A Note from your Regional Director
January 11, 2018
Region V Colleagues-
Happy New Year! I hope that you had a restful, meaningful, and enjoyable holiday break and season. Hopefully you had a chance to rejuvenate for 2018! As the new semesters and quarters begin I wanted to give you a quick update on some of the activities that have been occurring within the Region and beyond.
I know many of you were able to join us in Honolulu, Hawai’i in November for the LARGEST Western Regional Conference in history. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting first time attendees and reconnecting with other colleagues. The conference planning committee provided an amazing experience that was thoughtful, impactful, and relevant to the work we do on our campuses. I am looking forward to this November when we get a chance to do it all again in Sacramento.
In the beginning of December, the NASPA Board of Directors gathered in Washington D.C. for the annual board meeting. NASPA remains a strong, vibrant professional association of 15,000 members. Some of the highlights of the board meeting include the diligent work of the Research and Policy Institute in what is a constantly evolving and shifting arena of policies that impact our work. For example, the timing of the meeting coincided with the debate surrounding the Tax Bill and the board was able to receive an up to date briefing of the debate occurring in Congress and discuss how we as an association should respond. If you want to see some of their great work visit https://www.naspa.org/rpi. We also learned more about the work involving grants, including the $1.2 million grant from the Lumina Foundation to NASPA and AACRAO to further the work on the Comprehensive Student Learner Record initiative. We also began the work to revise the NASPA Strategic Plan under the leadership of Penny Rue, NASPA Board Chair-elect.
Within Region V, the Advisory Board is working on a final draft of an updated Regional Engagement Plan that will guide the work of the Region in engaging our members and to continue to provide you with relevant and meaningful professional development opportunities and resources. Look for the final draft to be published soon.
Finally, in March 2018 in Philadelphia at the Annual Conference, the association will be kicking off the 100th Anniversary of NASPA. The celebration will continue throughout the year, drawing to a conclusion during the 2019 Annual Conference in Los Angeles. I hope that you are able to join us in Philadelphia (and Los Angeles!) for what will certainly be a great event. While there, make sure to stop by the Regional Reception. If you see me wondering the halls, stop and say hello and we can exchange a “High Five for Region V!” Hope to see you there!
Good luck with new school terms!
-Scott