Hi everyone,

I’ve recently taken over the Professional Development Commission and I’m still in the brainstorming phase of moving forward with things.  I’m also relatively new to/reentering the blog world.  I had a blog for a class in grad school, and while I’m comfortable with technology it’s been awhile since I’ve regularly blogged.  My goal with the blog is to connect with members of WCPA (and others interested in Higher Ed professional development), find out what profdev programs members would like to see at the annual conference, and also to share links for professional development.

After WCPA shared about the ICPA Drive In Technology in Higher Ed conference, I decided to attend.  It was very beneficial, and I’m hoping to use Twitter and other social media to learn about and share profdev opportunities.

That’s all for now.  Please comment and share any ideas for future profdev or links that would be beneficial to professional development.

Chris

The Inspiring Leader: Unlocking the Secrets of How Extraordinary Leaders Motivate

Authors: John Zenger, Joseph Folkman, and Scott Edinger

Publisher: McGraw-Hill, 2009

Performance thought leaders John Zenger and Joseph Folkman reveal the 16 key competencies that separate the top ten percent of leaders from the rest.

Positioning Student Affairs for Sustainable Change: Achieving Organization Effectiveness Through Multiple Perspectives

Authors: Linda Kuk, James H. Banning, and Marilyn J. Amey

Publisher: Stylus Publishing (Virginia), 2010

This book presents ideas and concepts from organizational behavior and change theories, and demonstrates how they can be useful in, and applied to, student affairs practice.

Contemporary Issues in Institutional Ethics: New Directions for Community Colleges

Editors: Clifford P. Harbour, Patricia L. Farrell

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 2010

Examining the ethical dimensions of various institutional issues, policies, and practices at the community college, this is an essential guide for presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other leaders in today’s open-door institutions, providing expert guidance in meeting the challenges of their distinctive and expanding educational mission.

KaBOOM!: How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play

Author: Darell Hammond, foreword by Stuart L. Brown, MD

Publisher: Rodale, 2011

KaBOOM! is the powerfully uplifting journey of a man who grew up in a group home with his seven brothers and sisters and went on to build a world-class non-profit that harnesses the power of community to improve the lives of children.

Comment on this post with your name and email address.  I will be in contact with the first 10 people who respond both here and/or on the WCPA Facebook page.  They will get a free book, sponsored by WCPA.

Hey everyone!  Program submissions are due September 9th!

http://www.mywcpa.org/conference.php

We had a great time at the conference, and the PD Commission came back with all sorts of new ideas, thanks to the folks who came to the session!

Here’s our list!  Feel free to comment to add to it-

• Grow Mentorship Program
• Linked-In
• Create regional networking sites
• Create tutorials, webinars, and newsletters
• Video Conference
• Create school videos showcasing facilities and staff
• Get involved with Student Affairs 101!

This year’s conference title is “Being Your Best: Navigating from Challenge to Opportunity”.  We have selected the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, as an excellent read for professionals working to be their best in any area.  Attached is information regarding the book.

http://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385528752/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285258009&sr=8-1

A roundtable discussion will be presented during one of the program sessions.  See you there!

We are excited to have Bob Pedersen as this year’s keynote speaker. Bob has been President and CEO of Goodwill North Central Wisconsin since 1991. Combined with his tenure at Goodwill NCW, Bob has had 34 years of non-profit leadership experience with a variety of organizations.

Bob’s keynote address will focus on a period beginning in 2003 when “a trusted, 27-year employee cunningly embezzled more than half a million dollars from Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin, Inc. over a seven-year period” (Betrayal,2004). Bob’s account of this story will provide us with an opportunity to think about how we can “navigate through challenge” and make the best of difficult situations.

To gain additional context and meaning from this address, all conference participants are strongly encouraged to read, Betrayal, which is an account of the embezzlement. The short book can be accessed by visiting the following site:

http://www.goodwillncw.org/Betrayal.pdf

Are you a WCPA Conference pro? Someone who has been sailing the seas and would like to share your wisdom?
If so, you can sign up to be a WCPA Conference Mentor – you will be matched with a graduate student or new professional who could benefit from your experience.  Click Here: (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22ASK3LZX3U)

Are you a graduate student or professional in your first year or two in the field? Is this your first WCPA Conference?
If so, you can sign up to get a WCPA Conference Mentor – someone who will show you the ropes and help you navigate the conference!
Go to the Graduate Student and New Professionals Commission page (http://mywcpa.org/commissions/gnp/) to learn more and sign up.

At the 2009 conference, the past commission chair, members of the commission, and myself had a discussion about where we as the PD Commission were headed.  From there, we decided to put out the survey to ask what others were interested in doing for PD within WCPA.

-Adopt-a Professional Program   

-Online Opportunities (Social Networking, Webinar, Blog)   

-Book Club

 -Learning About Others Student Affairs Professions/Job Info

Currently, the Professional Development Commission and the Graduate and New Professional Commission are teaming up for a mentor matching that we plan to roll out for the conference coming up in October!  See other posts about that particular professional development activity!

Also, the Professional Development Commission is looking into a Book Club for the upcoming conference.  This book will piggy back on the conference theme.

Hi everyone!

This is my first official post!  This past Friday was the WCPA Summer Retreat at Glacier Canyon Lodge at the Wilderness Hotel in the Wisconsin Dells!

We had some great discussions about the 2010 Conference coming up October 21st/22nd, as well as about the directions the commissions are heading.

I presented the survey results from the survey that was sent out in January.  If you are interested in seeing the results, please see the Survey Results Page!  Otherwise, there will be posts on some of the topics more geared towards the Professional Development Commission.

If you have any questions, or ideas of things that can be posted here on the website, please email me, Maigan Wipfli at wipflim@uwec.edu