Executive Board Liaison

Paul Welsh, President

IACAC has always prided itself on our outreach efforts to improve access to higher education for a diverse population of students. We have provided many avenues to help high school counselors improve their programming and practices as well as postsecondary institutions improving their outreach. We advocate for policies that will improve access to higher education with our State and Federal legislatures. We also provide PD to our members to help them improve their professional skills. However, through ongoing conversations with our IAS Chairs, our Exec Board Liaison to IAS, and our LEAD co-chairs, the President Team has come to understand and support that IACAC needs to take more assertive action in helping our postsecondary member institutions assess and improve the state of equity and inclusion in their admission offices. Having professional knowledge and being “good” at one’s job, have historically been the key to our professional development efforts. Through LEAD, IACAC supported a deeper dive into the needs of admission professionals of color. However, one program cannot fix the systemic issues that persist for our peers of color in higher education. Therefore, we wish to take steps to move toward a comprehensive effort throughout IACAC to not just support equity and access for students but for our professional peers.