Centennial Blueprint Project to Advocate for Student Unions

ACUI and the Wisconsin Union have announced “A Centennial Blueprint for the College Union,” an initiative meant to define, validate, and advocate for the enduring touchstones and evolving roles of the college union. The initiative will culminate with a professional toolkit that ensures the relevancy, sustainability, and the impact of college unions into the next century. The initiative aligns with the 100^th anniversary of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Wisconsin Union. 

“This is a unique opportunity for the Wisconsin Union to participate as an advocate for college unions everywhere at a moment in time that is special to all of us here,” said Mark Guthier, associate vice chancellor for student affairs and executive director of the Wisconsin Union. 

The initiative was launched with a June residency that included union professionals, ACUI staff, campus leaders, students, and stakeholders/partners, who gathered for panel discussions with campus partners, students, and stakeholders; gallery walks of data; reflection sessions; and other activities. 

“We couldn’t have a better partner than the Wisconsin Union, one of ACUI’s founding members, to help lead this initiative,” said ACUI CEO John Taylor. 

At its completion, the residency resulted in a draft list of over 20 touchstones, each determined to reflect part of a collective vision to work on student unions—not just in them—and to guide efforts to remain relevant, student-centered, inclusive, and aligned with evolving institutional and societal context. 

Touchstones include Belonging & Community, Student Voice & Intentional Action, Honoring History, Staying Relevant, Spaces for Connection, Our Reach & Responsibility, Impact & Storytelling, Innovation & Lifelong Learning, and Investing in Leaders. 

The initiative is to be developed in five phases: 

• Discovery & Confirmation (2025): Finalize touchstones through residency, survey, and regional input. 

• Development (2026): Identify interested volunteers; build assessment tools, reflection guides, and align with mission models. 

• Pilot & Engagement (2026): Beta test on campuses and integrate feedback from ACUI Regional Conferences. 

• Sharing (2027): Present and refine draft toolkit and models at the ACUI 2027 Annual Conference in Baltimore. 

• Integration & Rollout (2028): Full launch and activation at ACUI’s 2028 Annual Conference in Milwaukee. 

Volunteers are going to be sought to contribute to this project. Please be watching for more news about how to support the project.