REGISTER FOR ACPA25

For ACPA25, 10 Pre-Convention Workshops will be offered on topics relevant and pressing for today’s student affairs and higher education professionals! These Workshops are offered as either a 1-day session for 4 hours, or a 2-day session for a total of 8 hours.

ACPA25 Pre-Convention Workshops

2-Day Session | Saturday, 15 February: 1:00-5:00pm & Sunday, 16 February 8:30am – 12:30pm

The Summit for Black Student Affairs Professionals
The annual Summit for Black Student Affairs Professionals at the ACPA Conference provides professional development, fellowship, and networking opportunities for senior, mid-level, and new professionals of African descent (e.g., African Americans, Caribbean, South American) through informal and formal dialogue, mentoring, and workshopping. This year’s summit will ground participant experience within their functional level creating space for connection, reflection, and action planning within a particular context.

1-Day Sessions | Saturday, 15 February: 1:00-5:00pm

Bringing it to Life: Storytelling as a Teaching Tool
Whether in the classroom, in the co-curriculum, or in student employment scenarios, higher education professionals are constantly in a position to teach students new information. But how can educators make that information come to life? Storytelling can be an effective way to keep students engaged while offering concrete examples of concepts in action. This session will introduce participants to a framework for intentionally developing stories and narratives that can help students bridge theory and practice.

Caring for your Mid-Level Administrator Self
The increase in mental health concerns in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused mid-level higher education administrators to reconsider their approaches to wellness and self-care. In alignment with this year’s convention theme, this pre-conference workshop will guide mid-level administrators through a conceptual framework of care, exploring the four main themes that emerged from the presenter’s dissertation study. Through reflection, participants will explore their care of self, as a supervisor, and as an employee. Additionally, participants will work through a series of reflection questions and activities to support them in creating a highly individualized self-care and wellness strategy.

The Consortium Presents… Centering Racial Justice in Queer and Trans Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Work on Campus
Join the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals for conversation on how we center racial justice in Queer and Trans equity, inclusion, and belonging work on our campuses. The Consortium is a members-based organization dedicated to working towards the liberation of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in higher education. In this session, we will explore how to prioritize racial justice amid a backdrop of attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion work, decolonize policy and practice, and strategize how to promote an institutional commitment to doing this work in our current climate. This session is designed for participants who engage in the work 2SLGBTQIA+ equity, inclusion and belonging work, including those in formal QT resource practitioner roles and those engaging in this work in other locations on campus.

Dear Sis, You Matter!
Dear Sis,
Your mere existence is like a mix tape that gives a strong salute to being a resilient Black woman, making space for everyone, and embracing a foundation of hope left by your ancestors. You have been stretched and stressed as higher education/society are navigating treacherous waters (that are trying to take you under). Understanding ‘work cannot be the totality of our lives’ this pre-con will address workplace trauma and focus on designing pathways to healing and joy.

Designing and Facilitating Diversity and Social Justice Education for Student Leadership Development
Extended diversity and social justice education programs can be effective in facilitating learning outcomes for undergraduate and graduate education. They can empower students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to practice inclusion, equity, and social justice centered leadership. In this interdisciplinary and interactive workshop, participants will [1] conceptualize training and development in Organization Development context, [2] recognize diversity and social justice education as a separate branch within training and development, [3] identify the goals of diversity and social justice education, [4] identify moderators that determine effectiveness, [5] identify methods of instruction and engagement, and [6] discuss assessment framework. Participants will explore design, implementation, and assessment tools and strategies that were utilized for the Leadership for Equity and Inclusive Excellence Institute – an evidence informed, skill building focused, application based, extended diversity and social justice education program.

1-Day Sessions | Sunday, 16 February: 8:30am-12:30pm

Annual Gathering of Indigenous Student Affairs Professionals
This gathering brings together Indigenous practitioners working in Student Affairs, whether from Indigenous units or elsewhere in their institutions, to explore current opportunities and challenges facing Indigenous students, staff and faculty. This session offers an opportunity for Indigenous practitioners and scholars at all career stages to connect, learn from each other and reflect on the work that has been done and the work still to be done.

Integrating and Evaluating Equity-Centered Assessment
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are under attack in many states despite the disparate educational outcomes by ethnicity and gender. Integrating equity into the assessment process allows one to address equity gaps in a systemic way that may not trigger current state laws banning diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and initiatives. In this interactive pre-conference session, presenters will provide an overview of equity-centered assessment, including key concepts and implementation strategies, share a rubric for evaluating the extent to which an assessment plan integrates equity, and provide participants time to practice using the rubric.

Primer to Understanding Higher Education Public Policy and its Implications
This 4-hour Pre-Convention Session serves as a primer for colleagues interested better understanding of Higher Education Public Policy, gaining tools and skills as well as ways that how they can apply this knowledge within their organizations. This is an opportunity to learn about the basic of Public Policy, the nuances of Public Policy ion the higher ed space and the implications in today’s political landscape. This session is coordinated by the ACPA Public Policy and Governmental Affairs Taskforce.

Reimagining Employee Onboarding for Belonging, Engagement, and Retention
When onboarding new employees, we often get bogged down in the technical aspects of their role and forget about the human element. This session focuses on reimagining onboarding to foreground relational and transformational considerations while still addressing transactional needs. Using research from both management and higher education, the session will facilitate participant reflection, application, and action planning to consider how we can make onboarding more effective. Participants will leave equipped to create an enhanced onboarding experience for their employees.

Registration Rates:

4-hour sessions are $50 and 2-day sessions are $75 making these in-depth sessions affordable options to build additional professional development. Pre-Convention Workshops can be purchased when registering for ACPA25.

Adding a Pre-Convention Workshop to Registration

You can add a Pre-Convention Workshop to your registration at any point prior to Convention. When you register for ACPA25 the Pre-Convention Workshops are listed as an option to add to your registration.  

If you have already registered for ACPA25 you can add a Pre-Convention Workshop to your existing registration by using the following steps. 

1. Log into the ACPA Portal

2. Select the “Events” option in the menu bar and then select “My Event Registrations.”

3. Click on the green “Withdraw/Modify” button next to your ACPA25 registration.

4. In the “Action” area, click on “Select Ticket Options.”

5. Select the Pre-Convention Workshop(s) you would like to add to your registration. Then, select “Continue.”

6. Select “Save” on the next page and then “Continue.”

7. On the next page, verify that the Pre-Convention Workshop has been added to your registration.

8. Select your payment method and then select “Process Payment.”

If you need assistance adding a Pre-Convention Workshop, please email [email protected].