Progress Continues for 2024–29 Strategic Plan
ACUI volunteers and staff continued in the past few months to make progress on the 2024–29 Strategic Plan. Highlights that showcase some of the current work are below. You can find the full 2024–29 Strategic Plan at acui.org/about/#strategic.
Pillar 1:
Pursue education, learning, research, and initiatives that advance the field.
Goal 1:
Develop educational content to support the creation of inclusive communities.
- The Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Program Team is working to compile a dissertation list that will be accessible via the website to members.
Goal 3:
Create avenues for enhanced connection and alignment among the Education Council, Regional Conference, and Annual Conference planning teams.
- The Education Council made progress on the development of the updated Education Plan. This will be shared at the 2026 Annual Conference.
- Following the Regional Conferences, the Education Council is reviewing evaluation goals to determine achievements in reaching goals outlined in the current Education Plan.
- Gap issues to be addressed in 2026 include financial literacy/fiscal management, marketing, and assessment, evaluation, and research.
Goal 4:
Enhance research in the field through the Assessment, Evaluation, Research, and Program Team.
- Research was done through outreach before and during the Regional Conferences to assess interest in and format of a network for graduate/post-doctoral students and researchers.
Pillar 2:
Reengage and support members at the local level through active and revitalized regions.
Goal 2:
Strengthen Regional Conferences by having a clearly identified core purpose, structure, and intended audience to drive content development and participation.
- All eight regions hosted in-person conferences in October and November.
Pillar 3:
Focus on opportunities for the engagement, retention, and growth of members and volunteers.
Goal 2:
Enhance and develop internal communications to encourage greater accountability across volunteer teams.
- GoogleDrive is now enabled for all volunteer groups, allowing access to shared documents and resources.
- The Volunteer Development Team developed a process to check in with international and regional volunteer teams that will be implemented in 2026.
Goal 4:
Refine and strengthen volunteer recruitment, engagement, and recognition efforts.
- A PowerPoint presentation outlining the new regional volunteer opportunities was shared at all Regional Conferences.
- The Volunteer Development team hosted two webinars in October and November that addressed common myths about volunteerism and reviewing open positions.
Pillar 4:
Advance initiatives to support active dialogue and civic engagement on college campuses.
Goal 1:
Create collaborative partnerships with external associations and organizations that possess relevant expertise
- A list was created that identifies external associations and organizations that possess relevant expertise. More work is ahead on how to pursue potential partnerships.
Goal 2:
Curate existing and create new resources to support member efforts that encourage active dialogue on their campus and help them to navigate associated contentious situations.
- Throughout 2025, biweekly Chat and Check-In Fridays provided a space for community members to connect around desired topic areas.
Goal 4:
Explore resources to help campuses foster community building opportunities around difficult campus conversations.
- In August, the Encouraging Hard Conversations on Campus had 24 registrants and 23 on demand views.
- A preconference program focused on active dialogue will be offered at the 2026 Annual Conference.
