Colleagues and Friends of ACCA,

We are poised for action in the coming year. I am very excited about the things that are in store for ACCA.  Over the past year, much attention has been focused on college mental health.  Parents, administrators and the media are asking very legitimate questions about the mental health resources available on campus, the training and qualifications of college counselors, and reasonable expectations for college mental health providers.  ACCA seeks to be a voice representing the perspectives and interests of college counselors, and a resource for continued professional development.  This coming February, ACCA, in conjunction with the Georgia College Counseling Association, will host the 4^th national conference on college counseling.  The conference will be February 6^th – 9^th in Savannah, Georgia.

Building on the vision and energy of past presidents and executive councils, this year’s leadership team will continue to focus on the theme of advocacy.  There are two needs we face as an organization if we are to fully utilize our influence for the advancement of college counseling.  The first is internal.  As ACCA has grown and we have expanded our member benefits and resources, particularly a biannual conference, it has become increasingly difficult to effectively manage the organization with a rotating, all volunteer executive council.  Toward this end, the Executive Council voted in March, at the Detroit ACA Convention, to establish a Blue Ribbon Committee to explore options for association management.    The committee has begun meeting and is charged with submitting recommendations to the executive council by the Savannah conference next February.

The second need is external. The executive council has also made a commitment to continue our efforts advocating for college counseling through strategic collaborations with other related organizations.  Our goal is to work with, rather than compete with, sister organizations representing college counseling.  In keeping with this, we will again partner with NASPA and the University and College Counseling Center Directors to present the Mental Health Conference from January 17 – 19, 2008 in Tampa, FL . 

My view of advocacy is not simply self-promotion for ACCA.  It is grounded in the sincere belief that college counselors, and those who train them, provide a valuable (indispensable) service to our clients and universities.  Advocacy is a means of getting more and better resources into the positions where they can be most effectively used.  On behalf of the executive council, I value your feedback and input as we continue forward this coming year.

Sincerely,

Rick Hanson, Ph.D.

ACCA President 2007-2008