Lordy, lordy…we look good for 40!

Greetings to all of our Missouri colleagues from across the state!  I hope this message finds you enjoying another great year in higher education and working with wonderful students at your respective campuses.  It seems like we just welcomed students to our families…and now we are preparing for them to leave once again.  

It has been a great year for the Missouri College Personnel Association, a monumental one in so many ways.  For those of you who were able to join us at our annual conference last fall, you witnessed many milestones for our Association.  Just in case you missed it, here is a quick review:

• Our second largest conference in recent history!
• The first ever MoCPA Boat Cruise, sponsored by Chartwell’s.
•  The celebration of our 40^th Anniversary as an Association.
•  A special guest appearance by Dr. Heidi Levine, President of ACPA (College Student Educators International) and Dean of Students at Cornell College (IA).
• The introduction of ACPA’s professional competencies into our programming curriculum 
• We raised over $2,000 in our 3^rd Annual Silent Auction, another record for the Association.

Perhaps one of the most exciting and innovative programs we started this year was the creation of the Ruby Society, a foundation in honor of our 40^th Anniversary developed to support community college and graduate student initiatives throughout the Association.  Our executive board talked a lot about what we can do to make our anniversary a special one and how we can best commemorate and honor our history.  Our solution was to create the Ruby Society and invite people to become members for a minimum donation of $40.00. 

Of course, there are many other things happening that make this a great time to be a member of MoCPA.     The “Best of MoCPA” program from this year’s conference was selected to present at the ACPA Convention (March 24-28, 2012 in Louisville, KY).  We are also hosting a professional drive-in workshop in Springfield, MO focusing on disaster and crisis preparedness.  And finally, it is with great excitement that we begin planning MoCPA’s fall 2012 annual conference, held for the first time at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Lake Ozark, MO. 

As President, I feel that we are making some great things happen and providing valuable professional development opportunities for all of our higher education colleagues around the state.  I look back at the many things we have accomplished and am proud to be part of such a talented group of professionals who dedicate their careers to education and service.  I hope that you agree with me, and find yourself excited and engaged with MoCPA in 2012!


Jackie Weber
MoCPA President

MoCPA Needs You!

Be part of the team than helped bring you the biggest annual conference in years, free webinars, news from the world of higher education, and many additional great opportunities to collaborate and grow as leaders!  

Join the MoCPA Executive Board or the MoCPA Annual Conference Committee and help us continue to fly high into the next academic year!

Open Positions
Position openings for the upcoming year are listed below.  Position descriptions can be found on the MoCPA Elections and Nominations website.

• Elected Board positions: Institutional Representative for 2-Year Institutions, two Members-At-Large, Secretary, and President-Elect.
• Appointed Board positions: Treasurer and Technology Chair
• 2012 Conference Committee positions:  Educational Session Committee, Programming Committee, Keynote Committee, Registration Committee, Graduate Student Initiatives Committee, Conference Logistics Committee, Networking Committee, Silent Auction Committee, Adornment Committee, & Sponsorship Committee.

Interested Candidates

• MoCPA Executive Board: If you or someone you know is interested, please visit the Executive BoardElections website. Nominations are due on Friday, March 16^th.
• 2012 Conference Committee:  If you or someone you know is interested, please visit the Conference Planning Team Application website. Applications are due no later than 5pm on Friday, March 16.
• Elections for Executive Board will happen in mid-late March 19^th - 30^th
• Appointments for Executive Board positions will be awarded at the conclusion of the election.
• Appointments to the Conference Committee will happen no later than Wednesday, March 28.  Please note, all selected committee members must attend the onsite planning at Tan-Tar-A on Friday, April 6.  

Help Us Celebrate Seussational Service!!!

Registration is now open CLICK HERE

Come join us for the 2011 MoCPA Support Staff Drive-In Conference! The conference will be held Friday, March 2, at Westminster College in Fulton, MO.  The annual support staff drive-in conference has always been known to offer a day of excellent informational sessions, networking and fun!  It’s great to see colleagues from other higher education institutions year after year and this year will be no different!  

Please consider joining us at this conference and invite you colleagues to come along too! We are excited to see everyone and discuss such topics as diversity, online resources, living a balanced lifestyle, getting the most out of social media, and so much more.

 If you have any questions, do not hesitation to contact Nikki Cornwell, Support Staff Drive-In Conference Chair at nikki.cornwell@westminster-mo.edu

Taking Time for You

By Judy Frueh WHNP, BC

Clinic Supervisor University Wellness Center, Northwest Missouri State University

This is a very quick way to help you prioritize and help you get a little more out of life:

When was the last time you focused on you?  Please take a minute, grab a pencil and a piece of paper.  Divide your paper into fourths.  In one corner, quickly write ten things that bring you JOY.  In another corner, quickly write five to seven TIME WASTERS.  Now when I say this, I don’t mean working 40 hours a week, but this could mean driving 45 minutes to work.  See the difference?   Next corner I want you to write down 10 things that help you FUNCTION AT YOUR BEST.  For example, I find I feel better and function better if I have at least 72 ounces of water a day.    The fourth corner, please right down things/people who DEPEND ON YOU.  This can be anything from feeding the dog to serving on various community boards. 

 Now that we have a list of these four items, let’s think about the six aspects of the wellness wheel.  How are you doing in these areas? The 6 aspects are: physical, emotional, intellectual, social/family, occupational, and spiritual. People usually have two/three they do really well and two/three they do not so great.  Let’s think about the two/three areas we aren’t doing so well. 

Think about all your lists.  What do YOU want to add to your life and what can you take away but yet still add value?  Now make two attainable goals for yourself in the next four weeks.  This can be simple goals such as increasing your fruit intake by two servings each day, walking 10,000 extra steps, balancing your checking account, reducing your alcohol consumption, or visiting a family member.   Share your goals with your loved ones and review your goals in four weeks. 

For more information contact me jfrueh@nwmissouri.edu .  I love helping people feel better inside and out!  Good luck with your goal setting and your focus on YOU.  You will be rewarded for your efforts!

Breaking the Silence Against Violence

By Bradley Whitsell

Residence Life Complex Director, Northwest Missouri State University

Violence of all kinds surrounds our campus and communities every single day and it is time speak out against this violence and teach our students how they can impact their campus and possibly save a life.  In the past years two years I have done several presentations at conferences and residence halls about violence prevention. In each presentation almost every person in the room raised their hand to the question, “How many of you know of someone that has been involved in some sort of act of violence?” .

The students that raised their hands are walking around our campuses, living in our residence halls, eating in our cafeterias and leading our student organizations. This is why it is important for professionals to be the example and help educate students about violence prevention.   Below are some tips, pointers, and suggestions I have learned over the years on developing an effective violence prevention program.  Hopefully these tips can help you can have similar presentations on your campus if they are not happening already.

• Collaboration- I developed a good relationship with counselors, health educators and professors from the psychology department to help with the presentation.
• Resources- Tell students about all the resources they have on their campus and how to gain access to them.
• Personal Stories- Personal stories are very powerful and can be effective, however the person needs to be comfortable sharing.  I share a couple personal stories of my own and it’s the most effective part of the presentation.
• Relative- I use a popular song by Eminem to not only relate to the students and start meaningful conversations, but show the pattern of domestic violence through lyrics.
• Prevention Tools- I talk about a few prevention tools that students can use anywhere they are to stop violent acts. I then give scenarios so they can practice what they have learned.
• Show you care- Believe it or not, we actually do care about our students!  Make sure your students know that you care and want them to be safe and successful not only in their college career but in their life.

It’s Placement Season! Let MoCPA Help YOU for Free!

Whether you have a position to fill or are seeking a new student affairs position this year, placement season is upon us.  Let MoCPA help! 

Employers: 

We will help you advertise your position for free on the MoCPAJob Opportunities in Missouri page of our website and our MoCPAFacebook page.  Email Scott Shields, MoCPA President-Elect and outgoing Technology Chair, at sshield@nwmissouri.edu. Please include institution, department, and position title with a link to an online full post for your position. 

      Candidates: 

      

      Be sure to check the aforementioned pages and “Like” us on Facebook to find out about openings coming up at Missouri institutions.

Good luck to all our colleagues!