past few years has made this organization financially and professionally sound. It is my hope to continue in this tradition and move the organization forward with the assistance of the membershipand the MCPA Leadership Team. One of the areas I would like to focus on this year is membership involvement, which naturally will lead to the development of new leaders for the organization. There literally are dozens of ways members can become involved in the organization. Members can start small by volunteering during conferences and workshops or jump right in by serving on a committee. Some other ways members can contribute to the organization include presenting at a conference or workshop, writing a journal or newsletter article and assisting with membership recruitment on their campus. Some of you may say, but I’ve already done these things. Then perhaps it’s time for you to consider becoming a board member or a committee chair. The growth of MCPA depends solely on membership involvement and volunteerism. If you have an interest, I encourage you to contact a board member and become involved today!

The strength of MCPA depends on not only the involvement of members but also the recruitment of new members. MCPA is launching a new membership development plan. As part of the plan, a new slogan was created: “There’s a Place for You in MCPA!” The plan includes three components: 1) recruit, 2) reclaim and 3) retain. The recruitment plan includes updating our membership brochure, having six brown bag lunches on various campuses and inviting Michigan ACPA members to join MCPA. The reclaiming plan includes creating an exit interview, following up with members when their membership lapses and assisting members who move out-of-state to connect with other state associations. The retention plan includes updating our new member packet, calling new members to welcome them to the organization and recognizing members’ accomplishments in our newsletter. I’m very excited about this plan and would like to thank the membership development team, Jen Hodges, Jackie Mims-Hickmon, Stacey Heisler and Amber Garrison, for refining the membership development goals. MCPA plans to continue its tradition of offering the New Professionals Institute and the Diversity Summit; however, we will add a new conference which is designed for undergraduate students interested in student affairs. This conference is planned for November 15 at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids. Undergraduate participants will have an opportunity to meet with representatives from graduate programs and will participate in sessions that will educate them about the profession and strategies for applying to graduate school.

I am looking forward to a year full of fantastic professional development for all levels of the profession and a record-breaking membership year. If at anytime you would like to contact me concerning any aspect of MCPA, please feel free to do so. Have a great year!
– Susan Vinson