As each of us is adjusting to the new realities related to the COVID-19 emergency, our work continues, although in ways we might not have imagined before. NACAC staff continue to work on your behalf even as you have our sincere appreciation for your continued, dedicated work on behalf of students.
Like so many of you, this outbreak has created a whole new meaning to working as a team while working apart. The rhythm of the day has changed and each seems longer and more stressful, as we juggle normal work requirements and rethink programming during this crisis.
Through it all, I have come to appreciate that everyone in a crisis becomes essential.
I am pleased to share that one element of this crisis that has proven invaluable are relationships and networks cultivated over time. As CEO, I am in touch with my counterparts from other associations to determine how they are managing critical decisions with their boards and members. NACAC staff has fostered relationships with other associations that are proving more important now than ever. Our communications team, for example, is in touch with colleagues from AACRAO, ACT, ASCA, IECA, HECA, College Board, ACT, NASFAA, and Common App to exchange news about critical changes that affect our shared members.
The National College Fairs and national conference teams are gathering information from other education associations regarding canceled events, insurance policies, and “go or no-go” decisions that help inform decisions by NACAC leadership.
With the NACAC affiliates, we have strived to be supportive by being in touch with leaders as they grappled with decisions to cancel spring conferences and develop legal strategies for conducting important business, changing bylaws, and modifying contractual agreements.
I have been most impressed, as I hope you will be, that many NACAC volunteers and leaders persist in their roles as committee members, national board and affiliate leaders, and more. The Affiliate Presidents Council has been working on ways to engage affiliate members, postpone their spring and summer conferences, and consider legal ways to conduct business online if face-to-face meetings are not possible.
NACAC committees, Special Interest Groups, and other ad-hoc member groups are meeting daily to continue work on association priorities, including: working on bylaw changes in preparation for the Annual Membership Meeting; providing comments on NACAC’s two new tools, the College Admission Status Update and the Secondary Schools Status Update; raising issues about the pandemic’s impact on international students in the US who need to return home as well as questions about the admission process for prospective and admitted students, and so on.
The NACAC Board of Directors continues to monitor the educational marketplace, providing insights about their campus and school operations and student decisions and also deliberating on critical association business.
These are but a few examples of how NACAC continues to function behind the scenes on behalf of admission and enrollment professionals, counselors in public and private schools, professionals in counseling roles at community-based organizations, and independent educational consultants.
We thank you for your support and patience in this difficult time. We are grateful for your vital service to students, parents, and the college admission profession, now more than ever.
Joyce E. SmithCEO, NACAC
As The Journal of College Admission went to press, the country was confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented moment in the nation’s history. Articles included in this issue were written weeks before the outbreak and do not reflect changes pertaining to school closures, travel limitations, and other restrictions that affect the college admission process. We believe the content of the articles remains relevant to your work as college admission professionals and will be useful when we all return to normal recruitment activities in the coming months.