Greetings from Francy!

Bonjour ACPA CAL Members!

Convention is just around the corner and we are excited to see you! The Commission for Administrative Leadership (CAL) is the ACPA commission that focuses on professionals' leadership development throughout their careers, from entry-level to seasoned professional status. To that end, we created a new blog format this year that highlights CAL members' experiences of their growth and learning in their leadership development. We acknowledge that we bring our full selves to our work so encourage posts that capture how our on-going learning is not only about what we do in our work settings, but also takes into account what we experience outside of work. Check out our most recent post by CAL Directorate member Steve Schuh, who shares his research on the front-running presidential candidates' views on higher education. 

We are looking for your involvement, whether it is sharing your thinking with us about our leadership development in the field, or joining our Directorate Body. Send us your blog entries to share with each other. Come support our CAL activities at Convention, including sponsored programs and meetings, which are listed below. And, celebrate our colleagues who are receiving awards (also listed below).

On a personal note, I am rotating off as CAL Chair and am also pleased to announce that, after 10 years of working with a fantastic team of professionals at NYIT, I am moving on to a new position as the chief student affairs officer at Clark University in Worcester, MA. For CAL, I am excited to support Tricia Smith, who will do an amazing job as the new Chair. This time has been full of wrapping up projects, packing, saying good-bye, and starting to get to know my new teammates at Clark. I have also been reflecting on my own journey of learning and growth, and what is clear to me is that this work does not happen without our involvement in the success of our colleagues. The time I spent thinking with my co-workers and colleagues--particularly those I have been fortunate to get to know through ACPA--about their work, dreams, skill-development, and vision is what has inspired and enabled me to be the most effective professional for my students that I could be. I am eternally grateful for those who took the time to invest in my growth by encouraging me to take on new challenges, thinking with me about my work and what I was trying to achieve, and helping me out when I needed assistance. 

As professionals doing this work together, our own on-going learning and growth is what makes us able to help students. And it is clear to me that we need each other--our partners in doing this work of enabling students' success--to bring our best selves to what we do. So share your thoughts with us through CAL. We need you!

Francy Magee

Assistant Provost and Dean of Students

Clark University