Education Council Announces Refined Core Competency Language
The student union has long served as a home for dialogue, connection, and belonging on the college campus. The Role of the College Union statement, the foundation upon which ACUI is built, outlines the college union’s role relationship with the campus and responsibility to serve students, institutions, and the profession. Across contexts and generations, college union professionals continue to support environments where individuals can engage, connect, and find belonging in these spaces.
Throughout ACUI’s 112-year history, these commitments have been shaped by broader social and institutional change. The current higher education landscape is shaped by changes in institutional policy, legislative environments, and professional practice across the United States and globally. These changes manifest differently across institutional contexts, shaped by regional, cultural, and regulatory environments.
To that end, in an effort to support usage across institutional contexts and reduce barriers to application, the Education Council, at the direction of the Board of Trustees, reviewed language within the core competencies and threads. This work focused on preserving the intent and integrity of the competencies while refining language. The work of college union professionals continues regardless of terminology.
Revisions
1. Social Justice ⇒ Connection and Engagement
The Social Justice competency is now Connection and Engagement. This updated competency continues to focus on fostering environments where students and campus communities can participate, connect, and succeed. It emphasizes communication, collaboration, institutional awareness, and professional practice, while reinforcing self-awareness, ongoing learning, and effective decision-making. The revision centers the outcome of creating environments where students and campus communities can engage and thrive through meaningful connection and participation.
2. Equity Thread ⇒ Belonging Thread
The Equity thread is now the Belonging thread. Threads are intended to represent themes that are woven throughout all core competencies rather than functioning as standalone areas of practice. This revision reinforces belonging as a shared responsibility embedded across all competency areas and expressed through daily professional practice.
The Education Council recognizes that updates to long-standing professional frameworks prompt reflection across the membership. As higher education continues to operate within a complex and evolving landscape, the core competencies and threads must remain grounded in the environments in which ACUI members do their work.
These revisions reflect a continued commitment to a framework that is adaptable and grounded in the realities of student union work. While language changes over time, the purpose of the core competencies remains unchanged: to strengthen professional practice and support the creation of environments where students can engage with the community and feel a sense of belonging. This work is ultimately shaped in practice by ACUI members, whose daily work determines how these competencies live and function across institutional contexts, not the terminology used to define them.
Looking ahead, the Education Council will conduct a scheduled comprehensive review of the core competencies during the 2026–27 cycle. Members are encouraged to participate in this process by sharing feedback with council representatives. The strength of ACUI’s work continues to come from its members, and this ongoing dialogue ensures the competencies continue to reflect the realities of practice and the needs of the field.
