ACPA and NASPA: Exploring a Common Voice

1. How will you keep members informed?
It is one of our highest priorities to keep members informed and able to provide ACPA and NASPA leadership with feedback. To that end, a detailed communications plan has been established. Additionally, both ACPA’s and NASPA’s Web sites will provide updated and ongoing information about this process.

2. How will you insure inclusivity of all member voices? What is the timeline for this process?
We are working to insure members’ voices are heard in four primary ways:
a. Offering ample ways for members to share their perspective and voice via blogs, discussion boards, website, and emails established for this purpose;
b. Discussing the issue of unification at every state, regional, and international conference;
c. Discussing the issue of unification during every professional development opportunity facilitated by ACPA and NASPA during fall 2009; and,
d. If the boards vote to do so, having our membership vote. The timeline for this decision is as follows:
 (i)  Now through November 15: ACPA and NASPA’s governing boards are in the process of collecting member feedback
 (ii)  November 15-December 4: Boards review feedback
 (iii) December 4: Each board will decide separately, at their respective meetings, whether or not to take the question of unification to our respective memberships for a vote on unification. If the boards agree to take it to our memberships, a timeline will also be established for this member vote. If we do not agree on taking it to a member vote, the conversations about unification would cease.

3. How do you engender “trust” in the process?
Two hallmarks of engendering trust involve being transparent and providing ample opportunities for member involvement. ACPA and NASPA leadership are actively working to insure that our processes are transparent, as well as providing significant opportunities for members to express their concerns, opinions, and ideas, both privately and publicly.

4. Will you involve legal counsel?
Yes. Peter Wolk, current legal counsel for both ACPA and NASPA, has already been involved in the process, providing counsel to ACPA’s and NASPA’s governing boards, and will continue to provide legal counsel during the entire process. Wolk has served as counsel to both ACPA and NASPA for more than 15 years. 

5. Will you involve a consultant to guide the process?                                                                                                                           The leadership of ACPA and NASPA has already started to consult with a professional who has significant experience with managing unification processes and will continue to advise associations’ leadership throughout the entire process.

6. What would the name of a new organization be?
It is too early to know the answer to this question, but what is known is that if the associations unify, a new association would be formed. It would not be called ACPA or NASPA. In a unification process, both ACPA and NASPA would dissolve and a new association would be created.

7. Logistically, what happens to state and international divisions in ACPA and regions in NASPA?
Geographic divisions add important value and strength to each association, whether they are ACPA state and international divisions or NASPA regions. Area gatherings contribute to member satisfaction, provide greater leadership opportunities, enhance networking options, and offer more affordable professional development experiences. As a result, a new unified association would continue to consider geographical aspects of a new organizational structure.

8. What happens to standing committees/commissions in ACPA and divisions and knowledge communities in NASPA?
Such groups add important value to our profession and, consequently, to each association. A new unified association would continue to consider these elements within a new organizational structure.

9. What happens to cultural differences?
The cultural elements of each association are important and valuable. The unification process is intended to retain core aspects of each. The unification process will provide opportunities to thoroughly review those parts determined to be core for each association.

10. What provisions are being made to preserve and honor the history and traditions of each association?
Some members may be uncomfortable with or adverse to change if they believe there would be a discontinuation of traditions, culture, or a dilution of their voice and values that they enjoyed through either ACPA or NASPA. If unification is approved, work groups would be formed, allowing for member input into recommendations for how best to move forward with a new association, while preserving and honoring the history and traditions of the current associations. Opportunities for continued interaction, professional development, leadership, scholarship, honoring legacies and networking would remain a priority for a new unified association.

11. What would unification mean for the new slate of elected leaders?
Any vote of the membership regarding the question of unification would not happen until after the 2010-11 slate of leaders are elected for both ACPA and NASPA. Initial thinking on this is that the 2010-11 slate would be elected, per the respective association’s bylaws, and be instrumental in any unification process approved by the membership, preparing for a single slate put forth for 2011-12 that would reflect whatever the governance structure of a new association would look like. 

12. What would be the impact on ACPA & NASPA office staff?                                                                                                               At the direction of their boards, Greg Roberts (ACPA Executive Director) and Gwen Dungy (NASPA Executive Director) conducted a preliminary review of all personnel, systems, structures, and processes of both ACPA and NASPA, which indicated duplication of efforts in many cases. At this point, no decisions have been made about staff, services, or programs but it is clear that staff is being thought about throughout this process and is being kept informed about next steps as we progress in these conversations.

13. What would annual conventions/conferences look like?
There are many possibilities for providing annual meetings, including, but not limited to: (a) one annual meeting each year; (b) two annual meetings each year with one on the east coast and one on the west coast; (c) four annual meetings each year with one in the north, one in the south, one on the east coast and one on the west coast; (d) one annual meeting in the United States and one annual meeting internationally; and/or (e) other arrangements yet to be discussed.

14. What happens to placement services?
Both ACPA and NASPA provide comprehensive career/placement services at convention/conference and throughout the year. ACPA and NASPA remain committed to the professional development of their members, and career/placement services are an important part of this commitment. A new association would have a powerful career/placement service, as the best of each current association’s process could be used to create a new, stronger one.

15. Would the research opportunities be the same or would research/journal space be limited?
In a preliminary evaluation of the current research and scholarship opportunities, the leadership of both ACPA and NASPA agree that all existing journals and magazines would be beneficial to retain initially.

16. What happens to existing contractual obligations?
Each contractual obligation would need to be negotiated with the advice of legal counsel to reach the most appropriate solution.

17. Would my membership dues be transferred to a new organization if we unify?
Yes, but exactly how the transfer would take place would need to be worked out should the associations decide to unify. The leadership of a unified association would actively work with legal counsel to determine membership fee structure and transferability of dues.

18. How would a new organization keep professional development and organizational memberships affordable?
As both organizations have done in the past, every effort would be made to keep costs down for the members of a new association. A unified association would mean elimination of paying dues to two associations for the many who currently choose to belong to both associations, while eliminating the difficult decision for other institutions and individuals that currently make the choice to financially support only one association. Greater efficiency would also be realized through the elimination of duplication within professional development offerings – and the resulting double costs incurred by members in attending.

19. How would unification reduce duplication?
One unified association would, for example, eliminate the duplication of administrative and service areas, resulting in greater efficiency of financial and human resources.

20. How does a unified association remain attractive to a full range of professionals, from undergraduates interested in the profession to senior level student affairs officers?
In many ways, the answer to this question is what currently happens. One of the reasons why the issue of unification is presently being considered is because ACPA and NASPA are alike in that they are both comprehensive student affairs associations, each serving members from undergraduates to senior-level leaders. Each association has learned how to do this well and would keep this wisdom operating in any new structure created.

21. If unification occurs, how would ample opportunities for member involvement be insured?
The current leadership of ACPA and NASPA agree that a unified association should continue to create opportunities that are available to all members at all career levels. All efforts would be made to create intentional and meaningful levels of involvement for members. In addition, both ACPA and NASPA recognize and value the work of constituent stakeholder groups and are committed to their continued participation in a new, unified association. These include institutional type, career levels and type, social identities, professional standards/special initiatives, international education, functional/content areas, and external partners.

22. How would the unification of these two associations advance the future of student affairs?                                                         A solid, unified, common voice would hold greater weight for representing the student affairs perspective to external stakeholders. Additionally, one unified association, operating without duplication and with greater efficiency, avoids diluting efforts, resources, and the magnitude of our profession’s message. Student affairs members, from students to senior administrators, working together in unison would allow for greater coordination, inclusion, and thinking in addressing future issues and needs of the profession. Finally, unification would allow us to be more nimble and to increase our ability to rapidly adapt to change while maintaining identity and continuity of issues and values.