Former ACUI President J. William (Bill) Johnston passed away December 23, 2005. Johnston served as president from 1991–92; before this, he was the vice president for committee affairs from 1980–83 and served on the Task Force 2000. During his presidential term, Johnston led the replacement for a new executive director, following the death of Dick Blackburn,…
ACUI members elected a new president and three new at-large Board of Trustee members. Susan Pile, senior director, university unions and auxiliary services, University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, will serve as the president-elect. Joining her for installation during the 2026 Annual Conference in Pittsburgh will be at large Board of Trustees members Isaac Barber, director, student…
Author Steve Chaplin Steve Chaplin is managing editor of ACUI’s The Bulletin and manager of the ACUI College Union and Student Activities (CUSA) Evaluation Program. A former newspaper writer, editor, and manager, he has volunteered as a student mentor as a member of the National Association of Science Writers, and received awards for his writing…
Editor’s Note: During 2025, The Bulletin has continued its State of the College Union series of articles that analyze the most current and affecting issues facing the Association’s members. In this issue Ben Klepzig writes about marketing and revenue at the Wisconsin Union, and West Chester University co-authors Ann Callaghan, Sandi Pachuta, Adriane Reilly, and…
It is always interesting to see The Bulletin’s annual “What’s New” edition come together, highlighting new and different initiatives taking place in college unions. This year, I am especially excited about what’s new in ACUI, which is that we recently added 116 new students’ unions from the United Kingdom through a partnership with NUS Charity….
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…
“You are what we call a bookstore Buddhist,” observed the smiling young monk named Dundan as he invited me to take a seat in the basement classroom of the First Congregational Church of LaGrange, Illinois. It was the summer of 2007, and I had begun attending Mahayana Buddhist meditation classes to manage stress and learn…
Yes, there is still much to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic, and for student affairs practitioners in higher education, that includes well-being in the realm of food insecurity and basic needs. Writing in the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, two University of California–Irvine researchers share what they have gleaned from a comparative study…
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…
Author Steve Chaplin Steve Chaplin is managing editor of ACUI’s The Bulletin and manager of the ACUI College Union and Student Activities (CUSA) Evaluation Program. A former newspaper writer, editor, and manager, he has volunteered as a student mentor as a member of the National Association of Science Writers, and received awards for his writing…
Editor’s Note: During 2025, The Bulletin is continuing its State of the College Union series of articles that analyze the most current and affecting issues facingthe Association’s members. In this issue co-authors Winston Bao, Adam Dunbar, and Jill Zambito examine wellness and well-being frameworks and best practices designed to strengthen campus community on the individual…
Whether it’s a renovation coming in at a couple hundred thousand dollars or a new building running in the tens of millions, one theme running through the reflections of those leading this year’s renovation and construction projects was that space matters. Quantity, quality, cost-conscious, collaborative … it didn’t matter. What mattered was that they were…
A special issue of Education Sciences from July 2025 focused on Stress Management and Student Well-Being. Guest editors for the issue were a team from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, that included Valerie Sotardi, a quantitative researcher and educational psychologist with a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Arizona. Co-editors…
Lying on the cold terrazzo floor, fake blood seeping from the fake bullet wounds that riddle my body, I can’t help but reflect on how much my job as a student union administrator has changed over the years. In previous years, my staff and I would spend early August planning student staff training and involvement…
Maybe you remember the swim class names when you were a kid, something like minnow, guppie, goldfish, dolphin, and shark. I mostly remember having to jump in cold water when I really didn’t want to and feeling like I was drowning. Not sure I ever made it to shark, but some of the basics must…
Anyone who has met ACUI President Ian Crone, director of the student union at the University Tennessee, also knows he is an outgoing guy with a positive persona. So when Susan Canady, the assistant director of event and guest services at the University of Maryland who chaired planning for this year’s ACUI Annual Conference, got…
ACUI is announcing a restructuring of its Regional Leadership Teams designed to clearly define volunteer roles throughout the eight regions, to strengthen engagement and volunteer support, and to create a structured volunteer selection and onboarding process. The restructuring is the result of work done by the Regional Engagement Task Force, created by Board of Trustees…
ACUI and the NUS Charity are excited to announce an international partnership in which over 100 NUS Charity students’ unions located in the United Kingdom will join ACUI and receive membership benefits like online education, access to on-demand resources through ACUI’s digital library, and engagement opportunities like communities of practice and networking at in-person events….
Lina Balcom of the University of Vermont, Lauren Gyurisin from Virginia Commonwealth University, Beth Goad from the University of Denver, and Audrey Taggart-Kagdis from Kansas State University have been elected by eligible ACUI voters to serve as new regional directors. Two-year terms of office begin during the 2025 Regional Conferences this fall. Taggart-Kagdis will represent…
The midwestern campus of Indiana University–Bloomington and Indiana Memorial Union again served as the magnet for new college union and student activities professionals to gather for ACUI’s annual IPDS: New Professionals Seminar, a four-day on-site series of educational sessions, tours, and networking events designed to prepare professionals for a successful future. The seminar attracted a…
New corporate partner Trooh Media are offering fun and integrative technology as a benefit to ACUI’s member schools—Trooh’s digital signage tower that provides a solution to easily market and connect with students—for free. If you are looking for ways to increase revenue while driving engagement and participation in your events, and with zero cost, join…
Branding at the Wisconsin Union is so much more than getting Bucky the Badger out there. That was evident this year in ACUI’s Steal This Idea competition as University of Wisconsin–Madison graphic designers at the student union received Best in Show honors for a promotional campaign that focused on the union’s own branded sparkling waters,…
In July 2024, ACUI officially started work on the 2024–29 Strategic Plan that was first released during the 2024 Annual Conference. The initial focus of volunteers and Central Office staff are tasks anticipated to be completed during the first few years of the plan. Highlights that showcase some of the current work are below. You…
13 Strategies for Sustained Success Leadership transitions are inevitable in professional environments, yet they often bring periods of uncertainty, disruption, and adaptation. When a new manager assumes responsibility for a department, employees may question how changes will affect their roles, while leaders must quickly acclimate to unfamiliar systems and dynamics. Drawing from experiences across multiple…
Editor’s Note: During 2025, The Bulletin is continuing its State of the College Union series of articles that analyze the most current and affecting issues facing the Association’s members. Earlier this year a team of authors examined “The Student Union as a Space for Activism and Protest,” and in this edition our co-authors share how…
I’m no neurologist, but I believe that people are hard wired to navigate uncertainty by seeking out patterns. We find reassurance, or seek solutions, by reflecting on similar events or patterns in the past. I think this is one of the reasons why the ritual pattern of the academic year persists in higher education. Our…
The summer of 1985 has lots of memories for me. I was an intern in a law firm in London, and like my flatmates who were also from the States, we were getting by with very little money. At the same time, we gained a cultural and experiential education that summer that was priceless. In…
ACUI is announcing a major planned gift from Benjamin Williams, associate dean of students and deputy Title IX coordinator at Trinity University. Williams is a longtime supporter of the Association and a past recipient of the Presidential Award for Distinguished Service. ACUI Chief Executive Officer John Taylor said Williams was making the contribution as part…
ACUI Past President Jay Boyar passed away June 2, 2025. Boyar served as ACUI president from 1993–94; in fact, he served as both president and acting executive director. Prior, he was vice president of committee and network affairs. Boyar also chaired and hosted regional conferences and Association seminars. Spending his career at Prince George’s Community…
Earlier this year in a special edition of the Journal of Education Human Resources higher education researchers focused on “Workplace Well-Being and the Student Affairs,” in which two teams of academics took a deeper dive into the statistics offered in the important 2022 survey of student affairs professionals conducted by the College and University Professional…
If you considered student affairs or college unions certification but discovered you were not eligible, you might want to check again. Recently, the Higher Education Consortium for Student Affairs Certification updated the requirements for eligibility: Participants will still need a combination of a degree and work experience, but the specifics have changed to expand access…
During the Association’s 2025 Annual Conference in New York City, there were both formal and informal conversations related to the challenges facing higher education from decisions being made at the federal level. With a seemingly accelerated pace, student union and student engagement staff, and our students, are encountering new challenges resulting from threats to federal…
ACUI leadership offered members an overview of activities during the past year and an update on what to expect in 2025–26. Topics included implementation of a new strategic plan, completion of a successful fundraising campaign, and an overview of the year’s events and educational programming. Strategic Plan ACUI’s new 2024–29 strategic plan reiterates the Association’s…
Revealed during the 2023 ACUI Annual Conference in Boston, the Association’s Investing in Our Profession fundraising campaign, designated to support the Student Affairs & College Union Certification Program, was celebrated during the 2025 Annual Conference in New York City as the largest single fundraising campaign in the Association’s history. In fact, it was celebrated loudly,…
Keynote: Rob Lawless Connection feeds belonging, and for Rob Lawless, the world is full of connections. For him, since 2015, it has been about 10,000 connections by way of spending at least one hour getting to know that many people. Visiting the ACUI Annual Conference, Lawless was ready to provide an update on belonging and…
ACUI Talks: Mahogany L. Browne Mahogany L. Browne came to ACUI Talks to share her poetry, to reflect on themes important to ACUI members, and to do some name-dropping. Audre Lorde. June Jordan. Gwendolyn Brooks. Lucille Clifton. Miriam Alves. Sonia Sanchez. These were just some of the preeminent Black female poets and writers that Browne,…
ACUI Talks: Anya Kamenetz With a background that includes degrees from one of the top public high schools in the United States, followed by Yale University, and having a best-selling author as a father, award-winning author and reporter Anya Kamenetz has offered readers a breadth of work ranging from childhood education, technology, and most recently…
Keynote: Terrell Strayhorn For Terrell Strayhorn, a professor, author, and director of a research center on HBCUs, it is all about belonging. Strayhorn even runs The Belonging Lab, and as he sees it, belonging trumps equity every time. “Belonging is an equity-minded framework,” Strayhorn told ACUI members in attendance at the 2025 Annual Conference in…
Welcome New ACUI President Ian Crone In his appreciative address accepting the gavel as 2025–26 president of ACUI during the ACUI Annual Conference in New York City, University of Tennessee Student Union Director Ian Crone did not delay addressing a topic sensitive to his gathered peers. In the big picture, he noted through examples, student…
Brenda Evans, University of Massachusetts–Lowell, was honored with the 2025 Butts-Whiting Award. In her reveal speech, ACUI Past President Deepti Chadee described Evans as a leader who has played “an instrumental role in mentoring and inspiring other women, including myself.” Nominators agreed, saying Evans “has been a tireless champion for the growth and development of…
ACUI’s 2025 awards and scholarship recipients are being announced throughout the Annual Conference, March 16–20. Please congratulate recipients for their achievement and thank them for serving as models of leadership and innovation to advance our work as community builders in higher education. 2025 Award Recipients DISTINGUISHED AWARDS CAMPUS AWARDS INDIVIDUAL AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS WRITING AND RESEARCH…
Campuses are consistently searching for ways to improve student outcomes and overall campus well-being by how they address a culture of wellness that includes food insecurity and other health equity issues. A culture of wellness can center on everything from eating enough fruits and vegetables to getting enough rest and relaxation or physical activity, and…
The State of the College UnionEditor’s Note: During 2025, The Bulletin will continue its State of the College Union series of articles that analyze the most current and affecting issues facing the Association’s members. During 2024, professionals from across ACUI’s membership contributed State of the College Union articles on the topics of workforce retention, organizational…
This is the fourth year ACUI has examined the topics that impacted campuses the most in the previous year. Common threads have emerged over the years—recovering from the pandemic, student well-being, free speech, DEI, financial stability, and more. Once again, the Year in Review cannot avoid examining the ongoing challenges facing DEI efforts, maintaining sound…
Editor’s Note: This research corner was created by members of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Program Team, one of ACUI’s eight volunteer-run Association Teams. Visit acui.org/volunteer/assessment-evaluation-and-research-program-team-member to learn more about the AERPT group of volunteers and the work of the other Association teams. The following dives into just a few of the books, book chapters,…
Recently I was talking to two great past presidents, Neela Patel and Deepti Chadee, and I asked them about writing this last article as president. What do I say? Is there a traditional message after a year in the position? It was then that Neela gave me a great idea—to reflect upon the speech I…
What a milestone to be writing my 50th column for the ACUI Bulletin! My first, “A New Adventure,” allowed me to introduce myself to the membership and to share a little about what I learned over the course of my career and the people that shaped my view of working in the college union profession….
Any trip to New York City is an adventure, but there is only one #ACUI25 Adventure, and it departs from ACUI’s conference hotel on Tuesday, March 18. The tough part is picking which one—and only one—of the 18 different tours being offered during this year’s Annual Conference. The daylong event includes visits to 12 unique…
ACUI is now accepting applications for the 2025 Closing the Gap program, which since 2020 has sought out mid-level BIPOC professionals seeking support, mentorship, and networking as they ascend in their careers as builders of campus community. Last year, a record 15 participants were selected for the program; the cohort was supported by a group of 10…
Whether it is developing skills to ignite a sense of belonging or receiving an infusion of energy designed to identify opportunities for innovation and right-sizing, ACUI Annual Conference attendees will walk away satisfied from an opening keynote address by Rob Lawless, the man who spent one hour, 1-on-1, with 10,000 different people. Lawless sees the…
ACUI’s 2025 Annual Conference, commencing within and around the New York Marriott Marquis and the adjoining Times Square, is going to require an early arrival time – no later than Friday, March 14 – thanks in part to an extraordinary preconference schedule that kicks-off the following morning. Supported primarily through the work of ACUI volunteers…
ACUI members elected a new president and three new at-large Board of Trustee members, and the current board has named Texas State University junior Ysenia Garcia as the incoming student board member. Yemi Gbajobi, chief executive of Arts Students’ Union at the University of Arts London, will serve as ACUI’s new president-elect. Joining her for…
ACUI members from Region I have selected long time ACUI volunteer Jennifer Puccinelli as its new regional director. Puccinelli, the human resource and risk manager at California State University–San Bernardino, first became a volunteer with ACUI in 1997 as a regional student chair. She has continued to serve in volunteer roles with the Association, most…
In just under 15 years, Miami University in Ohio has reduced carbon emissions from its campus buildings by over 60%—one contributing factor being waste reduction at busy places like the Armstrong Student Center. Armstrong building managers succeeded by increasing organic material composting through the use of artificial intelligence; in 2023, Armstrong turned nearly five tons…
Author Steve Chaplin Steve Chaplin is managing editor of ACUI’s The Bulletin and manager of the ACUI College Union and Student Activities (CUSA) Evaluation Program. A former newspaper writer, editor, and manager, he has volunteered as a student mentor as a member of the National Association of Science Writers, and received awards for his writing…
The State Of the College UnionPart fourEditor’s Note: This is the fourth installment in a year-long, four-part series entitled The State of the College Union that looks to analyze the most current and affecting issues facing ACUI’s members. The fourth part in the series, written by Mark Guthier and Rich Steele, is designed to examine…
It is a wonderful time of the year! Fall! I love fall—and not just the changing of the colors and the wardrobe. I love settling into the semester and then gearing up for some fun traditions: Homecoming, Family Days, Halloween, and of course, ACUI’s eight Regional Conferences. Like many of you, it was through a…
While this Bulletin issue is focused on what’s new in college unions, working on a college campus our jobs can sometimes feel like they are on a rinse-and-repeat cycle. Budgets are approved in July, we hold student staff training in August, welcome students to campus in September, do all possible to engage students in the…
Author Steve Chaplin Steve Chaplin is managing editor of ACUI’s The Bulletin and manager of the ACUI College Union and Student Activities (CUSA) Evaluation Program. A former newspaper writer, editor, and manager, he has volunteered as a student mentor as a member of the National Association of Science Writers, and received awards for his writing…
Like many organizations, ACUI’s finances were dramatically affected by the pandemic. A significant portion of the Association’s income is directly related to face-to-face events. Two years of virtual conferences in 2020 and 2021 were followed by a return to face-to-face events, including the Annual Conference. While not yet back to pre-pandemic levels, attendance has consistently…
College students across the United States converged on election polling locations, many located on their own campuses and in student center hubs, for early voting in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. They walked, marched in parades, arrived in campus shuttles, and took advantage of free Uber rides provided by their student government associations. In North…
“It feels bad here,” said University of North Carolina—Asheville’s Jessica Inman. “But we know it’s worse off-campus,” said the senior director of campus life about the devastation left by Hurricane Helene in this area of western North Carolina. Inman and her staff, working out of Highsmith Student Union, had been on campus since Thursday, September…
Linda Eldred passed away on August 29, 2024. Eldred served as an at-large member on the Board of Trustees in the late 80s, as Region 9 director from 1975–77, and as chair of the 1989 Conference Program Committee, leading the planning of ACUI’s 75th anniversary celebration, which received American Society of Association Executives Single Educational…
Over 40 college students from around the United States gathered at California State University–San Bernardino to experience four days of ACUI community building and leadership development designed to raise the curtain on new possibilities for their lifelong journeys. This journey, held last month, was ACUI’s annual I-LEAD®, the Institute for Leadership Education and Development, and…
About one-fifth of the U.S. undergraduate population—that is somewhere between 3.8 and 4.3 million students—are also parents, and nearly half of those identify as single mothers. For years, pregnant and parenting college students have been described as the “invisible students on campus,” even though they represent between 22% and 27% of the overall collegiate population….
Editor’s Note: This is the third part of a year-long, four-part series entitled The State of the College Union that looks to analyze the most current and affecting issues facing ACUI’s members. The third part in the series, written by Kat Paynter-Fanning and Adriane Reilly, once again focuses on a significant issue facing both student…
As it should be, this year’s Renovation & Construction edition of The Bulletin is all about students and meeting their unique needs regarding community. In higher education, a strong sense of community builds returns for everyone when students succeed, when they graduate, and when they graduate with the skills and confidence to follow their dreams. …
Writing in the first volume of the year of The Journal of Higher Education Politics & Economics, higher education professors Pietro A. Sasso (Delaware State University), L. J. Shelton (University of Arkansas), and G. Blue Brazleton (Northern Arizona University) share what the landscape looks like for a dozen pre-tenure higher education and student affairs faculty…
In my last Bulletin article, I mentioned the summer is a wonderful time for reflection and getting to know others through stories. Well, I have done quite a bit of unintentional reflection, and the person I have been asking questions to get to know a bit better turns out to be myself. My social media…
Each presidential election cycle in the United States includes a lot of hype, and 2024 feels unusually super-hyped to the degree that folks are either highly anxious about the outcome or numbed and avoiding thinking about the outcome. Polarization is no longer new, but the divide among our citizenship seems wider than most of us…
ACUI has been using strategic planning to guide the work of the association since the early 1990s. In mid-2023, the Board of Trustees began to create the 2024–29 strategic plan. The first step was to gather and analyze data, including the membership needs assessment, financial and membership information, the Regional Engagement Task Force recommendations, and…
ACUI is excited to announce the appointment of community of practice leaders for the 2024–25 term. Community leaders play a crucial role in our communities of practice, serving as the driving force behind our educational and community-building missions. Their primary responsibility is to actively engage with members within their specific area of focus, fostering education…
Four years ago, just prior to the 2020 U.S. presidential election, student union directors across the country were preparing for the aftereffects students were likely to feel, no matter their views, politics, or party affiliation. Even though social distancing and virtual-only operations were in place nationwide, Earlham College was one example of a campus that…
Emory University’s Charlene Hendricks was inspired enough by her experience at ACUI’s 2024 Annual Conference in Denver earlier this year that sought another career development opportunity by joining the 2024 cohort of Closing the Gap participants. For Jazzmyn Ivery-Robinson, it was the positive impression she got from her supervisor, Rochester Institute of Technology Associate Director…
Author Steve Chaplin Steve Chaplin is managing editor of ACUI’s The Bulletin and manager of the ACUI College Union and Student Activities (CUSA) Evaluation Program. A former newspaper writer, editor, and manager, he has volunteered as a student mentor as a member of the National Association of Science Writers, and received awards for his writing…
Over 20 ACUI members from 13 different institutions gathered in Atlanta earlier this month to attend the Renovation & Construction Seminar, an event that offered education sessions, tours, roundtables, keynotes, and expert panels. Guest speakers attended from Auburn University, East Carolina University, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Georgia State University. Corporate sponsors for…
The past five years have been considerably tumultuous and ever-changing. The Association had to navigate significant challenges along the way, beginning with the decision in March 2020 to end the strategic plan that was in place at that time, and re-evaluate organizational priorities alongside external factors such as a worldwide pandemic, a major recession, and…
I always seem to especially enjoy those final closing few weeks at the end of the academic year. Things slow down, often very fast. There are fewer meetings and events, which can mean opportunities to clear out files—and possibly a path to cleaning off my desk. But not this year. This year, I had a…
Recently I travelled to the United Kingdom and Ireland, where I was able to visit seven college unions and connect with dozens of people across the field. This included two meetings of chief executives in the U.K. and the Celtic Connections Conference, which was a gathering of Irish and Scottish professionals. Besides making a few…
Refining data from an earlier, and larger, study published in 2021 from interviews about campus racial conflict with 35 students, faculty, and higher education and student affairs professionals split between a minority-serving university and a historically white campus, Blanca Elizabeth Vega takes a closer look at the institutional training on racial conflict a subgroup of…
A Tool for Use with Organizational Change, Employment Models, and Grad Students In this article, Dr. Michelle L. Boettcher and Dr. Cristóbal Salinas Jr. Provide an overview of their new book, “Law and Ethics in Academic and Student Affairs: Developing an Institutional Intelligence Approach,” as well as offering practical advice for using the Institutional Intelligence Model in…
The State of the College Union, Part Two Editor’s Note: This is the second in a year-long, four-part series entitled The State of the College Union that looks to analyze the most current and affecting issues facing ACUI’s members. The second part in the series, written by Ian Crone and Hank Walter, focuses on another…
The landscape for diversity programming and initiatives in higher education was muddled again last week when the board of trustees for University of North Carolina’s 17 public universities voted to repeal all DEI mandates that were currently in place for the system. The move mirrors actions taken earlier this year in Texas and Florida. In…
After 112 years it will be a first: the ACUI Annual Conference will be celebrated in Pittsburgh, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center that overlooks the Allegheny River, with views of three bridges commemorating national heroes in sports, arts, and letters: Roberto Clemente, Andy Warhol, and Rachel Carson. Slated for March 8–12, 2026, the…
Campuses across the United States are navigating student protests that have led to hundreds of arrests, including many of students, while creating anxiety, confusion, and anger for students, staff, faculty, and community members. Even as some campus leaders hope the approaching conclusion of the academic year will temper protests over the conflict in Gaza, resources…
ACUI bestowed Honorary Lifetime Membership, Emeritus Award, and Legacy Leader Award during the 2024 Annual Conference in Denver. A full list of all awards presented as part of the 2024 Annual Conference may be found here. Honorary Lifetime Membership Honorary lifetime membership is conferred by the Board of Trustees to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional…
Sarah Aikman, assistant vice president for student engagement and inclusiveness at Northern Kentucky University, was recognized with ACUI’s highest honor, the Butts-Whiting Award, during the March 27 closing night banquet of the 2024 Annual Conference in Denver. The live ceremony recognized Aikman for her decades of contributions to the college union and student activities movement….
ACUI Keynote: Temple Grandin and the Way We Look at Things There is a place for everyone at the education table, and that table may not look the same for everyone, explained renowned professor of animal science Temple Grandin during a keynote address at the ACUI 2024 Annual Conferencein Denver. “We need people who think…
During the 2024 Annual Conference in Denver, ACUI President Neela Patel and Chief Executive Officer John Taylor, along with other Board of Trustees members, provided an update on the State of the Association. Finances and Fundraising An external accounting firm, Blue & Co., reported the Association received a clean review of finances for Fiscal Year…
Crediting others for pushing her to volunteer, noting the importance of curiosity in her life experiences, and recognizing her family, peers, and the other women she has worked with in the field of student affairs, University of Illinois–Springfield Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Ann Comerford began her new role as the 2024–25 president of ACUI…
It is your first ACUI Annual Conference and suddenly you feel out of place. It is not the overwhelming number of greetings you receive, or the fact that every one of your questions was answered perfectly at the member services desk. No, it is not that. It is the conference lanyard you just dropped around…
ACUI’s 2024 awards and scholarship recipients are being announced throughout the Annual Conference, March 24–28 in Denver. Please congratulate recipients for their achievement and thank them for serving as models of leadership and innovation to advance our work as community builders in higher education. 2024 Award Recipients DISTINGUISHED AWARDS CAMPUS AWARDS INDIVIDUAL AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS WRITING…
Speakers devoted to a more inclusive and empowered future will take center stage on Wednesday, March 27, at 1 p.m. during ACUI Talks — the closing session of the 2024 ACUI Annual Conference in Denver. From dismantling systemic injustices to championing mental health awareness and fostering career development, the three speakers participating in this session…
This is the fourth Year in Review issue for the ACUI Bulletin. In 2020, we discontinued printing The Bulletin because of financial challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving The Bulletin completely online was a good solution to save money and still make content available to members. However, it wasn’t organized as a magazine, and…
As the seasons change and the year goes by, I think about how certain things remain the same while so many other things change. Each season and time of the year has a purpose and impact on how we move through the year. There are things you can write down that you know you will…
The State of the College Union, Part One Editor’s Note: This is the first in a year-long, four-part series entitled The State of the College Union that looks to analyze the most current and affecting issues facing ACUI’s members. The first part in the series, written by Brenda Evans and Jeremy Schenk, focuses on one…
Assessment is a core function of student affairs work and is included as one of the core competencies for ACUI, ACPA, and NASPA. However, assessment is more than simply an audit of an organization’s strengths and weaknesses. Assessment offers campus practitioners the opportunity to affirm identities and experiences as well as create pathways to transforming…
When calendars flipped from 2022 to 2023 last year, as COVID-19 finally waned and higher education professionals raced to remove the word “pivot” from their vocabularies, what lay in wait on the horizon could not have been imagined. After gaining steam over two years since George Floyd, nearly 50 anti-DEI laws were proposed in 23…
Editor’s Note: This research corner was created by members of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Program Team, one of ACUI’s eight Association Teams. Visit acui.org/volunteer to learn more about the AERPT group of volunteers and the work of the other Assocation Teams. Here is a look at some of the books, book chapters, research articles,…
Bill Spelman passed away March 13, 2024. Spelman served as ACUI president from September 1978–1980 and received honorary membership in 1989. Spelman served an extended term as president after the death of then-president Lyle Curtis mid-term. “Spelman was an admired leader within the Association,” said John Taylor, ACUI Chief Executive Officer. “He left an imprint…
Former ACUI President J. William (Bill) Johnston passed away December 23, 2005. Johnston served as president from 1991–92; before this, he was the vice president for committee affairs from 1980–83 and served on the Task Force 2000. During his presidential term, Johnston led the replacement for a new executive director, following the death of Dick Blackburn,…
