Wow –
That is about all I can say. Three days after the 2010 Region IV-West Annual Conference I am still floating about the energy and enthusiasm of those involved. Wayne Young and his crew did an amazing job, and I believe that we had almost record numbers of graduate students and the highest number of SSAOs we’ve had in a long time. The program went without a visible hitch, and I think Teri Bump closed the conference with a bang (or a bell ring).
I’m taking a lot from this conference. I truly enjoyed the “public” time of hosting the NUFP Fellows on Thursday night – what a great group of students. And even more the quiet moments in the hallway visiting with graduate students and my mentors, and even rekindling lost friendships – it was great.
However, I am also taking away a re-energized concern about the impact on Region IV-West that the proposed consolidation would have. This Region has been a stronghold for years within NASPA, and I think that I need to speak more loudly about how our states have been redistributed (if you haven’t read the report, we are separated into three different districts). I got the sense from many in attendance that it just didn’t seem to work, and while they understood the rationale, there were many other things that were lost.
I was disappointed that only half of the participants in our open forum with NASPA President Elizabeth Griego had found time to review the proposed consolidation report. So again, I encourage you to be an active participant in this national dialogue and in dialogue on your campuses. I’d rather not have the issue decided by people who choose not to be informed.
However glum that moment was, it was overshadowed by the remaining aspects of the conference. The tremendous award winners, the energized conversations about critical issues, and even today, the follow up and contacts about ideas or initiatives that keep rolling into my inbox and twitter account remind me what a great event and great people are in IV-West.
I am energized and excited about the future of student affairs, and I look forward to seeing many of you in Philadelphia.
Amen! It was such a rich conference with a nice balance of networking, fun and learning! But I agree Eric, and would certainly support you speaking more loudly about the "re-districting". I'm still a "fence sitter", mostly becuase of that issue. Thank you for your leadership.
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