Get Ready … Breathe … and Prepare For Your Regional Conference
It’s good to be back. That’s what over 500 pre-registered ACUI members are saying as they head toward the Association’s first in-person regional conferences since, well, you know when….
It all gets started next week at Sam Houston State University, where Region II gets underway with a disclaimer: “We were wanting to avoid Covid-19 related topics.” So they’ll be celebrating, thematically, with “The New You: the New Union, the New You, the New University.” The event will be held October 21-23 at Sam Houston’s Lowman Student Center and highlighted with three keynote speakers focused on fresh ideas for creating “the new.”
Region V is scheduled next, from October 27-30, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where the Wisconsin Union will play regional host for a third time. Dedicated in 1907 and now one of the oldest operating unions in the country, the Wisconsin Union will be a comfortable for keynote speaker Mark Guthier, the executive director of the facility, an associate vice chancellor, and a former president of ACUI (2013-14). He’ll be joined during the conference by associate vice chancellor Gabe Javier, who will speak on how the student union can be utilized as a social justice tool.
Binghamton University is up next as host of the November 3-5 Region VII conference, where an intergenerational panel discussion on the future of student affairs is expected to be one of the highlights. Emory University will host Region III from November 10-12 and attendees won’t want to miss the Saturday morning closing session to discuss the “best of” educational sessions based on participant evaluations.
The University of Oregon will host Region IV from November 13-15, and if you’re wondering if regionals are all work and no play, wonder no more. Attendees are being offered an option to attend the Pac-12 football match-up between the Ducks and the University of Washington at Oregon’s Autzen stadium, and it’s a match-up that traditionally draws the largest attendance of any home game that year. Region IV attendees will also have a chance to get a behind-the-scenes tour of Autzen during the conference.
“Seas the Day” … that’s the hook to get ACU Region I members to California State University–Dominguez Hills for the November 17-19 gathering, and it begins with a pre-conference program to “Find the Power of Your Presence” through energy leadership. There will also be a ACUI-tradition, the Steal This Idea competition, and plenty of time to venture from Loker Student Union and the Torrance Marriott Redondo Beach hotel to the Pacific Ocean, with the Redondo Beach Pier about a 10 minute drive from the hotel.
The University Massachusetts–Lowell will host Region VIII from November 18-19, where guests will jump into a program underscored with a reConnect, reFresh, and reStart” theme. Always a unique setting for an event, University Crossing in the heart of campus, and the surrounding historic community deemed the cradle of the American Industrial Revolution, will guarantee a fulfilling regional experience.
Every regional conference is also expected to receive a visit from at least one ACUI Board of Trustees member as part of an education session on workforce challenges that will be presented by board members at each regional conference. The session will include a questionnaire and some of the content will be based upon a July 2022 employee retention survey conducted by the College and University Professional Assocation for Human Resources.
Also of note is the cancellation of the Region VI conference that had been set for Oct. 28-30 at Virginia Tech. Region VI members, while scattered north from the province of Ontario to southern Kentucky, are already doing their mileage math and planning to attend neighboring regionals at Madison, Binghamton, and Emory in Atlanta. There remains plenty of time to register your campus for one of these rewarding regional conferences.
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