Notes from Going the Extra Mile for Students

769 … of you went the extra mile and attended the 2011 IACAC Annual Conference.  It was a pathway full of learning for me as President-Elect, but it was well worth the effort.  I hope that you had as good of a time as I did and were able to go back to your offices reenergized and with a bit more knowledge!

I couldn’t have accomplished anything without the help of the conference co-chairs and many of you that volunteered throughout the conference.  I would like to recognize and once again thank the committee chairs:

Donna Epton – Event Coordinator

Linda Haffner — IACAC Executive Assistant and Registration & Hospitality Chair

Kara Dollaske & Natalie Morris – Communications & Social Media

Marsha Hubbuch – Credentials & Nominations

Zachary George, Becca Russo & Katie Trnka – Entertainment

Michelle Adams & Alison Crowley – Evaluations

Scott Ham & Todd Malone – Exhibitors & Sponsors

Nate Bargar, Anne Kremer & Susan Weiss – First Timers

Danielle Cargo & Gina Williams – Onsite

Ziggy Blackwell, Frank DuBois, Sue Sanders – Program

Jean Burke & John Zimmerman – Project Reach

Michelle DeFranco & Courtney Wallace – Raffle

Jennifer Buxton & Linda Haffner – Registration & Hospitality

Jennifer Taylor & Stephanie Szczepanski – Tellers

1500 … actually, more than that … the amount of money raised and given to our Project Reach recipient, Cairo Junior/Senior High School.  Recent tornadoes and flooding have been devastating for the town of Cairo, compromising its already delicate condition as a small historic town in Illinois. I would like to extend a special thanks to Kathryn Kleeman from the University of Illinois – Springfield for nominating this year’s recipient and to the Project Reach committee for all of their hard work in providing school supplies for the students of Cairo.

Zena Madison, Assistant Principal of Cairo Junior/Senior High School accepts the Project Reach award from Evelyn Boyd White, NACAC President-Elect

39 … the number of sessions that were offered during Wednesday and Thursday at our annual conference.  All are getting rave reviews and Powerpoint presentations will be posted on the IACAC website.

Van Miller, Illinois Wesleyan University, present on how to face your Facebook fears and take control of your profile privacy settings

3 … the number of IACAC members who were chosen as recipients of the James Alexander Newcomer Award.  These very deserving individuals are: Megan O’Rourke, Butler University; Eric Ruiz, University of St. Francis and Sam Stover, Beloit College.  Jim was a mentor for many of us and he would be proud of the efforts that Megan has made for the newsletter and website, Eric’s enthusiasm within various parts of IACAC and new co-chair of the National College Fair and Sam’s work with the Government Relations Committee.

4 … the number of IACAC members who were chosen to receive the Molly K. Arnold President’s Service Award.  Going the extra mile for IACAC, these people were recognized for their ongoing work to help our organization: Judy Hendricks, The Ohio State University; Julie Marlatt, University of St. Francis; Bart Sinks, Marion High School and Patrick Walsh, Illinois State University.  While Julie, Bart and Patrick have all served in elected roles on the Board, they each have truly pushed themselves and our organization to become better.  Judy has steadfastly committed herself to IACAC through many committees throughout the years and her dedication to the students of Illinois is remarkable.

50 … the number of trivia questions that stumped us during the social on Wednesday night.

45 … the number of songs played as we danced on Thursday night (this includes Abba’s “Dancing Queen”, my personal favorite.)

Thousands … the number of student lives affected by the work that we do to help them navigate their paths for the future.  Thank you for all that you do for Illinois students.  You truly go the extra mile!

Laura Docherty
Fenwick High School
President-Elect