Dear Colleagues,
Let me begin with an expression of deep gratitude to the entire NACUA community for an amazing first year at the helm of this extraordinary association. September 20, 2022 was my first anniversary with NACUA and what a year it has been! The NACUA community has welcomed me with warmth and generosity. NACUA’s amazing professional team has simultaneously continued their excellent work while teaching me the inner workings of our organization. And the broader higher education association world has made a home for me in our larger village.
While I am deeply grateful for the wonderful professional experience I’ve had with NACUA thus far, I am looking forward to a challenging and rewarding year ahead. This is a strategic planning year—my first with NACUA. The Board and Committee on Strategic Planning will be examining what our members need and want. Together, we will work to anticipate what future members are likely to need and want. We will also examine how we allocate our precious resources—time, people hours (both volunteer and staff), and finances— so we may chart a path forward that continues to anticipate and meet our members’ needs. We are in the early stages. As the process unfolds, members should expect to be engaged through surveys, formal and informal focus groups, and periodic updates. We will ensure that what we think we’re hearing is grounded in members lived experiences before the ultimate adoption by the Board of a strategic framework to guide our operational planning for the coming few years.
In addition, the year ahead promises to be a challenging one for our members in their professional lives. The Dobbs decision, anticipated Supreme Court action on race in admissions, and implementation of new Title IX regulations are just a few of the complexities with which our member attorneys and member institutions will have to grapple. NACUA stands ready to continue to serve as a source of information and community as our member attorneys support our member institutions in tackling complex legal issues.
From a more provincial perspective, I’m pleased to report that with the addition of our newest staff member, Accounting and Office Services Assistant Megan Burley, NACUA is now fully staffed. My hope is that one of the goals I articulated early in my tenure — for NACUA colleagues to have manageable workloads that give them the time and space to think strategically, to experiment, and to ideate — is close to being realized.
I look forward to seeing many of you, either in-person or via Zoom, in the coming months.