Ponderings on Professional Organizations

Over the years, I have been privy to membership in a variety of professional organizations that have related to my many roles in higher ed. For me, I find this to be incredibly important to the work that I do in for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, holding membership opens up so many doors for additional resources to very specific topics in the field. This can show itself through a variety of opportunities for professional development like webinars and conferences, but also provides a community to turn to for every day questions.

In the past I have been a part of such professional organizations as AACRAO and NAVPA: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and National Association of Veterans' Program Administrators, respectively. Throughout my time having membership to these two, I was able to attend conferences, and also obtain on-going guidance on best practices, new innovations, and ad hoc problem solving support. NAVPA especially provided me and other School Certifying Officials of GI Bill benefits for student veterans extensive training on how to interpret new legislation, and provided an elaborate network of professionals to consult with when during times of change.

Now, as a graduate student, I am broadening my experiences in higher education administration, and with that, comes the need to broaden my professional network and community. Before I even started my HESAA program at Buff State, I was invited to attend a local happy-hour with CSPA-NYS (College Student Personnel Association of New York State). Before going, I did a little research to see what the organization was all about. With a quick search, I was easily able to locate exactly what CSPA-NYS stands for:

Mission Statement:

The College Student Personnel Association of New York State, Inc. is a comprehensive professional student affairs organization. We are dedicated to fostering the development of our members; a diverse community of educators, students and scholars within higher education.

Vision Statement:

CSPA-NYS provides exceptional professional development programs and networking opportunities for graduate students, new professionals and mid-level managers in higher education in New York State, and strategically partners with a number of resources to deliver on this promise. Strategic partners and resources include senior student affairs leaders, faculty in higher education, prior CSPA-NYS Board members, business leaders, companies, and other student affairs related organizations.

Reading this on their website assured me that this was a great organization to get involved with as someone who had just recently moved back to New York after having been in Colorado for the past few years. I also took a brief gander at annual dues, and found that at $45.00 for professionals, and $25.00 for students, it was incredibly reasonable. I found that they hold a variety of events throughout the year in addition to that mixer that I was invited to, ranging from happy hours, to educational “Coffee & Conversations” at campuses around NY, to an annual conference, and webinars. I knew that this going to the mixer would give me an opportunity to meet future colleagues, and also get some insight into the program that I had just applied to at Buff State. I was totally right! The happy hour introduced me to multiple students in the program, the professor and then Chair of the program, and a room full of very friendly and welcoming faces that work at colleges and universities throughout Buffalo. When I got home from this first experience, I decided to join as a then professional. Shortly thereafter I attended a Coffee & Conversation at Buff State, where I saw some familiar faces, enjoyed a great conversation around Autism in Higher Ed, and got a free coffee mug! I mean, I wouldn't say that I do it for the swag…but I totally do it for the swag! 🤭

When I was accepted to graduate school and started in August of 2018, I found it very easy to change over my membership to the student level, which I thought was really a great feature. No hassle at all. In October of 2018 I attended their 50th annual conference, and again was shocked at how reasonable the registration fees were! Although I paid $240.00 for the three day conference as a student, I will say that it was a late decision and the Early Bird registration fees were quite a bit cheaper. In addition, there were also opportunities to have some of the conference funded by scholarships, one of which I received to attend the Graduate Student & Next Gen pre-conference, which I thought was really awesome.

Now that I have an established relationship with CSPA-NYS, I am looking forward to getting involved with some of their committees in the future and continuing to build the relationships and community that this organization provides. It really felt like a family gathering at the annual conference. As a newcomer, it was an excellent showing of their values.

I have also heard a lot about NASPA and ACPA since I have been at Buff State. Not only in the context of great organizations to become a part of, but also as the leaders in documentation regarding the best practices of our profession. I do not think that there has been one paper I’ve written in this program where I haven’t referenced at least one of these two organizations!

NASPA is the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and has been around since 1918. Although it states that it is a national association in its name, NASPA has actually become international and is in all 50, and 25 countries around the world with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. This organization, like CSPA-NYS, serves to educate and connect higher ed professionals, while aiming to “discuss and study the most effective methods of aiding students in their intellectual, social, moral, and personal development."

When I looked into joining this organization, I found that similar to CSPA-NYS it was wicked reasonable for a graduate student at $37.00 per year. I think this is great, especially knowing that it is a national organization. Since registrations to these organizations come out of pocket as a graduate student – versus being paid for by an employer like when I was a member of NAVPA and AACRAO, being reasonably priced is critical. I did decide to join, and during the registration process, you are able to sign up for a multitude of newsletters and updates for a variety of topics that might be of interest. For instance, I chose to be on the listserv for new and alerts regarding my region, and a handful of special interests. When I looked into going to the annual conference, I was also super surprised at how affordable it would be to register – to compare to CSPA-NYS, it is $255.00 for late registration, just $15.00 more. However, the big difference here is that while a regional Conference like CSPA-NYS can be a little pricey with hotel and travel, it pales in comparison to a plane tickets and a week in Los Angeles. Even with having a connection to stay with were I to go out to Los Angeles, which is just where the conference happens to land this year, I would still need to pay for the plane flight. I think that for conferences of this size, it is less reasonable for a graduate student to go without the assistance of a scholarship.

This semester I am actually also TAing for a course that uses NASPA content as the core coursework for the class. The class is a Certified Peer Educator, and students are able to use this class for credit, and also they will be able to have the option to take the test for certification at the end of the semester and actually become certified through by NASPA standards. This is just one example of the kinds of services and programs that this professional organization offers in addition to annual conferences, newsletters, and professional guidance.

ACPA or American College Personnel Association, is the third organization that I’ve chosen to join this year a graduate student. Much for the same reasons as the two above, I think that the more connected and involved I can get the better. As I mentioned above, like NASPA, ACPA is a leader in content creation for best practices in the field of higher ed. Getting involved with this organization now will help me to be prepared to take on my role as a professional upon graduation from the HESAA program. I have been exposed to many of these foundational documents during my time as a student, such as The Student Learning Imperative: Implications for Student Affairs, which helps to outline just what it is that we should be focusing on as practitioners.

In comparison to the other two organization that I have joined as a student, this has the highest cost for a graduate student at $49.00. I joined because I felt like it was important to establish this relationship with the community, but I can honestly say that I have not used this membership at all thus far. I intended on trying to make it to this year’s annual conference in Boston, but similar to the NASPA conference, although the student rate is a very reasonable $260, the travel and lodging for a conference so far from home propelled this into $1000.00 range. While I would love the opportunity to attend, I think that again, it would be more advantageous to go as a professional that might be able to fold these fees into a negotiated professional development budget.

When I was considering both of these national conferences, I will say that a friend of mine offered the little nugget of wisdom that ACPA is frequently touted as the more fun of the two! Next year, I am hoping to make it a priority to save up the funds to attend.

The reason that I love conferences from these professional organizations so much is just how much learning you can do in such a short amount of time. I love the panels, the incredible keynote speakers, and the structure of the “breakout session”. The level of expertise at your fingertips at these types of conferences is unparalleled. What it really allows for, too, is to get to know these experts in a context that enables you to build a relationship that you can reach back to when you have questions, or conflicts arise, or you just need some advice on a certain topic. I came back from the CSPA-NYS conference this year not only with a million business cards, but also with tons of new friends. People that I have since connected with over coffee, and at their offices, and it has given me a renewed vigor for my choice in profession.

As I continue to hone where it is that I want to land with this degree after graduation, I plan to explore more professional organizations that connect to more my direct interests. A few that I am looking at currently are American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), American College Counseling Association (ACCA), American Association of University Women (AAUW), and also, although it is not a professional organization, I am also very interested in learning more about Campus Compact, which is a national coalition of colleges that further the mission of service-learning in higher ed. While conferences are a huge draw for professional organizations, it will be important to dissect what they offer year-round. With CSPA-NYS, I feel like I am constantly connected to my fellow members, and with NASPA I am always on top of new developments in my interest areas. I have to find a way to feel as connected with ACPA as I am with the other two, but that will come in time.

What are your organizations of choice? Do you see the value in joining as a graduate student? How about conferences – are you addicted to them like I am!? I would love to hear your feedback and if you have any suggestions on how best to connect to NASPA or ACPA as a student, I would love to hear your advice!

Cheers,

Brianna

Buffalo State HESAA/SPA students and alumni represented in a big way at the CSPA-NYA annual conference in Oct. 2018 in Albany, NY!