Greetings colleagues! Less than two months from now, hundreds of us will gather in Columbus, Ohio, for the 2025 Campus Home. LIVE! Conference & Expo. I am not going to lie; this year, I will be extra ready for that singular feeling one has when surrounded by a community of peers. It has been a year filled with challenge and uncertainty thus far, and the time together will be ever more special for all that we’re working through on so many levels.
I have also been thinking about the ways this conference will differ from prior years as I attend as your ACUHO-I President. It will be an honor to greet you from the podium during our big stage events and even more impactful to host smaller gatherings during the conference and engage in opportunities for dialogue. Your Executive Board wants to hear from you, whether that be a simple introduction or sharing an opinion about something that ACUHO-I is (or isn’t and should be) doing. Whichever of those may occur, we welcome the opportunity to hear about it because, first and foremost, we believe that we learn best when we learn from each other’s viewpoint. I look forward to chatting!
The other thing I love about ACUHO-I conferences is the wide range of experiences that are on display. There will be retired professionals, housing officers who may be counting the days to their own retirement, mid-level directors, and those just starting on their own housing and student affairs career path.
One of the best things about ACUHO-I conferences is the wide range of experiences that are on display. There will be retired professionals, housing and residence life professionals who may be counting the days to their own retirement, mid-level directors, and those just starting on their own career paths. This combination is of tremendous value because it provides a variety of approaches, opinions, strategies, and qualities – and that’s all before you overlay our individual personal identity and lived experiences. Our commonality of purpose is apparent in the gathering.
Much is being made these days about generational differences in the workplace, But there is still work to be done on our campuses and in our volunteer service. How do we value the perspectives of all and integrate them for success? My dear friend Tony Cawthon always says, “Remember, there is a reason for every seat at the table, and the view is different from every chair.” No one can dispute that people often view situations differently based on when they were born, but I believe that generational uniqueness is something to be celebrated versus contested or viewed with suspicion. That’s one of the reasons I’m particularly excited to welcome Megan Gerhardt, a Miami University professor of management and leadership who coined the term “Gentelligence.” Her comments to our 2024 attendees resonated across the board, and we’re thrilled to welcome her back to the CHL! big stage. You can get a preview of her work in this issue by reading her interview with Brenda Ice, the ACUHO-I Executive Board’s Workforce Development Director. I think you will find the conversation intriguing, regardless of which generational viewpoint you fall into.
I want to encourage you here at this time of year to take the time to mark the moment. The transition from academic term to term is ever fleeting for us as housing and residence life practitioners, and if you blink, you might miss the chance to recognize and give yourself credit for all that you accomplished this year. Your work is a calling, and your students are all the better for your service and dedication. — Kathy Bush Hobgood, 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.”