Post Your Open Positions with MoCPA

Job searching season is just around the corner and MoCPA wants to help potential employees find your open positions!  If you have a student affairs related position in Missouri, email our Webmaster Scott Shields (sshield@nwmissouri.edu) with the following information:

• Link to your online job posting and/or downloadable job description
• Dates you would like the listing to close.

MoCPA will post any Missouri position for free!  Be sure to share our Job Opportunities website (http://www2.myacpa.org/sid/mo/Resources/MoJobOpps.html) with any students who may be looking for a position!

New Executive Council Members

Angel McAdams Prescott 
Angel currently serves as the Director of Campus Activities at Northwest Missouri State University where she was worked since August 2006.  Previously, Angel has worked at Pittsburg State University and the University of Arkansas – Monticello.  Angel served as the 2010 MoCPA Annual Conference Chair and will be serving as the 2011 Conference Chair, as well. 

Nikki Giesler

Nikki serves MoCPA as the Private Institution Representative and is the Program Director for Student Involvement in the Emerson Center for Leadership and Service at Westminster College.  She has worked at Westminster in Fulton, MO since July 2008. Before Westminster Nikki completed her College Student Personnel Administration Degree from the University of Central Missouri and received her undergraduate degree at Fontbonne University in St. Louis. As a lifelong resident of Missouri, Nikki has a passion for MOCPA and is excited to be a part of the executive committee. In her spare time, Nikki enjoys planning her upcoming wedding and spending time with her friends and family.

Stephen W. Terry

Steve serves MoCPA as the Sponsorship chair and has been appointed to the newly formed position as project manager of the Park Warrior Center. He began his duties on July 6. Terry is a veteran of the U.S. Army, and he served as the civil affairs staff sergeant for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was also activated for Operation Iraqi Freedom and was deployed for Operation Joint Guardian (in Kosovo). Prior to coming to Park, Terry was the program coordinator for the Institute for Leadership and Service at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he also did a stint as the Greek life coordinator. 

He has additional higher education experience as the adjudication officer at Pennsylvania State University. Terry is in the process of earning his doctorate from the University of Kansas and is working to complete his dissertation in higher education policy in organization and student development. He has a Master of Education degree in higher education administration from Penn State and a bachelor's degree in speech communication from Northwest Missouri State University.

 

Old Hand, New Role: Scott Shields

Scott Shields may be an old hand with MoCPA serving as the Public Institution Representative, but his plate has gotten a bit fuller these days.  With the webmaster position open, Scott easily slid into this position and has made some exciting changes to the MoCPA website!

Scott's Bio

Scott’s journey into Residential Life started by serving as an RA at Truman State University and then by earning his Masters degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 

After working two years as a graduate assistant at Carnegie Mellon University Housing and five years in hall director positions at Mount St. Mary’s University (Maryland) and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Scott is a fifth year Area Coordinator at Northwest Missouri State University.  While he enjoys the traditional roles of his position (Hall Director supervision, leading committees and projects), Scott particularly enjoys being able to employ his technical skills to the benefit of the department through website and database development. 

Scott married his wife, Mary, in 2006 and together they have a Keeshond named Dakota and a cat named Grady.  In his spare time, Scott successfully completed the 2010 St. Louis Go! Half Marathon as a personal goal and has also gotten into amateur photography as a favorite hobby. 

A Message from MoCPA President, Dr. Jackie Elliott

The Executive Council for MoCPA is made up of dedicated volunteers who take time away from their regular jobs and families five times a year to focus on advancing the Association.  Without a doubt, the efforts of the Executive Council members were evident at the 2010 Annual Conference.  I am grateful for their hard work and commitment to MoCPA.

I am sad to announce that two Executive Council members had to step down from their positions this year.  We are sincerely appreciative of the work and efforts of these two individuals. 

Neil Stanglein served on the Executive Council as Private Institution Representative from 2009 and was appointed to serve as the 2010 Conference Chair.  In August, Neil left William Woods University where he was the Director of Greek Life & Student Involvement to begin his duties as Coordinator of Fraternity/Sorority Life at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.

Luke Gorham served on the Executive Council as Sponsorship Chair from 2007-2009 and as the appointed Webmaster from 2009 – 2010.  In September, Luke stepped down from the position to actively being a job search.

The contributions to the association made by Neil and Luke have been invaluable, and they will be missed. We wish Neil and Luke the best of luck.

Save The Date - 2011 Support Staff Drive-In Conference

FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2011

Join fellow support staff from colleges and universities throughout the state of Missouri on Friday, March 4, 2011, on Maryville University’s campus for the Missouri College Personnel Association (MOCPA) 2011 Support Staff Drive-In Conference.  MOCPA is the state division of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), which boasts over 8500 members   (http://www2.myacpa.org/).

This year’s conference theme is “Reach for the Stars--Mind, Body and Soul” with breakout sessions focusing on wellness, personal growth, personality traits, maintaining balance, stress relief, etc.   There is something for everyone and all support staff are invited and encouraged to attend.  The cost of the conference is minimal at $35 per participant and includes continental breakfast, lunch, dessert reception, all breakout sessions, and opening and closing keynote speakers.  MOCPA Support Staff awards are given at the closing dessert reception, and all supervisors will be encouraged to nominate support staff for said awards.  And not to be forgotten – the conference provides the added benefit of spending the day with other support staff in the field of higher education institutions and numerous networking opportunities.  Should you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact jkoenig@maryville.edu or cruth@maryville.edu for assistance. 

Hope to see you there!

Allies for Inclusion: The Ability Exhibit

In celebration of the 20^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Allies for Inclusion: The Ability Exhibit  debuted at Saint Louis University on October 27, 2010.

   

The purpose of The Ability Exhibit is to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities through respect for others, comfort during interactions, and awareness of disability issues. Using a multi-media approach to demonstrate respect, comfort and awareness, the exhibit offers suggestions for becoming disability allies and educators.

The Ability Exhibit was created by SLU graduate students in the Disability in Higher Education and Society course under the direction of their instructor, Karen Myers, PhD. It is sponsored by the Saint Louis University Leadership and Higher Education Department and the Division of Student Development with generous donations from the Division of Information Technology Services and Logan College of Chiropractic.  Plans to display the exhibit on other campuses are in progress.

It has been twenty years since the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and almost forty years since the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Both of these laws protect against discrimination of people with disabilities by requiring equal access to employment, education, goods and services. Americans have progressed in their attitudes and behaviors toward people with disabilities; however, there remain questions and concerns about appropriate communication, comfort level, and inclusive practices.

When it comes to interacting with individuals with disabilities, people ask, “What should I do?” How should I respond?” “Is it okay to say that?” “How can I become an ally?” Allies for Inclusion: The Ability Exhibit will attempt to answer some of these questions.

To host Allies for Inclusion: The Ability Exhibit on your campus, please contact Dr. Karen Myers at kmyers11@slu.edu.

MoCPA Tech Report

October has been a busy month for MoCPA with the annual conference, but it also saw the successful launch of several technology initiatives.  During the conference Business Meeting, members were given an overview of the new MoCPA website which officially launched on October 6^th.  This overhaul was a long time coming, but has been worth the wait.  In addition to information that has always been available, the website is expanding its reach in a variety of ways.  Many new sections of the website are still being developed, however, one already active example has our site advertising a wider variety of student affairs related conferences around the state.  Upcoming initiatives include providing space for job postings from around the state and a revamped newsletter page.  The MoCPA website can be found at http://www2.myacpa.org/sid/mo/

 

A new online feature for MoCPA is the creation of a new photo website sharing pictures from MoCPA events.  The site launched early in October with a full array of pictures from the recent MoCPA conference.  Over time, this site will be used not only as a celebration of MoCPA’s successes, but will also be helpful in showing potential attendees what they have to look forward to when they come to the annual conference and other MoCPA events.  There is a link on the MoCPA website to the photo website, but it can be found directly at: http://mocpa.shutterfly.com/

 

Conference attendees also had the benefit of experiencing several new pieces of technology.  Prior to their arrival at the Lodge, Publicity Chair Todd Foley made use of a great free email marketing service called MailChimp.  The service allowed the conference committee to send professional looking marketing pieces to conference attendees as they prepared for their visit to the Lake.  The system allows for a wide variety of tracking so the committee knew who was and was not receiving the messages that went out.  MailChimp can be found at: http://www.mailchimp.com/

 

While at the Lake, conference goers also saw the future of business cards though the MingleStick system.  MingleStick is a small “jump-drive” looking device that each attendee received at check-in.  As everyone met and reconnected, they simply pointed their MingleStick at the other person’s MingleStick and clicked a button. The two devices shared contact info wirelessly.  Once home, the system allows everyone to login and view their new contacts and even download them into their Microsoft Outlook systems.  The great thing is that once someone updates their profile, every contact they have shared their information with is updated.  Everyone was allowed to take their MingleStick home for use at future conferences.  MingleStick can be found online at: http://www.mingle360.com/index.html

 

2010 has seen some great technology innovations for MoCPA.  If you have questions about any of these services, feel free to contact me at sshield@nwmissouri.edu and I will refer you to a MoCPA member who best knows the service you are wondering about.

Scott P. Shields

Northwest Missouri State University Residential Life

MoCPA Public Institution Representative &

MoCPA Webmaster