Well, here is my last Vision article as your ACUHO-I President. I’ve enjoyed these opportunities to share the lessons I’ve learned as well as the good work happening throughout the Association. Combining those two things, one of my biggest takeaways from this past year has been broadening my understanding of just how much is going on across our organization. In many ways, ACUHO-I is like the proverbial duck, looking calm on the surface while kicking like crazy just under the water.
Having one’s eyes opened to just how much is happening throughout the Association and the Foundation is a common experience for most Board members. It makes sense; I realize that everyone typically only interacts with ACUHO-I in bits and pieces. Maybe you are a one-conference-per-year type of person. Perhaps you know us primarily through the publications. To you, ACUHO-I may mean the online community, the Leadership Academy, the internship project, or something else. Once you’re on the Board, though, you are exposed to all the conferences, institutes, networks, committees, webinars, research, and volunteer opportunities, not to mention the cross-association work of The Placement Exchange, certification, strategic partnerships, and so much more.
So fueled by this newfound knowledge, I can share this final lesson with you. There is no “right” way to experience ACUHO-I. We all have our own schedules, budgets, personalities, learning styles, pressing needs, and areas of interest. All of these elements come together when you’re deciding whether or how to engage with ACUHO-I. Just as we work hard on our campuses to meet students where they are, so has ACUHO-I in terms of its membership. And if after exploring the website you still are not finding what you are looking for, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a Board member or the staff and ask for directions. I’m confident they will quickly have you on the right path.
There is no “right” way to experience ACUHO-I. We all have our own schedules, budgets, personalities, learning styles, pressing needs, and areas of interest.
Finally, as I prepare to wrap up 2024, my thanks go out to all the volunteer leaders and Board members who I had the honor and pleasure to work with through my years on the Executive Board. I am proud to say that ACUHO-I continues to address the needs of individual members and the profession at large because of people like them who are willing to give of their time and talents. Their work shapes our events, creates our resources, and drives our innovation. There are too many to name them all here, but for now I would like to single out the efforts of Steve Herndon. His time as the director of the Future of the Profession project and my time with the Board largely overlapped, so I had plenty of opportunities to observe the ways in which his efforts took things from concept to fruition. He will be stepping down from the Board at the end of the year, but his work will continue to influence the future of the profession and the future of our Association in many ways moving forward. Thank you for your service, your sense of humor, and your stirring sermons.
— Gay Perez, 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.”
