Another Successful Association Leadership Program Is in the Books

This blog post was contributed by Jennifer Addleman, member of CUPA-HR’s Southern Region board of directors and HR director at Rollins College.

And that’s a wrap on CUPA-HR’s 2023 Association Leadership Program (ALP) in Omaha, Nebraska! On July 13-14, leaders from CUPA-HR’s national, regional and chapter boards, as well as CUPA-HR’s corporate partners, gathered to discuss higher ed HR challenges, share successes, make connections and build relationships. I was fortunate to attend as a representative from the Southern Region board, and my mind is still reeling from two full days of content and networking with talented HR leaders from across the country. Here are some of my takeaways:

• Lead with positivity, start with a win, and end with gratitude.
• So much is happening on the regluatory and legislative front that will affect higher ed and the labor and employment landscape, and CUPA-HR is serving as the voice of higher ed on these issues with lawmakers.
• The CUPA-HR Knowledge Center continues to be a go-to resource for all things higher ed HR. In addition to HR toolkits that are constantly being updated or added, you’ll also find DEI resources, e-learning courses, a job description index, CUPA-HR’s Higher Ed HR Magazine and more. If you haven’t checked out the Knowledge Center lately, I encourage you to do so!
• We in higher ed HR are doing important work — what we do matters, and we are impacting lives.
• CUPA-HR continues to do valuable work in data collection and research — our data is the platinum standard! Learn more about CUPA-HR’s research in the Research Center (find the link in the menu on the CUPA-HR home page).
• We must continue to make mental health a priority. As HR practitioners, we often prioritize taking care of others, but we should not be ashamed to take care of ourselves first! Find resources in the Mental Health and Health and Well-Being Knowledge Center toolkits.
• You can walk to Iowa from Omaha! Who knew!

Sharing some quality time with higher ed HR peers from across the country, commiserating about and discussing strategies to overcome our biggest challenges, and meeting new people and making new connections is what CUPA-HR’s Association Leadership Program is all about. If you’re considering exploring volunteer leadership opportunities within the association, do it! You won’t regret it — in fact, you’re guaranteed to learn and grow, and have a great time doing it!