I
t is with honor and pride that I write to you as the new ACUHO-I president. I have served the Association in a variety of ways over many years and feel a great sense of responsibility to you, the members, perhaps more than ever before. Joining me as new 2022 Board members are Yetti Marquez-Santana, Nyerere Tryman, Bobbie Cole, Gay Perez, and Stephanie Lynch. I welcome their presence as we work to continue the efforts of those outgoing board members, Kawanna Leggett, Julie Leos, Frankie Minor, Drew Peterson, Luis Inoa, Lisa Freeman, and Pete Galloway.
As the two most recent presidents have said, this is not the scenario I imagined when I received the news that I was selected to serve. While I am most optimistic that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, I believe that there is much work for us to do going forward, in large part because we must respond to the ways in which the pandemic changed us, our profession, and our Association. I am confident that our current strategic plan will continue to guide us as we focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion from the inside out as well as by supporting members as they lead change efforts on their own campuses. We will continue to focus on our colleagues who serve at smaller colleges and universities and those who deliver on their responsibilities while living on campus. And there will be much more good work that comes from our invaluable volunteer committees and networks. These are the people who help create educational events, professional development opportunities, and other resources that help make ACUHO-I special.
I believe that there is much work for us to do going forward, in large part because we must respond to the ways in which the pandemic changed us, our profession, and our Association.
It has become so very clear that it is time for us to look deeply and honestly at all staffing roles and responsibilities. The current models have, in many cases, served us so well for so long but are becoming unsustainable. Our goals and desired outcomes for student learning and success and community development remain steadfast. But how we engage professionals to achieve these goals must be reconsidered.
Under the leadership of the outgoing president, Pete Galloway, the Association established a task force that will consider the future of the profession from the perspective of our most valuable resource: those professionals who carry out the work. In the year to come, we will support and advance the work of the task force to provide members with ideas, tools, resources, and options to use in reimagining staffing in their respective programs. Steve Herndon, whom I appointed as an ex-officio member of the Board, will be instrumental in this effort, and I am grateful to him for agreeing to step into this role.
Also significant to the future of our profession are a number of external factors such as potential enrollment declines and whether virtual delivery of coursework will become more prevalent. We must track and begin to generate tangible responses to these issues that leverage the residential environment to support student success and community development.
Finally, but perhaps most critical of all, student housing professionals need to take the lead in doing more to transform our campus communities into just and equitable places to live, learn, and thrive. There is much work to do, and together we will meet these challenges.
— Pam Schreiber, ACUHO-I President
Talking Stick magazine takes its name from the symbol of international friendship presented to ACUHO-I in 1973 by the Ohiat Band of the British Columbia Indian Nation. The talking stick, or speaker’s staff, is hand-carved, and the inscription explains, “It is a sign of authority carried when proclamations are to be made or a meeting of chiefs is in session. It is a token of common heritage both to Canadians and Americans.”