Starting with an apparent oxymoronic title seems problematic, but feels right to me. As a native Nevadan, born in Las Vegas, it was where my parents began their professional lives in earnest. My mom was a radio DJ, and my dad was a mechanical engineer. They moved to California because the schools and universities offered more choice.
Recently, the WACAC Presidential team, Past President-Robynne Royster (California College of the Arts) and President-Elect Peggy Hock (Pinewood School) and me, attended the NACAC Leadership Development Institute (LDI) at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. Our 2 ½ day LDI congregates all 23 ACAC’s in one location to share information, and get schooled in policy, procedure and issues facing NACAC. All three of us had breakout sessions on our roles as past, present and future presidents. Additional breakouts dealt with issues about enhancing non-dues revenues, hiring employees for our organization, college fairs, and the last workshop on the last day, “Fiduciary Responsibilities”. (Participatory Blog-choose the next line of this blog from the following choices:)
- I missed this workshop because I had a run going on at the craps tables.
- I bet them $10 they couldn’t finish on time.
- I thought this was about “need” trumping “merit” scholarships-silly me.
All kidding aside, this ‘fiduciary’ workshop opened my eyes widest last year. It taught me how to look and ask questions about how we manage the organization’s money. We have a variety of checks and balances in place, and very conscientious employees, volunteers and board members. The health and future of the organization depends on fiduciary responsibility.
We also met the nominees for the NACAC Board and the heads of all the various NACAC committees. There is only a single candidate for President, but I enjoyed meeting and chatting with him. And of course, the elephant in the room, which will lumber into Toronto, “The Report of the Commission on International Student Recruitment.” How will we take this report’s findings, and apply it to NACAC Statement of Principles of Good Practice? Stay tuned, and if you have read the report and care to give me your feedback, email me at Nannini_daniel@smc.edu.
Two final thoughts: The NACAC National Convention is coming to San Diego in Fall 2015, and we will need volunteers. And we have decided to hold a Tri-ACAC Superconference in Spring 2015, in Reno or Las Vegas, depending on our hotel negotiations. Like I said in the title, we worked in Las Vegas, and will work again in 2015-maybe!!
By Dan Nannini
*Photo from www.frugal-cafe.com.