Greetings from your Co-Presidents, Donna Talbot and Susan Mendoza-Jones. The 2004-05 academic year promises to be a busy and productive one for the Michigan College Personnel Association (MCPA). In light of this, we wanted to revisit some issues from last year that help set us up for some growth and changes for this year, as well as discuss some of our vision, goals, and anticipated activities.
So far, our "job sharing" as Co-Presidents of MCPA is working well. Susan and I bring a blend of faculty and practitioner perspectives, as well as different strengths and communications styles. The commitment and talent of the 2004-05 MCPA Leadership Team and Board, including the 2004 Conference Committee, is admirable given the challenges and increased responsibilities that many of us are facing in our work lives. We have a nice blend of continuing members and new faces to the Leadership Team. Please feel free to contact any of us with comments, suggestions, and information for the benefit of MCPA.
MCPA is a healthy organization, as indicated by: (a) strong membership numbers that continue to grow; (b) a sound financial base that is handled responsibly (and conservatively); and (c) well-attended, educational workshops/conferences that address the needs of our constituents. These are markers that we will continue to monitor as we progress through the year.Thanks to the hard work of our past-president, Susan Vinson, MCPA is now an incorporated entity. As a bona fide "incorporated" entity that now has 501(c)(3) status, the Michigan College Personnel Association must respond to external constituents, as well as our membership. During the incorporation process, we were advised and the Board approved taking on new by-laws; those by-laws will be made available to the entire membership. Additionally, based on feedback from the IRS, we will be reviewing and revamping our brochures, literature, and documentation to make sure that they reflect our primary mission as an educational organization. We will also use our educational emphasis as a "litmus test" for whether or not we engage in certain activities and how we use our resources. So, how does this effect the functioning of the organization? In most respects, it won't. MCPA will continue to operate, responding to the needs and sociopolitical issues of the times as they influence higher education, as we have for over 50 years. However, our infrastructure and public persona will be more formal and consistent with expectations of all our constituents.
Another association-wide goal is to help prepare for our long-term strategic planning efforts that will be headed by President-elect, Anne Hornak. Every five years, MCPA engages in a process of developing a strategic plan for the organization. This process involves gathering feedback and suggestions from the entire membership, as well as our other constituents. The outcome of the process will guide the Leadership Team and Board in developing goals for the organization and planning workshops/activities. While we are setting the groundwork for this significant task now, the bulk of the strategic planning responsibilities will fall to our President-elect, Dr. Anne Hornak. We hope that you will make sure that your voice, and your institution's voice through you, is heard and considered in the strategic planning process. Minimally, this may involve completing surveys and/or participating in interviews; you may also be asked to volunteer to take an even more significant role.
As is MCPA's tradition, we will continue to offer significant professional development opportunities. Our very competent and hard working Conference Co-Chairs (Mr. Jin Abe and Ms. Natalie Wagner) for the annual state conference, and their committee, have packaged incredible speakers, educational sessions, and less formal "dialogue opportunities" to enrich us personally and professionally. While we want to emphasize the important educational value of our speakers and sessions, we also want to highlight our intentional efforts to create opportunities for colleagues to interact and share perspectives in less structured learning environments. Clearly, at the end of each day, despite the variable nature of our work with students, the most enduring feature of our lives in student affairs are those relationships that we develop.
One change that we will see and feel on a professional and personal level is the transitioning of the Michigan Journal of College Student Development to a new editor. The "founding" editor of the Journal, Dr. John Zaugra, will be passing the editorial responsibilities on to Dr. Liz Broughton at Eastern Michigan University. Without John's professional commitment and loyalty to MCPA, we would not have such an impressive and consistent state publication. Please join us in thanking Dr. Zaugra for his many years of service as editor of the Journal. Discussions have already begun, with John's input, about a new editorial board, as well as changes that we might consider for the Journal during this timely transition.
Last but certainly not least important, the MCPA Leadership Team and Board have reviewed and approved the organization's operational budget which reflects our commitment to substantive professional development for our members, as well as an increased connection to the national organization, ACPA. The budget is also designed to support the Leadership Team and Board in doing MCPA work, so that individuals do not incur significant personal expenses.
The Michigan College Personnel Association is an organization of volunteers. Each and every member has the potential to influence the viability of the organization by getting involved in a variety of ways. We hope and invite you to be an active member of MCPA. In closing, we want to thank you for the opportunity to serve you as co-Presidents of MCPA.
Sincerely, Donna M. Talbot and Susan Mendoza-Jones |
