Have you made your plans to attend the 2010 NASPA Annual Conference in Chicago? Have you been debating how to use your increasingly limited professional development resources? Call me bias, but I cannot think of a better investment of your precious time and finances than the upcoming conference.

The line up of major speakers alone could be worth the price of admission. It's highlighted by essentially two keynote speakers in Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter and former Secretary of State and Stanford Provost Condoleezza Rice. Our closing speaker is the inspiring and down-to-earth Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking and preeminent advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.

We will also have Joseph White, pioneer of African American and ethnic psychology, who will share the stage with Shaun Harper, one of our profession's most acclaimed scholars in the area of African American males in higher education. The presence of Patricia Gandara, Ebo Patel, Jean Twenge, and Andrew Jolivette only enhances the challenge and learning you will experience with this incredible array of speakers. All these colleagues will be a testament to the "Be the Movement" part of the conference theme.

If that weren't enough to entice you, we will also have an historical presence of pioneers in student affairs joining us. These legacy figures represent the best of our profession in terms of campus service, scholarship, mentorship, teaching, and association leadership.  Many have not attended a national conference for a number of years, and we look forward to continuing to learn from this very special group of colleagues.

And then, of course, there are the conference programs, the heart of our conference experience. We had a record number of submissions to choose from, which likely makes the quality of the overall slate of offerings unprecedented in professional development value.

We who are a part of the planning for the 2010 conference are taking very seriously our responsibility to provide you with a cost-effective yet value-laden professional and personal experience. We are taking many steps to control costs yet not sacrifice the quality of your learning and interactions. Even in these challenging economic times, thousands of your student affairs colleagues will be in Chicago this March. That thought alone should be enough to get you there! Please join us as we "Live the Legacy, Be the Movement."