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 In this SACSAlert:
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Message from President, Jason Cassidy
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Jason Cassidy, SACSA President |
It is my honor to recognize Dr. CJ Woods for leading this Association over the past year. Many of you probably don't know this, but CJ transitioned into a new role at Texas A&M as the Chief of Staff for the president during his tenure as the SACSA president. Can you imagine moving into such an important paid position while simultaneously managing such an important volunteer position? Well, CJ pulled it off.
Under his leadership, 1) the volunteer database was fully realized; 2) the conference chair was added to the Executive Council; and 3) the first phase of the by-law amendments were adopted in an effort to align our policies to practice. These accomplishments weren't sexy, but they were extremely necessary for enhancing the effectiveness of the Association.
Dr. Pam Havice from Clemson University introduced me to SACSA when she nominated me for the Dissertation of the Year Award in 2006. And I went to Jacksonville, FL to receive that award and ended up receiving so much more - I found my professional home. Over the last 14 years, I have been given opportunities to volunteer at conferences; serve as the Sponsors & Exhibitors Chair; once as a Conference Registration Chair; and as a Reviewer of the College Student Affairs Journal. All of these volunteer opportunities have lead me to this point, and I am honored to serve this Association...you...as your next President. Your leadership team will focus on the following goals this next year:
- What is SACSA's value proposition? In an increasingly competitive market for professional development opportunities, we must be able to clearly articulate SACSA's why. We all have our own experiences and stories, but we need to continue to find ways to effectively share SACSA's why with our colleagues across the region.
- We must refocus our efforts on member recruitment and retention. We all heard Joe Buck share the declining membership numbers on Saturday. I believe this is resolvable with a very intentional recruitment plan. This plan will involve several strategies, but I want to highlight two. 1) We will start planting seeds for the conference in Birmingham in 2021. We need to get SACSA out in front of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama over the next 18 months. 2) We need your help. By a show of hands, how many of you will promise to recruit just one colleague to join SACSA and attend next year's conference? If we each just do our small part, our membership concerns will be resolved.
- We are going to enhance our undergraduate and graduate student symposiums and CSAO summit by reintroducing a grad prep program fair. And, there's opportunity for SACSA to lead the way on career readiness for our graduate students. We will share more later on how these will all interplay for a more robust experience.
There's much to accomplish over the next year, but these three goals will be our priorities. We also have the opportunity to acknowledge two major milestones next year. The Foundation Board will be celebrating 30 years. And it will be Joe Buck's 20th-year as our Executive Director.
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Celebrating 70 Years Strong
SACSA 1949-2019
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My SACSA Story, Meghan Woodward
Membership & Recruitment Committee
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Meghan Woodward |
Meghan is the face behind our SACSAlerts, each month! In addition to that, she's a Coordinator in the Center for Student Engagement at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville. Meghan started working with off-campus services, and then transitioned to student engagement. In this role, she oversees special events and programs on pertinent topics for students such as Adulting 101, Daytime Programming, and supporting non-traditional students.
Meghan received her B.S. in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management from University of Tennessee - Knoxville, and her M.Ed. from Clemson University in Student Affairs. Her first SACSA was 2017 in Chattanooga, TN, but her favorite was Myrtle Beach, SC in 2018! She loves going to SACSA each year to reconnect with her networks, and see colleagues that she otherwise wouldn't get to see throughout the year!
Her favorite SACSA memory is spending time with UT colleagues and being with the Clemson group each year, noting they get together the night before the conference starts each year and do the Cadence Count! She credits her supervisors at UT-Knoxville for being very supportive of her involvement in SACSA, and notes that "SACSA is a home that I get to go back to and visit", to see her colleagues, and professional support systems. We appreciate all of Meghan's work putting out the monthly newsletter that we all rely on for our SACSA news!
Have a recommendation for someone to feature in a SACSA story? Please contact Marc Ebelhar at [email protected]
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SACSA Conference 2019
Attendees by the Numbers
Undergraduate Students: 18
Graduate Students: 95
Faculty: 18
New Professionals: 79
Mid-Level Professionals: 100
Senior-Level Professionals: 14
Other Professionals: 7
CSAOs: 42
Sponsors: 21
Other: 18
Total Attendees: 412
Thank you to everyone who attended SACSA 2019!
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Conference Feedback & Assessment
Research & Assessment Committee
Thanks to those who attended the 2019 Annual Conference with NASPA Region III in Raleigh, NC! You should have received a survey last week on Thursday, November 7th to gather feedback about your conference experience. Please help us improve the annual conference experience by taking a few moments to complete the survey. If you have any questions about the conference survey, please contact Brian Garsh, the 2019 Conference Assessment Chair.
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SACSA Foundation Numbers
SACSA Foundation Board & Trustees
Thank you to all of the donors at this year's SACSA conference! The SACSA Foundation raised $3,100 from the silent auction and $7,770 in cash donations.
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2019 Award Winners
Awards & Recognition Committee
SACSA Awards 2019
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Dissertation of the Year Award
Brittany M. Williams, Ph.D.
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New Professional Award
Dashan J. Axson-Lawrence
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Melvene Draheim Hardee Award
Jane Rathbone
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Outstanding Graduate Student Award
Cassidy Nelson
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H. Howard Davis, Sr. Award
Beau Seagraves, Ph.D.
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Joe Buck Service Award
Matthew J. Smith
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Mid-Level Professional Award
Kyle Williams
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Lifetime Honorary Membership
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Position Recognitions
President
CJ Woods
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Vice President for Marketing & Outreach
Kristin Walker-Donnelly
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Past-President
Tanisha Jenkins
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Member-At-Large
Jessica Wildfire
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Vice President for Professional Development
Janice Hicks
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Member-At-Large
Fred Tugas
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Conference Planning Committee
Conference Chair
Kimberly Lowry
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Conference Communications Chair
Kim Bullington-Sibson
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Registration Chair
Thomas Bruick
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Hospitality Chair
J'Nai Adams
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Programs Chair
Varselles Cummings
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Engagement Chair
Tiffany Davis
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Local Arrangements Chair
Joy Hartfield
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Volunteer Chair
Tiffany Kirksey
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Major Speakers Chair
Kendrick Nicholas
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Please join us in celebrating the achievements of our rising scholars, award winners, and SACSA volunteers!
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2019 Sponsors & Partners
Thank you to all of our sponsors & partners!
Partner Level:
Inside Track
Sponsor Level:
Hanbury
Presence
LeaderShape
Associate Level:
Symplicity
Guidebook
Off Campus Partners
Social Sentinel
CampusLabs
Morneau Shepell
Supporter Level:
Maxient
National Society of Leadership and Success
On Campus Marketing
Pharo Resources
StarRez
Institutional Sponsors:
Elon University
UNC Charlotte
UNC-Chapel Hill
App State
Wake Forest University
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2020 Annual Conference
Save the Date!
Mark your calendars for the 2020 Annual Conference in Norfolk, VA! SACSA looks forward to seeing everyone November 7-9 next year with NASPA Region III!
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