NASPA Region I Newsletter
December 2003
DON’ T M ISS
Volume 1, Issue 6
OUT ON THE MILE HIGH CITY!
This year’s National Conference (It’s about Students—Period) is being held in Denver, Colorado, otherwise known
as the mile high city. But did you know that Denver is not in the mountains -- it is near them. The "Foothills" (a
gentle series of peaks ranging from 7,000 to 11,000 feet high) start to rise 15 miles west of the city. Slightly beyond that is the Continental Divide and a series of peaks soaring to heights of 14,000 feet, known locally as the
"Front Range."
Some facts about the Mile High City:
•
Denver receives 300 days of sunshine a year -- more annual hours of sun than San Diego or Miami Beach.
•
Denver is the nation's most highly educated city with the highest percentage of high school and college
graduates.
•
Denver is the "Baby Boomer" capital of America with the highest percentage of boomers of any major U.S.
city.
•
Denver really is a mile high. The 15th step on the west side of the State Capitol building is exactly 5,280
feet above sea level.
This beautiful city is a perfect site for this year’s conference which will prove to be inspiring and thought
provoking.
For more information about Denver visit: www.denver.org
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
NASPA Region Reads
2
Thoughts From the Editor
3
Feature Speakers in Denver
4
Featured Speakers in Denver (cont.)
5
Thoughts from A Conference Intern
6
Mark Your Calendars
7
Mark Your Calendars
6
December 2003
Volume 1, Issue 6
Page 2
NASPA Region I READS—PART TWO
BY
H O L L I E I N G R A H A M , U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A I N E AT F A R M I N G T O N
D ELIGHT C HAMPAGNE, S PRINGFIELD C OLLEGE
This is Part 2 of a continuing series from the regional fall conference. The following are recommended
readings from our colleagues from around the region. Check them out!
•
The Art of Possibility
•
Adoption Nation
•
The Devil Wears Prada
•
The Power of One
•
Skipping Christmas
•
Bel Canto
•
#1 Ladies Detective Agency
•
Early Autumn
•
Stone Butch Blues
•
Lance Armstrong: It’s Not About The Bike
•
The Book of Sarahs
•
Becoming An Invitational Leader
•
Leadership Without Easy Answers
•
Dreams, Nightmares, and Pursuing the Passion
•
Beer and Circus
•
Shattering the Myth: Women in Academe
•
Understanding and Applying Cognitive Development Theory
•
Reforming Organizations
Revolution
F I•R SStitching
T MAI D
- LEVEL M ANAGERS S ERIES IS A SUCCESS !
More books in the next issue
December 2003
T HOUGHTS
Volume 1, Issue 6
FROM THE
Page 3
E DITOR
B Y CHERYL B ARNARD
This past Monday night my institution had a plethora of programs happening to close out the last week of classes and
celebrate the impending holiday season. It was everyone’s “LAST CHANCE” before students buckled down to hit the books
and prepared for exams. The evening started with our annual Holiday Celebration (where the institution’s Christmas Tree is lit
while the Pep Band and Gospel Choir entertain the crowd). In addition, there was a reception for a student art display, a Multicultural Fashion show and the Choir’s Holiday performance (mind you not at the same time, but spread out throughout the
evening so that the campus community could take advantage of all the festivities). For some of my counterparts at major universities, four programs on a Monday night might not seem like a lot, but on our campus it is not really the norm for so many
major programs to be happening all in one night. As an administrator who often hears from students that there isn’t enough to
do—I thought it was a great way to begin winding down the semester. Students aren’t quite ready to start cramming, but are
ready to start celebrating the various holidays which come at this time of year. The funny thing though was as I walked back
to my office, I overheard three students (all freshmen) talking about the night’s events. One student in the trio couldn’t stop
talking about the programs and how much fun it was. She proceeded to continue by saying—why don’t they offer more programs on this campus. One of her fellow students replied, that there were at least three programs every Friday and Saturday
night as well as a movie on Sunday. The female student responded with, and I quote “NO WAY”.
For the past few years I have noticed that this generation of students seems oblivious to the programs being offered on campus. You can send emails, hang banners up in the cafeteria, knock on their residence hall doors, put posters in the
bathroom stalls, advertise on the web calendar, even put flyers in their mail box, but they still don’t seem to know about the
many activities afforded to them on campus. Why is this? I believe is it because they are the generation where the phrase
“Soccer Mom” was coined. It is because their parents have been scheduling them for play groups, music lessons, sporting
events and a multitude of other activities since their births. Now before you thirty and forty something's get mad at me, I do
admit that about 6 years ago, my husband and I began to fall into the trap of making sure our son was involved in the appropriate “enhancement” activities. I also admit that on one Saturday, after carting him to swimming lessons, karate, a hockey practice and a birthday party, I said enough is enough. It was too much for us and certainly too much for him. That evening we sat
down and weeded out the activities which were of some interest and made a commitment to the few which he really enjoyed. I
must say that a few of our peer group thought we were crazy at not offering to avail our son to every possible activity available, but we both thought enough is enough—when does he get to play and just be a kid!!!
Nowadays I think the students we have on our campus have not been afforded that same opportunity. They don’t
know how to just hang out and figure out how to take advantage of the free time they have. If you ask them to tell you what
type of social events are happening, many of them look at you with a blank stare. They are a generation who did not sit around
with their friends for a good two to three hours on the weekends trying to decide what they should do that evening. They
didn’t scour over the movie listing in the papers, because instead they could watch pay per view or easily go to the video store
and pick up whatever movie they wanted to see. Unfortunately as a result of this “instant entertainment” this generation
doesn’t know how to translate the many events they see publicized into the act of getting themselves there. This is not surprising at all because, luckily for us, their parents have stayed at home and not moved into the residence hall with them. So,
instead we find students spending free time in their rooms Instant Messaging, playing video games, or watching TV. All the
activities they did when mom and dad weren’t carting them around to their various and sundry activities.
So how can we educationally address this cultural phenomena we have inherited? I am not so sure, but maybe the
easiest way is to invite their parents to move into the Residence Halls with them so that they can continue to be their social
secretary.
December 2003
Volume 1, Issue 6
Page 4
Featured Speakers at the National Conference
Once again, this year’s National Conference looks to be a wonderful professional development opportunity. This year’s major
speakers will included:
Monday, March 29, 2004
Evelyn Hu-DeHart is Professor of History, and Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at
Brown University. She lectures, testifies, consults and conducts workshops on Latin American/Caribbean history, politics and
contemporary affairs; race, ethnic and gender relations and issues; multicultural education and the politics of multiculturalism;
ethnic studies and curriculum reform; Asian American history and the Asian Diaspora worldwide; refugee and immigration issues; recruitment and retention of students and faculty of color. During the past five years, she has lectured at over fifty U.
S. campuses, educational and cultural institutions, including the Smithsonian, the American Museum of Natural History, and the
Asia Society (New York City). She has testified before the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, participated at teleconferences sponsored by Black Issues in Higher Education, and appeared on the McNeil-Lehrer News hour among other television and radio
programs. She is founder of the Asian/Pacific American Women's Leadership Institute.
Kevin Jennings is recognized as a leader in both the education and civil rights communities and currently serves as co-founder
and Executive Director of GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. Mr. Jennings is best known for his work
creating safe schools for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students. After "coming out" in a chapel talk to the
school community at Concord Academy in 1988, Mr. Jennings helped establish the nation's first Gay-Straight Alliance for students at Concord and became a well-known spokesperson and writer on LGBT issues in schools. In 1990, he founded GLSEN,
bringing together teachers, parents and community members to end anti-LGBT bias in K-12 schools. As the head of a then allvolunteer group in Boston, Mr. Jennings led GLSEN in its successful effort to make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation against public school students and in 1993 to establish a statewide program called "Safe Schools for Gay and Lesbian Students".
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Dr. Betty Lentz Siegel, the first woman to head an institution in the 34-unit University System of Georgia, and the longest
serving woman president in the nation, has been president at Kennesaw since 1981. Under her administration, the university has
evolved from a four-year college with an enrollment of 4,000 students and 15 baccalaureate-degree programs to its current
university status, with enrollment approaching 18,000 students and 55 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Before
coming to Kennesaw State, Dr. Siegel was the first woman academic dean at Western Carolina University in the School of Education and Psychology from 1976 to 1981. From 1971 to 1976 she was the first woman Dean of Academic Affairs for Continuing
Education at the University of Florida, where she had been a member of the faculty since 1967. She previously taught at Indiana University and Lenoir-Rhyne College.
Dennis Snow has a passion for, and expertise in what it takes to create world-class customer service. Snow's customer service abilities were born and developed over 20 years with the Walt Disney World Company. He began his
Disney career in 1979 as a front-line attractions operator. Quickly moving into a Disney management role, Snow
managed various operating areas throughout the famous theme park, learning and applying the skills it takes to
run a world-class, service-driven organization. Recognized for his training talent and skill, Snow represented The
Walt Disney Company as a guest speaker and trainer for some of the world's largest companies including Exxon,
AT&T, General Motors, and Mitsubishi. He has presented for audiences in diverse locations around the world, such
as South Africa, Australia, Mexico, England, and Argentina. In his last year with Walt Disney World, Snow was
ranked in the top 3% of the company's leadership team. Snow is dedicated to helping organizations achieve their
goals in the areas of customer service, employee development, and leadership. He is known for presenting practical solutions for complex issues that face organizations today.
December 2003
Volume 1, Issue 6
Page 5
Featured Speakers at the National Conference
(continued from previous page)
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Joe Martin is an award-winning national speaker, author, professor, and educational consultant. He's the author
of "Good Educators Never Quit." Joe speaks and consults for more than 50 schools and school districts across
the country each year. His mission is to help students, teachers, and administrators learn, lead, and live with purpose and passion. The Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities voted Joe Martin "Speaker of the Year"
and he is currently the host of the "Educator Motivator" Tape of the Month Series. He is also the President and
founder of RealWorld University, an award-winning success resource center on the Internet designed to help college students succeed in school and in life.
DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR THE NASPA NATIONAL CONFERENCE
IN DENVER, COLORADO
Registration Information can be obtained at:
www.naspa.org
December 2003
Volume 1, Issue 6
Page 6
THOUGHTS FROM AN REGION I
UNDERGRADUATE CONFERENCE INTERN
By Colleen Powers ‘04, Quinnipiac University
If I could sum up my experience at the NASPA Region I conference this year it would simply be: AMAZING. Going into
the conference I did not know what to expect, and so I felt a little nervous and anxious. However, even after just the planning
meeting I attended I was put at ease by the warm welcome that was extended to me by the committee. I was included in the
last minute planning and was able to help the committee with signage and the undergraduate pre-conference. I was more than
happy to be of assistance and I felt honored that the committee entrusted me with these responsibilities.
After arriving in Hyannis the committee got right to work to make sure every detail was taken care of. I stayed busy
throughout the conference doing whatever needed to be done to make the conference run smoothly. Whether it was changing
signs, moving A/V equipment or dealing Black Jack at Casino Night I loved every minute of it! I could not get over the number of
student affairs professionals I met that were so willing to spend time with me and talk about their experiences in the field. I
did not talk to a single person that had one negative comment to make about the profession. The irony of my experience at the
conference was how many people asked me if I had been scared away from the field because of it, when in reality it made me
even more confident in my decision to pursue student affairs.
I can honestly say that my experience more than exceeded my expectations and I could not have imagined how much
just four days could impact my life. I would like to thank everyone that I had the privilege of meeting at the conference for not
only proving to me that I made the right decision in pursuing student affairs, but also for giving me the motivation and confidence to continue that pursuit. I would also like to extend my greatest thanks to the conference committee for giving this
amazing opportunity and for everything that they taught me. After the conference, I now look forward to becoming part of this
wonderful community of professionals and hope to return to the conference as a graduate student and eventually as a colleague.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND BEST WISHES FOR A JOYOUS
NEW YEAR!
December 2003
Volume 1, Issue 6
Page 7
MARK
YOUR CALENDARS
The January Institute for Critical Issues
January 11 - January 13
Sponsors:
The James E. Scott National Academy for Leadership and Executive Effectiveness
Location:
Sawgrass Marriott Resort in Ponte Vedra, Florida
Target Audience:
Senior-Level Student Affairs Administrators
Institute Summary:
The January Institute for Critical Issues is an annual professional and leadership development institute for senior student affairs officers. The 2004 January Institute will focus on the work of the
Project on the Future of Higher Education and the role student affairs will play on our colleges and
universities. The Project asks the critical question: Given what we know and the likely future social,
technological and economic realities, if we were creating a college or university today, what would it
look like?
Participants will engage in in-depth discussion around the Project and begin strategizing ways to implement dynamic and long-term change on their campuses. Participants will begin to address critical
issues facing student affairs today and develop their own leadership skills.
For More Information visit: www.NASPA.org
E-Learning - Weaving a Web of Leadership:
Leading Systemically in a Networked World
January 12 - January 30
Two major shifts are occurring in the world, each of which has a significant effect on how we work together, influence change,
and lead. The first shift is from a hierarchical to a networked world. The second shift is from an industrial to a knowledge era.
This e-learning class will focus on new leadership strategies that are built on new forms of cohesion, new ways of learning, influencing change and relating. Shifting our paradigm from hierarchical and industrial thinking to network knowledge assumptions, we can discern simpler and more effective ways of accomplishing our goals. This class will introduce systematic leadership - a way of leading that integrates and paces the changes in our workplace and today's world.
For More Information Contact:
Stephanie Gordon, Phone: (202) 265-7500 ext. 3023 or Donna Bourassa, Phone: (202) 835-2272
All Of the Above Conference
Saturday, January 31st—8:45 am to 5:00 pm
Assumption College, Worcester, MA
For the fourth year, a consortium of New England's professional organizations have come together to offer a day-long workshop dedicated to helping new professionals, graduate students, and eager undergraduate students prepare for a career in
student personnel administration. This year's 10 sponsors include: the Association of College Unions International (ACUI), the
Association of Student Judicial Affairs (ASJA), the Boston Area College Housing Association (BACHA), the Maine Association
of Student Affairs Practitioners (MASAP), the Massachusetts Association of Women in Education (MAWE), the Massachusetts College Personnel Association (MCPA), the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA), and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Region I, Northeast Association of College and University Housing Officers (NEACUHO), National Orientation Directors Association (NODA).
For more information please visit: http://alloftheabove.neu.edu/