Voting Center

Candidate Information

Katie Beaulieu is the director, student center & campus reservations at Wayne State University and may be reached directly at [email protected].

Statement of Candidacy

Since I began my career, I got involved in ACUI and served the association in multiple capacities from a student attendee at a regional conference to a component group leader on the ACUI Leadership Team. Like many of my colleagues, I fell in love with the mission of a student center on a college campus as an undergraduate student leader. While I have worked at several universities in several regions, getting involved at ACUI has been my constant. I am ready to apply the knowledge, skills, and experiences I have gained to the role of At-large member of the Board of Trustees. I believe the most important strategic issues facing ACUI are volunteer and membership retention, growing our profession, and advocacy. In recent years, I have noticed both initial interest and prolonged dedication waning among ACUI volunteers. When life happens, or one’s campus faces a crisis, it is essential for teammates to be ready to step in. ACUI needs to find a balance between holding volunteers accountable for their commitments while also giving each other grace. I believe every individual who connects with ACUI should find belonging in our community. Belonging is different for everyone, and since the great resignation, our colleagues have entered this field in more diverse ways in ever before. We cannot rely on the same engagement strategies for all generations in our field. As leaders of this association, we need to adapt to make sure all volunteers feel respected, supported, and appreciated. Our association not only has the power to retain ACUI members but also cultivate more professionals in this challenging and dynamic field of student unions and student activities. Through ACUI, I was able to develop my own professional identity. ACUI helps keep me in this field, and I want other colleagues to feel the same way. In recent years, as individuals left higher education, we also lost potential mentors and coaches to encourage students to enter our field. Cancelling regional conferences has also caused undergraduate students to miss out on that initial step into ACUI and this field. We can do more to engage potential new professionals through better understanding their needs and interests. ADVOCACY. In this climate, our policies around space use and demonstrations are viewed under a magnifying glass, putting us constantly on the defense and wedged between direction from university leadership and the student experience. Assessment, evaluation, and research are more important than ever before. ACUI can assist colleagues in leveraging quantitative and qualitative data to inform and advocate for our policies, programs and personnel. This past year, I have responded to criticism or questions from my administration with actual website links to free speech policies or reservation procedures from colleagues across the association. ACUI provides a safe space for us to navigate unfamiliar territory and respond to challenges alongside our peers. There is more we can do as a collective group to support each other and advocate for our work to leaders on our campus and in higher education overall. 

Skills and Perspectives Contributed

Throughout my career, I have had opportunities to take on new, unstructured challenges such as creating new events or programs, establishing new policies, and assuming management of other facilities on campus beyond our campus center. I thrive in giving structure to broad, undefined projects or initiatives. During my time as Research Coordinator leading the Research Program Team, we identified the issue that the association was missing a deeper focus in assessment, a crucial skillset of our profession. Through creating a working group with partners in Education Council, we developed and implemented an action plan which led to the new scope of this program team now known as the Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Program Team. If chosen to serve on the Board of Trustees, I would enjoy the opportunity to tackle new and complex issues. To achieve growth and advancement as an association, we need to look critically at our processes and procedures with a willingness to explore and implement change. Through my volunteer work on conference program teams at both the regional and annual conference level, I have been able to find a balance between trying something new or changing something while also honoring our colleagues and all of the work that has been done to get us to where we are now. In 2016, I served on a working group to improve the selections process for educational sessions. We made some major changes to the process, but we felt affirmed and supported in the decisions we made. I value relationship-building on my own campus and across ACUI. The work we do in ACUI reflects the goals of its members, volunteers, and leaders because we all work collaboratively to ensure as many voices are represented as possible. Through my work as leader of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Program team, I found success in establishing sustained, working partnership across volunteer areas. Collaborating across the association is essential for the Board of Trustees to truly serve our colleagues and advance community. Through all of my various volunteer roles over the years, I have been able to connect with and form bonds with special people that I am certain will last my entire career and even beyond. Finally, I am incredibly passionate about ACUI and would be so grateful to serve my colleagues in this capacity. The more you give, the more you get with this wonderful association. As ACUI volunteers, we have the opportunity to collaborate, support, and learn from professionals at all levels of our field. In addition to finding my ACUI family, this association has allowed me to learn invaluable best practices at every step and role in my career, to feel validation in seeing the same struggles on other campuses and to challenge myself to think differently. I believe in ACUI and I believe in its impact on individuals at all levels in our field from emerging undergraduate student leaders to retirees. 

Educational Background

I completed my bachelor’s degree in Sociology and my master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs at The Ohio State University. My master’s thesis was titled, ““The Gender Role Conflict of Male College Students and Implications for Campus Engagement”. After working professionally at Ohio State for several years, I relocated to Texas with my partner where I completed my Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Leadership at Texas Christian University. My dissertation was titled, “Sense of Belonging through Acculturation for Students of Color at Predominantly White Institutions”. 

Experience

After completing my master’s at Ohio State, I worked professionally in student activities as the advisor to the programming board and then as the Assistant Director of event services at the Ohio Union at The Ohio State University. While pursuing my Ed.D at Texas Christian University, I worked as a graduate assistant in Student Affairs focusing on assessment initiatives. After TCU, I began my time at Wayne State University in Detroit, first as Associate Director of Operations and now as Director for the Student Center. My journey in ACUI began by following in the rather large footsteps of several incredible mentors while a graduate student at Ohio State. I would attend regional and annual conferences with them, co-present educational sessions, and quickly met all of their wonderful colleagues from every corner of the globe. It was not until my IPDS seminar experience in 2014 that I began my own path in ACUI. After IPDS, I jumped into volunteering wherever I could. My first volunteer role was presenting an education session at an annual conference, and the experience of presenting at annual and regional conference continues to be extremely rewarding for me. I have shifted to co-presenting with newer professionals so that I may coach them through the presentation process. I have served on multiple conference program teams at the regional and annual level. Most recently I served on the Conference Program Team for the 2024 ACUI Annual Conference in Denver. ACUI has always been my go-to resource to learn and grow as a professional, and so I have enjoyed the chance to help others learn and grow in ways beyond the regional and annual conferences. I served as faculty for two digital badge courses – Student Development Theory and Inclusive Spaces. I presented Online Learning Programs on a variety of topics including university milestones, staying organized, and COVID-19 policy enforcement. I have written multiple research article reviews for the Bulletin publication. My most rewarding role volunteering in ACUI has been serving as the Research Coordinator. I started as a member of the Research Program Team (later known as AERPT) as an energetic doctoral student excited to make the “scary” notion of research more accessible and approachable for our association. Stepping into the role of leader of the team, I learned the inter-workings of the association. I learned how to build bridges across ACUI and seek out help from others when needed, especially our lifelines in the Central Office staff. Outside of my volunteer roles with ACUI, I have taken on volunteer roles in my community and with my alma mater. I was elected to serve on the council for the alumni club for Sphinx Senior Honorary, an honorary at Ohio State. I also serve as the chair of the Anti-Racism Advisory Committee for my city. Our goal is to make our community a more welcoming and inclusive place for all.