American College Personnel Association

American College Personnel Association

Abbreviation	ACPA
Type	NGO

American College Personnel Association - College Student Educators International is a major student affairs association headquartered in Washington, D.C. at the National Center for Higher Education.

Founded in 1924 by May L. Cheney, ACPA has nearly 9,000 members representing 1,500 private and public institutions from across the U.S. and around the world. Members include organizations and companies that are engaged in the campus marketplace. Members also include graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in student affairs/higher education administration programs, faculty, and student affairs professionals, from entry level to senior student affairs officers.

Core values

The mission of ACPA is founded upon and implements the following core values:

• Education and development of the total student
• Diversity, multicultural competence and human dignity
• Inclusiveness in and access to association-wide involvement and decision-making
• Free and open exchange of ideas in a context of mutual respect
• Advancement and dissemination of knowledge relevant to college students and their learning, and to the effectiveness of student affairs professionals and their institutions
• Continuous professional development and personal growth of student affairs professionals
• Outreach and advocacy on issues of concern to students, student affairs professionals and the higher education community, including affirmative action and other policy issues

Annual convention

Nearly 50% of ACPA's members attend the convention. Highlights of the convention include pre-convention workshops, over 300 educational sessions, interviewing at the Placement and Career Services, volunteering and networking opportunities. During the convention, job applicants and employers participate in the largest and most comprehensive placement service in student affairs. Future convention sites are Boston (2010), Baltimore (2011) and Louisville (2012).

The 2010 Boston Convention, chaired by Robin Diana (The College at Brockport, State University of New York) is themed, Innovative Ideas • Revolutionary Results. Past convention chairs include Jonathan Poullard (University of California at Berkeley) for 2009, and Sue Saunders (University of Connecticut) for 2008.

History

1924 - May L. Cheney, who organized a teacher placement office at the University of California, Berkeley helped form the National Association of Appointment Secretaries (NAAS). In 1924, NAAS met for the first time and came as guests of the National Association of Deans of Women (NADW) to a convention sponsored by the Department Superintendence of the National Education Association.

1929 - Forty-six NAAS members registered for the Sixth Annual Convention. NAAS became the National Association of Personnel and Placement Officers (NAPPO).

1930s - The name American College Personnel Association (ACPA) was adopted in 1931. Association communication consisted of one mailed newsletter, the Personnel-O-Gram (P-O-G). In 1937, the Student Point of View statement was developed by leaders of the American Council on Education (ACE) and ACPA.

1940s - The Journal for Educational and Psychological Measurement (EPM) became the next form of the association's newsletter communication in 1943. In 1947, ACPA's President Daniel D. Feder's recommendation for formal unification efforts led to the formation of the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA). No conferences were held from 1943 through 1945 during World War Two.

1950s - The Personnel and Guidance Journal replaced EPM as ACPA's official journal in 1952. ACPA members approved the plan to form APGA. Membership reached 1,000 in 1952 and continued to increase through the next two decades. In 1959, Charles Lewis, the P-O-G associate editor was named the first editor of the Journal of College Student Personnel, ACPA's new official journal.

1970s - ACPA collaborated with other national organizations on many national conventions. In 1973, ACPA and NAWDC (formerly NADW) coordinated a national convention. The Standing Committee for Women was established in 1973. In 1974, NAWDAC (name change for NAWDC), NASPA and ACPA coordinated a national convention. In 1976, membership totaled 9,384 at a record high. The Standing Committee for Multicultural Affairs was founded in 1978. In 1979, ACPA became one of the first members of the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS).

1980s - ACPA flourished under the presidential leadership of outstanding student affairs practitioners and faculty members such as Susan Komives, Margaret Barr and Dennis Roberts. In 1983, ACPA was incorporated under the District of Columbia Non-Profit Act. In 1987, ACPA and NASPA held a joint meeting in Chicago to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Student Personnel Point of View statement. In 1988, ACPA's premier journal was renamed THE JOURNAL COLLEGE STUDENT DEVELOPMENT (JCSD).

1990s - In 1991, after 40 years, ACPA leaders and members voted to disaffiliate from APGA, which was known as the American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD), and was later renamed the American Counseling Association (ACA). In September 1992, the separation became effective, and ACPA moved into a new office space at the National Center for Higher Education in Washington, D.C. Presidents Leila V. Moore (1991-92), Terry E. Williams (1992-93), Charles C. Schroeder (1986-87), Barbara Anderson (1994-95) and Harold E. Cheatham (1995-96) were all involved in this tremendous undertaking.

Early 2000 - The Standing Committee on Disability was founded by Alice Mitchell in 2000. In 2003, Carmen Neuberger retired as Executive Director. Gregory Roberts, ACPA President from 1999-2000, was selected as the new Executive Director.

ACPA today

• A Governing Board and an Assembly
• President Tom Jackson, Jr. (University of Louisville, Kentucky); Vice President Susan Salvador (Monroe Community College, New York); Past President Patricia Perillo (Davidson College, North Carolina)
• 9,000 members
• 33 State/International Divisions
• 18 Commissions
• 6 Standing Committees
• 12 full-time staff members at the International Office; Executive Director Gregory Roberts
• Annual seminars, conferences, workshops, symposia and study tours
• Webinars and online eLearning courses
• eLeadership and eCommunity newsletters
• Online bookstore
• American Campus Communities Library at the International Office

Publications

• The Journal for College Student Development (JCSD) is the highest ranked indexed student affairs journal in the United States. Published quarterly by ACPA and the John Hopkins University Press, JCSD is available online in most American university libraries. Complimentary printed copies are mailed to the majority of the membership.

• About Campus is a bimonthly magazine for those who want to thoughtfully examine the issues, policies, and practices that influence the learning experiences of college students. Even though About Campus is sponsored by ACPA, it addresses an audience that goes well beyond student affairs to include all those on campus (administrators, faculty, and staff) who are concerned with student learning.