There are some exciting events coming up! Below please find some* of the conferences & conventions in Student Affairs in February & March.  The name of the conference links to the official association conference site & will provide information on dates & registration.  Below each conference I’ve listed the keynote or featured speaker and a link to their twitter account.  Let’s engage these speakers before, during & after the events.  Not attending these- follow the conference hashtag from your home campus and follow along.

Veteran Symposium for Higher Education

Genevieve Chase  @GenevieveChase

• Founder of American Women Veterans. Dedicated to serving women veterans and their families!

Beth Avey   @OneKnox

• Kentucky’s Heartland, One Knox is a community-based organization helping the communities of KY’s Heartland to capitalize on the monumental growth at Ft Knox due to BRAC.

#SWACUHO

Dr. Tom Ellett @tee55nyu

• Tom currently serves as the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at New York University.   He is an informative and engaging speaker with excellent content & delivery.

#TheNACA 

Collins Touhy (no twitter account)

• Collins is the adoptive sister of NFL Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher. The Tuohy family’s life, as chronicled in Michael Lewis’ #1 New York Times bestseller The Blind Side.

Dr. Julie Owen  @julie_gmu

• Dr. Julie Owen is an Assistant Professor of Leadership & Integrative Studies at New Century College, George Mason University, in Fairfax, Virginia.

 Dr. Vincent Vigil  @vincentvigil

• This is the official twitter for Vincent Vigil, a doctor in education from USC. Fight on!

#ACUI   

Annie McKee  @anniemckee  

• Annie McKee currently serves on the faculty of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania and teaches at the Wharton School’s Aresty Institute of Executive Education. Her new book: “Management: A Focus on Leaders,”

James Fowler  (could not find twitter account)

• A new kind of social scientist and an expert on the power of social networks, Fowler is an internationally recognized scholar whose work lies at the intersection of the natural and social sciences.
• The Science of Generosity Check out this video & James Fowler’s co-author of the book- CONNECTED, Nicholas A. Christakis  I’m in the third chapter of this book and the information and research is fascinating-don’t go to ACUI without reading it first!

 

Lt. Dan Choi  @ltdanchoi

• American. Infantry Officer. West Point. Iraq Vet. Arabic. Gay… Fired! and Re-enlisting!

#NASPA

 President Donna E. Shalala  @DonnaShalala  (has account-has not tweeted)

• Donna E. Shalala has been Professor of Political Science and President of the University of Miami since 2001. An accomplished scholar, teacher, administrator, and highly decorated public servant, she was U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (1993-2001).

Emmanuel Jal  @EmmanuelJAL

• I do not know how to start or end this bio,but just to put it short, I am an ex child soldier turned into a recording artist.

 Curt Ellis and Ian Cheney @wickedelicate

• Curt Ellis and Ian Cheney are Peabody-winning filmmakers, founders of the national AmeriCorps program Food/Corps, and creators of the traveling public art project Truck Farm.

Sarita E. Brown  @EdExcelencia

• Sarita E. Brown is President of Excelencia in Education .  This organization links research, policy, & practice to inform decision makers and promote the higher educational achievement for Latino and all students.

 Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  (could not find twitter account)

• Mr. Kennedy serves as senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper, president of Waterkeeper Alliance.

#ACPA 

The Honorable Cory A. Booker  @corybooker

•   Mayor of Newark, New Jersey and a twitter rockstar!

 Morris Dees @morrisdees  @splcenter

• Founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, along with Julian Bond and Joseph Levin.  The Southern Poverty Law Center is a nonprofit organization that combats hate, intolerance and discrimination through education and litigation.

*Please add any events I missed & the twitter connection in the comments-thanks!

Check your hair, face, teeth one more time then grab your room key and you’re off! Go down the elevator off to a session, meeting, meal or wander the exhibit hall and remember who you are and what you represent.

I’ve been attending Higher Education association conferences since 1986. Since 2001 I’ve participated in over 25 a year, every year.  I love them- every second of them.  They are fantastic opportunities to learn, teach, share and to meet and engage with new and old friends & heroes.  Still – I’m aware that we don’t always do what we know.  We teach our students and staff to be friendly and welcome others, to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued.  Do we walk our own talk when we enter new environments at our conferences?  Do you acknowledge everyone you pass with a “hello”?   We are all in the same hotels, conference spaces, keynotes, socials and share the same nametags.  Why is it so difficult to say hello? 

I think it’s FEAR.  Fear that the other person won’t say “hello” back to us and reciprocate our greeting.  Let’s, all of us, let go of this fear by changing our perspective.  Let’s view each greeting as a gift.  When really giving we don’t expect reciprocity.  We can repeatedly give the gift of acknowledging another professional with a smile and a greeting.  Sometimes we will be acknowledged and our greeting returned and other times we will be met with a “do I know you? look as the recipient of our gift picks up their pace and moves quickly down the hall.  Give your gift.  Why be afraid? The worst thing that can happen is that our gifts are not reciprocated.  There are so many worse things and if we can’t do this are we really legitimate role models for our students and our staff?

Let’s take off to our conferences and conventions ready to give our gifts.  Wouldn’t it be amazing if we all focused on giving…we would really be walking the values we espouse.   It’s a beautiful thing when our values and actions authentically intersect.  It’s who we are and what we represent.  So please, stand up straight, smile, make eye contact and give your gifts. 

WOO

BONUS: I read this  outstanding post by Lisa Tetzloff early last week & it got me thinking…

BONUS #2! After posting this I started following #ASCA11 the closing keynote had begun…Dr. Larry Roper, Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Oregon State University ~Friend & Hero