President’s Update

November 14, 2010
2010-2011

The changes of fall surround us – amazing outdoor colors, crisp morning air, and shorter days. Tradition or change? Both, right? Certainly, here in the Midwest we know that we are experiencing a traditional fall – of change.

IACAC is experiencing the same, as it often does at this time of year. The new Executive Board is in place, Committee Chairs have been named and most have already been hard at work getting their committees and committee projects off the ground. We do this within the warmth of IACAC tradition and history. As IACAC President, it is incredibly rewarding to watch our 2010 Conference theme, Enhancing Tradition, Cultivating Change, continue to play out in the work we are doing.

Most of the Executive Board members and many committee chairs came together for a day-and-a-half long Leadership Development Institute (LDI) in early September in Bloomington/Normal, IL. We began by reading a short article entitled: “Five Mistakes Everyone Should Make,” and discussed the notion that sometimes our errors actually lead to portals of discovery. We focused on three of the five adages as they may pertain to the IACAC work we will do over the next several months:

Carelessly put yourself at risk (I feel as if I do this every time I put on my “IACAC President” hat).
Ruffle people’s feathers (although often uncomfortable, this is sometimes necessary to invoke conversation and serious examination of an issue).
Be willing to fail – doing something you love (for many of us involved with IACAC and the college admissions profession, this is really what it’s all about – our passion for our colleagues, our mission and our students).

I’d like to draw your attention to some IACAC changes you can look forward to over the next several months:

a new “news” format – no more printed Newsbrief, but rather an electronic, quarterly news delivery. This is a work in progress and will be for the remainder of the 2010-11 season. The Media Communications Committee welcomes your thoughts, your suggestions, and your feedback.
a re-design on our IACAC website, which we hope to unveil later in the spring.
a new committee: Media Communications – and the work they will do as they define their role within the organization.
an Ad Hoc Committee on Board Structure. If you aren’t aware, the NACAC membership voted to restructure the size of the NACAC Assembly while we were together in St. Louis last month. This means IACAC will lose 3 delegates. This Ad Hoc Committee is taking a serious look at how we might best implement this change and what other structural changes might be helpful to the efficient running our organization.
the Membership Committee will be partnering with NACAC to be (a part of) in on the ground level of a new membership initiative that NACAC has created.
the Mentorship Committee is adding Middle Management initiatives to their programming. This is a follow-up to some of the groundwork launched at the 2010 IACAC Conference.

IACAC traditions that should also be highlighted include:

——– —- —

IACAC delegates to the National Assembly were, as always, better prepared and more sought after for opinions and knowledge than delegates from any other affiliate.
Articulation Unplugged – now a permanent IACAC fixture – brought together hundreds of college representatives and counselors to share information on the campus of Illinois State University.
Fall ICE fairs have enjoyed record registrations and attendance.
Mentorship matches are being made on a continuing basis, both with new counselors and with middle managers.
our Chicago National College Fair at Navy Pier was, once again, wonderfully busy, incredibly organized and a huge success.

Finally, I’d like to thank each and every one of you who has taken the time to get involved in the work of our organization. Thank you for reading this first installment of our 2010-11 IACAC news (in whatever format you read your news – so fun!). I hope you’ll feel free to send me any feedback you may have about the work of IACAC – our Executive Board and our Standing Committees.

I’d like to end with a few shout outs to some IACAC individuals who deserve some special attention:

Todd Burrell (SIUE), one of the Local Arrangements Chairs for the 2010 NACAC Conference, for a truly amazing 3 days of professional development in St. Louis!!

Marybeth Kravets (retired from Deerfield H.S.), 2010 recipient of the NACAC Gayle Wilson Award!!

Marybeth Kravets receives NACAC's Gayle Wilson Award

Marybeth Kravets (retired from Deerfield H.S.), 2010 recipient of the NACAC Gayle Wilson Award!!

Aliza Gilbert (Highland Park H.S.), 2010 recipient of the NACAC Human Relations Award

Aliza Gilbert accepting the Human Relations Award from NACAC CEO Joyce Smith

Aliza Gilbert (Highland Park H.S.), 2010 recipient of the NACAC Human Relations Award!!

Marsha Hubbuch (right), IACAC Past President accepts the Rising Star Program of the Year Award from NACAC CEO Joyce Smith (left). IACAC's innovative program “Project Reach” pairs deserving students with the resources they need to help them reach their post-secondary goals.