SIG Focus: Emerging Admission Professionals

From the May 4, 2016 NACAC Bulletin:

Co-Leaders of the Emerging Admission Professionals Special Interest Group
Timothy Cushing, Wheaton College (MA)
Lauren Livak, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

NACAC Special Interest Groups (SIGs) nurture the growing diversity in our association by providing “micro” communities where members can network and add value to their membership experience. These smaller subsets of members are formed for the purpose of knowledge sharing and discussion among members with similar interests whether they are specific subjects, issues or type of institution, or students they serve.

The Emerging Admission Professionals Special Interest Group’s mission is to educate and build community within the future leaders of NACAC and its affiliates. Through collaboration and programming, we inform members of national higher education issues, news, and trends while providing a network from around the country to utilize for information sharing and discussion. The purpose of the group is to provide dedicated, emerging admission and secondary school counselors with a way to gain knowledge to not only enhance their ability to serve the students they work with but to also lead us toward a better future.

Higher education professionals play a very important role in guiding students and helping them find their path. In saying that, it is also a demanding field with a high turnaround rate. Our group aims to identify young professionals who are just starting out and help guide them and put them on a path to success.

This year we are planning to stay connected with discussion prompts on the Emerging Admission Professionals SIG Exchange Group and collaboration on what events might be beneficial for emerging leaders. There are many important topics being discussed such as prior-prior year on the FAFSA, the Coalition application, and much more. We will continue to provide a forum in which members can discuss and gain perspective on these topics.

It is important for young professionals and emerging leaders to have a voice and understand the higher level issues the education field faces so we can be the voice of change and the voice of the future. With 60 members who have joined within a year, we have established a strong member base. We encourage even more emerging admission professionals to join our group to learn more about what is happening in higher education and how they can be the voice for change and grow as future leaders.