Exploring Professional Associations

As a future student affairs educator, I am learning that a fundamental tenant in being successful is my ability to network and stay on top of the current happenings in higher education. Joining professional associations is something I have always thought about exploring as a graduate student, but never took the plunge to join. In my research there were three associations that were of the most interest to me.

Regional: The Association for Equality and Excellence in Education, INC. AEEE

I initially heard of this association through the director at my internship. AEEE is one of ten regional associations that are dedicated to advancing equal access to education for first generation, low-income, and disabled students. My interest in this association is rooted in my desire to work with TRiO and opportunity programs. Membership prices for a professional individual would be $65. The benefits provided are full voting privileges in the association, peer review services from AEEE professionals, discounted registration for AEEE annual conference, and the eligibility to participate in regional and district meetings, emerging leaders professional development programs, and policy seminar and TRIO day activities. The association provides its members with training, advocacy, mentoring and a forum to network with professionals in the TRiO community.

While I am very interested in this association, I will wait until I am employed under a TRiO program to seek membership opportunities.

Local/Regional: College Student Personnel Association of New York State (CSPA-NYS)

CSPA has been an organization that I have been very interested in becoming a part of. As a student in a Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration program I am learning how important networking is. As a very reserved introvert networking is not something that I am naturally drawn to, so the idea of being a part of an organization with so many networking opportunities, both casual and professional is very appealing. I also like that CSPA is very accessible to graduate students in cost and the type of events. As a student, the membership fee would be $20 per year. Even though the cost of membership is low, there are so many benefits and opportunities. CSPA focuses on the tenants of Learn, Network and Lead, providing members with affordable and accessible professional development opportunities, opportunities to engage with fellow professionals, and leadership opportunities in the organization and through presentation at the CSPA conference.

National: National Academic Advising Association (NACADA)

Besides my interest in TRiO program the other functional area that I am passionate about is academic advising. I first heard of this association through the other staff members at Medaille College.

NACADA provides opportunities for professional development, networking, and leadership. As a graduate student, the membership costs are very accessible at $20 a year. Benefits include a compilation of academic advising resources, listings of position openings in academic advising, publications, and discounted rates for professional development opportunities. Ultimately, as a student, the most beneficial aspect is the availability of advisement resources.