As we turn the corner on our 100th anniversary, ACPA is even more committed to envisioning the next evolution of what it means to have career fulfillment, wellness, and competency in Higher Education. In Long Beach, we will begin to envision this next evolution with opportunities for members to develop practical skills for career development and advancement, and define what it personally and collectively means to be a practitioner in the landscape of Higher Education today. Centering both the Association’s ongoing commitment to sharing emergent trends and identifying spaces to reflect as individuals and a community for Career Wellness, and ACPA25’s theme of “Take a Breath…Begin Again”, we endeavor to focus on the following during our time in Long Beach:

Opportunities to cultivate enhanced self-awareness and professional insight through structured self-reflection practices, networking, and community building
Prioritizing learning opportunities where attendees can align their personal values and career goals with professional direction
Spaces in which attendees can boldly articulate their professional values and expertise, and how both apply to their own career goals and opportunities

Attendees can expect enriching opportunities to learn new skills important to their own career development and advancement and structured networking opportunities enhancing their connection to colleagues, leaving ACPA25 with a sense of clarity and renewed purpose for their career. In addition to the rich and robust offering of career-focused educational sessions offered throughout Convention, ACPA25 will specifically be introducing three inaugural programs for attendees focused on career outcomes at Convention:

Skill Up & Fresh Perspectives Sessions

The Skill Up and Fresh Perspectives sessions are created to encourage dialogue as well as sharing career advancement insight. Each starts with a 15-20 minute presentation and wraps up with facilitated discussion. Join at your leisure, come to learn, stay to connect!

Boundaries and Burnout

18 February, 1:15 PM | Prom. Ballroom 104-B

Join us for this microlearning session to discuss setting boundaries and overcoming burnout. We’ll start with a 15-minute presentation on personal boundaries and stress management strategies. Following the presentation, the Fresh Perspectives session will involve a small-group discussion to share experiences, insights, and tips around setting boundaries and burnout. The session will cover the emotional toll of supporting distressed students, strategies for manageable workloads, mental health resources, and work-life balance. Additionally, we’ll talk about self-care techniques and resources, with a focus on learning from the experiences and expertise of your peers.

Build your application materials and your brand!

17 February, 11:00 AM | Prom. Ballroom 104-B

We’ll kick off this microlearning session with a 15-minute presentation covering best practices for LinkedIn, resumes, portfolios, CVs, and more! In the Fresh Perspectives session, we’ll focus on creating your professional brand. Participants will share insights on building a unique identity, emphasizing consistency, authenticity, and effective use of social media. The aim is to help professionals establish and grow their personal brand

Supervision in a multigenerational environment while you’re just mid (level)

17 February, 2:30 PM | Prom. Ballroom 104-B

To start, the Skill Up Session portion will focus on supervision strategies for different generations in the workforce. This 15 minute presentation will explore generational work styles and preferences, and how to incorporate these practices into your daily work, leading into a Fresh Perspectives session facilitating a discussion on the value of diverse perspectives, effective communication, mutual respect, and leveraging each generation’s strengths. The intent of this session is to allow professionals a better understanding and appreciation of generational differences in the higher ed world.

Demystifing Higher Ed Search Firms

18 February, 2:30 PM | Prom. Ballroom 104-B

Our last Skill Up Session will cover the topic of leveraging yourself during your next job search. Questions such as “Do I need a search firm?”, “Am I qualified or eligible?”, “Is a search firm the right choice for this step in my career?” and more will be covered during this session. Following up this session, the Fresh Perspectives discussion will focus on sharing lessons around utilizing search firms, the unexpected challenges and realities of career advancement, how to maintain work-life balance during a job search, and more.

On Track at Convention

With so many options of Educational Sessions offered at ACPA25, it can be easy to get lost in what sessions to attend. This year, ACPA25 makes it easier to plan your schedule by offering “tracks” of sessions, programs, and events tailored to a specific skill, knowledge set, or practice. With On Track at Convention, attendees focused on specific career development and wellness goals now have an easy way to tailor their learning and networking opportunities at ACPA25 to maximize their progress toward those goals.

Tracks will be offered to highlight the following topics and will be visually noted with a briefcase icon next to the session:

AI in Higher Education, Impacts of Anti-DEI Legislation, Career Welbeing, Improving Supervisory Skills, General Career Development

AI in Higher Education

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming higher education, impacting everything from teaching and learning to research and administration. Join us at the following educational session to get ahead of the curve on how A.I. is impacting higher education:

Leveraging Generative AI and Academic Support: A Roundtable Discussion
17 February, 11:00am – 12:00pm | Convention Center 203C

Transforming Higher Education with AI: Balancing Innovation, Efficiency, and Equity
18 February, 11:00am – 12:00pm | Convention Center 202C

GenAI: Your Assessment Assistant
18 February, 1:15pm – 2:15pm | Convention Center 102C

Reinventing Student Affairs: Harnessing AI for Enhanced Efficiency and Improved Employee Well-Being
18 February, 3:45pm – 4:45pm | Convention Center 201A

Impacts of Anti-DEI Legislation

Anti-DEI legislation in higher education has begun to make its impact on programs and initiatives aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion on campuses. Whether your work is currently impacted by state legislation of this nature or not, attendees will find these sessions help to prepare them for the new normal in wake of anti-DEI legislation:

Leading in Resistance: Black Students Navigating Anti-DEI Legislation
17 February, 8:30am – 9:30am | Convention Center 202B

“An Always Becoming”: Evolving DEIJ Work in Higher Education, Together
17 February, 9:45am – 10:45am | Convention Center 203C

Engaging in Conversations on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in 2024 and Beyond
17 February, 9:45am – 10:45am | Convention Center 201B

Resistance to Christian Supremacy in Equity Efforts
17 February, 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Convention Center 201B

I Can’t Present with You: The Work of Faculty in a Anti-DEI World
17 February, 3:45pm – 4:45pm | Convention Center 203C

LGBTQ+ Student Mental Health: Active Minds’ A.S.K. Peer Support Tool
17 February, 3:45pm – 4:45pm | Convention Center 103A

An Invitation To Ease and Joy in Perilous Times
18 February, 9:45am – 12:00pm | Convention Center 101B

If not us then who? Building an ecosystem of support for marginalized students
18 February, 9:45am – 10:45am | Convention Center 102C

Planning for and Responding to Campus Threats: Strategies for Support
18 February, 11:00am – 12:00pm | Convention Center 201A

Becoming an advocate for racial justice in student affairs
18 February, 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Convention Center 202C

Dismantling Inclusion: How Anti-DEI Bills Affect Support for Students of Color
18 February, 9:45am – 10:45am | Convention Center 202C

Reflections of institutional restructure: Our personal navigation of state legislation
19 February, 9:30am – 10:30am | Convention Center 201B

Belonging, Diversity’s Bold New Frontier: A Conversation with Senior Scholar and Administrators
18 February, 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Convention Center 203A

Career Wellbeing

Career wellbeing, a vital aspect of overall well-being, encompasses the pursuit of fulfilling and meaningful work that aligns with one’s values and goals within the higher education context. In the following sessions, attendees will immerse themselves in the proactive planning, skill development, and support systems reflective of career wellbeing in higher education: .

Showing Up as Your “Best Self”, When Not Your Best Self
17 February, 8:30am – 9:30am | Convention Center 203C

Neurodivergence in the Workplace
17 February, 1:15pm – 2:15pm | Convention Center 203C

Beyond the Job: Life Skills for Student Affairs Professionals
17 February, 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Convention Center 203C

The Sankofa Chronicles: A Black Professional’s Journey in Higher Education
18 February, 11:00am – 12:00pm | Convention Center 201B

Skill Up & Fresh Perspectives: Boundaries and Burnout
18 February, 1:15pm – 2:15pm | Convention Center 104B

Balancing Graduate School and Full-Time Work: Mastering the Circus of Life
18 February, 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Convention Center 203C

Breathe, Reconnect, Reimagine: How 5 Strangers’ 20 year Journey Transformed Higher Ed
18 February, 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Convention Center 103B

To be or Not to be: Authenticity in Higher Education
18 February, 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Convention Center 102C

Crafting sustainable careers as graduate students and new professionals
18 February, 3:45pm – 4:45pm | Convention Center 202B

Work-Life Balance: Helping Supervisors Improve Their Work Culture (New Research)
18 February, 3:45pm – 4:45pm | Convention Center 203A

Building Resilience for Student Affairs Professionals
19 February, 9:30am – 10:30am | Convention Center 202C

Gasping for Breath: Showing Up In Higher Education Today
19 February, 9:30am – 10:30am | Convention Center 203B

Rest is Resistance: Taking a Page from the Nap Ministry Playbook
19 February, 9:30am – 10:30am | Convention Center 203A

Improving Supervisory Skills

Effective supervision is crucial to the success of departments and individuals in higher education, requiring a unique blend of leadership, mentorship, and administrative expertise. The following sessions focus on the strategies and impacts of investing in the development of supervisory skills across all levels:

Being an Authentic Leader, Finding Humanity in Tough Decisions
17 February, 9:45 am – 10:45am | Convention Center 203B

Increasing Morale, Recruitment, and Retention through Cultural Evolution
17 February, 9:45am – 10:45am | Convention Center 102B

So You Want to Supervise Professional Staff: The Shift from Student to Professional Supervision
17 February, 9:45am – 10:45am | Convention Center 202A

Student to Supervisor: A New Professional’s Guide to Supervision & Management
17 February, 1:15pm – 2:15pm | Convention Center 103A

Skill Up Session & Fresh Perspectives: Supervision in a multigenerational environment when you’re just mid (level)
17 February, 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Convention Center 104B

Strategies for White Women who Supervisor and Support BIPOC Men
18 February, 8:30am – 9:30am | Convention Center 201B

Exploring White Dominance in Supervision
18 February, 11:00am – 12:00pm | Convention Center 102B

Work-Life Balance: Helping Supervisors Improve Their Work Culture (New Research)
18 February, 3:45pm – 4:45pm | Convention Center 203A

Enhancing Supervisory Relationships By Embracing Neurodiversity
19 February, 8:15am – 9:15am | Convention Center 102A

“Managing Up”: Defining, Exploring, and Commiserating with Community
19 February, 8:15am – 9:15am | Convention Center 202B

Timely and Timeless Skills In Higher Education

Navigating the complexities of career development and advancement in higher education requires a strategic approach that encompasses both building of long standing knowledge and skill set, along with a leaning into new areas of knowledge and practice. Attendees interested in exploring those time-tested skills and knowledge as well as gaining an edge in new standards and practices may find these sessions helpful.

The Director’s Paradox: Leading for Impact and Driving Transformation
17 February, 8:30am – 9:30am | Convention Center 202A

Publishing as a Practitioner: Insights on Why, How, and Where
17 February, 9:45am – 10:45am | Convention Center 101A

Skill Up Session & Fresh Perspectives: Build your application materials and your brand!
17 February, 11:00am – 12:00pm | Convention Center 104B

CAS Program Review – Do It Yourself Guide
18 February, 8:30am – 9:30am | Convention Center 101B

Connecting with Gen Z: Bridging the Gap in Student Affairs
18 February, 9:45am – 10:45am | Convention Center 201A

Behind the Line: Protecting Students’ Right to Civic Engagement Toolkit
18 February, 11:00am – 12:00pm | Convention Center 202B

Marketing & Social Media 101: Finding Your Program’s Brand
18 February, 11:00am – 12:00pm | Convention Center 101A

Understanding Budgets While Prioritizing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Lens
18 February, 11:00am – 12:00pm | Convention Center 202A

Money, Please!: Strategies for Funding Gender and Sexuality Centers
18 February, 1:15pm – 2:15pm | Convention Center 202A

Exploring White Dominance in Team Development
18 February, 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Convention Center 202B

Is Student Affairs Ready for Influencer Marketing?
18 February, 2;30pm – 3:30pm | Convention Center 203B

Skill Up Session & Fresh Perspectives: Demystifing Higher Ed Search Firms
18 February, 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Convention Center 104B

Not Your Father’s Professionalism: Deconstructing and Reconstructing the Social Contract of Professionalism
18 February, 3:30pm – 4:30pm | Convention Center 202A

Developing Effective and Sustainable Mentorship Programs for Graduate Students
19 February, 8:15am – 9:15am | Convention Center 103C

Individual and Institutional Level Change Interventions for Inclusive and Equitable Hiring Processes
19 February, 8:15am – 9:15am | Convention Center 202C

How to Getting Started in Disability Services: A Panel Discussion
19 February, 9:30am – 10:30am | Convention Center 102B

Letting Go with Assessment
19 February, 9:30am – 10:30am | Convention Center 103C