The news, lately, has been filled with disturbing stories. As I’m writing this, Australia is being ravaged by wildfires, resulting so far in 27 fatalities and more than 2,000 homes damaged in a land mass larger than the state of Indiana. My thoughts go out to those impacted by the fires, to the emergency response personnel, and to our colleagues who are supporting students affected by this catastrophe. We must also face the news of the tragic crash of Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752. All 176 people (167 passengers and 9 crew) perished in this flight, including 57 Canadians, many of whom had ties to no less than 19 postsecondary institutions across Canada. My heartfelt sympathy goes to the families, friends, and colleagues of those lost in this flight.
In the wake of this news, we continue on with the work on our campuses. March and April are busy times as most American colleges and universities will be in the height of professional and graduate staff recruitment. Many campuses will do so at the 2020 TPE event in Austin, Texas. The Placement Exchange is a strong partnership between NASPA and ACUHO-I and is just one example of relationship opportunities. As this partnership has strengthened over the years, however, my observation is that the number of candidates attending placement exchanges is getting smaller. That means campuses must compete against each other for the most desired candidates, and, as a result, more campuses start the academic year with vacancies of their live-in staff. In reality, recruitment has become a year-round process, which can be a significant concern for our profession.
ACUHO-I has explored this issue, in part, through a volunteer task force under the leadership of James Bridgeforth. His group has explored the integration of case management and housing and residence life staff as well as the important role they play in the process. The group delved deep into the subject to make recommendations for future actions that will be considered as part of our current strategic planning process. Our hope is that our future work will allow us to reconsider some functions of our live-in staff.
As you continue your academic semester, I encourage you to look for ways that you can make a positive impact and, perhaps, lessen the burden for a colleague or student.
This is just one more of the topics to be discussed throughout the strategic planning process that is on the forefront of the Association’s agenda. In early February, the ACUHO-I Executive Board met in conjunction with the State of the Profession event to work on the strategic plan. Utilizing data from surveys completed by more than 2,000 of our members, the Board was able to plot out next steps in our planning process. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey, and I encourage you all to remain on the lookout throughout 2020 as we share our progress.
There will always be challenges in our world and on our campuses. As you continue your academic semester, I encourage you to look for ways that you can make a positive impact and, perhaps, lessen the burden for a colleague or student. And please know that ACUHO-I is here to assist you in your work. Please feel free to share your suggestions, and I look forward to serving you in 2020.
Von Stange
ACUHO-I President
von-stange@uiowa.edu