ACUHO-I unveiled the cohort for the 2021 ACUHO-I Leadership Academy during its Annual Conference last month. This year’s group includes 11 professionals who identify as Black women. The program is designed to help participants leverage their strengths and further their contributions to higher education, housing and residence life, and ACUHO-I leadership. Programs will focus on the themes of individuality, mobilization, purpose, advocacy, community, and transformation.
Participants include the following: Theresa Franklin, Virginia Commonwealth University; Brittany Philbert, University of North Carolina, Wilmington; LaFarin Meriwether, University of North Carolina Greensboro; Paige A. Hicks, University of South Florida; Renee M. Gibson, Southern Methodist University; Melinda Gilliam, University of Washington; Domonique Crosby, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; Janie Sacco, Saint Martin's University; D'Najah Pendergrass Thomas, Wake Forest University; Tiffany L. Bromfield, University of North Texas; Courtney Allen, Notre Dame of Maryland University; Tiffany Sherisse Conde, University of South Carolina; and Nailah Brown, Temple University.
The 2021 ACUHO-I Leadership Academy facilitation will be chaired by Lisa Freeman, the director of residence life at American University and the inclusion and equity director on the ACUHO-I Executive Board. She will be joined in developing the program by MarQuita Barker of Elon University and Shiori Silver of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who were selected for their demonstrated commitment to meaningful diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The planning group will lead participants in coaching calls, monthly meetings, mentorship experiences, and other intentional professional development opportunities and will conclude with a capstone group project.
The ACUHO-I Leadership Academy grew out of recommendations from a multi-year strategic initiative to develop stronger pathways of involvement for underrepresented populations. The Leadership Academy is a unique opportunity for housing and residence life professionals from underrepresented backgrounds to gain leadership skills and experience that translate to positions on their home campuses and within the Association’s volunteer leadership pipeline.
In addition to being a valuable professional development opportunity, the ACUHO-I Annual Conference is also a chance to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of its members. Along with the other ACUHO-I award recipients, the conference included an announcement of the individual and institution that are the 2021 Presidential Service Award winners. These awards were presented at the discretion of Peter Galloway, the assistant dean of students at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and the current ACUHO-I president.
Texas Christian University received the institutional award for its contributions related to the James C. Grimm National Housing Training Institute. The program, which has hosted approximately 800 rising professionals in its three decades of existence, has been hosted by a number of different campuses. In 2019 the event transitioned to TCU under the direction of Craig Nelson, TCU's director of housing and residence life. While the first year’s class was able to meet in person, the program had to move online due to the pandemic. Galloway’s commendation singled out the team’s innovation, flexibility, dedication, and commitment, qualities demonstrating that what makes the NHTI special goes far beyond the physical features of the campus. It was also announced that ACUHO-I had extended its partnership with TCU so that it will again have the chance to bring people onto their campus.
Kathy Bush Hobgood received the individual award for a career full of contributions to ACUHO-I, the ACUHO-I Foundation, and the profession as a whole. Hobgood worked at Western Illinois University and Albion College before beginning an 11-year stint at the University of Florida. From there she moved to Clemson University where she started as the director of residential life. Eventually she was named the assistant vice president for student auxiliary services, and, as of July, she serves as Clemson’s interim associate vice president for auxiliary enterprises.
Beyond the work hours, she also made her presence felt in two professional associations. Along with innumerable presentations, articles, and other thought-leading contributions, she served terms as SEAHO’s president and archivist, leading their 50th anniversary celebration. For ACUHO-I, she helped guide publications as a member of the Executive Board, along with regularly lending her expertise to the pages of the Talking Stick magazine. Most recently, she has served the ACUHO-I Foundation as the chair and provided an untold number of volunteer hours.
Registration is open for ACUHO-I’s three focused conferences being held in October 2021. The Academic Initiatives Conference will be held October 6–7, the Business Operations Conference will be held October 19–20, and the ACUHO-I/APPA Housing Facilities Conference will be held October 21–22.
All three events will be held virtually this year. Special savings are available by using ACUHO-I’s Team Access Pass. This pass allows institutions to register an unlimited number of staff members to attend the event for one price. In addition, reduced registration rates are available before designated dates for each event. More information is available on the ACUHO-I website.
The ACUHO-I Academic Initiatives Conference will focus on the critical initiatives and programs that connect students’ academic experiences with their on-campus living experiences. Participants will share strategies related to living-learning programs, residential colleges, the residential curriculum, tutoring, peer mentoring programs, and more.
The ACUHO-I Business Operations Conference provides information on new and emerging best practices for professionals whose roles are focused on assignments and occupancy, information technology, marketing, conference services, dining, and business administration.
The ACUHO-I/APPA Housing Facilities Conference gives participants access to cutting-edge solutions in facilities management, while providing spaces to engage with a collaborative community. Topics include campus safety and emergency planning, automation, human resources and staffing, daily maintenance, and facility assessment.