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Flying without direction? Need a guide? Unsure of how to incorporate the Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities at your institution? Already use them but trying to think of how to use them as an assessment tool that connects to existing programs and community experiences? Come join us to learn about our newly created alignment guide. This guide provides a connection to our existing Learning Dimensions, our Mount Leads Core Principles and the Principles of Good Practice. Participants can all share the different ways they use the Principles of Good Practice at their institutions. We say we are mission-driven. We say we are guided by the spirit of our founders. Now we can prove it!

Dating and romance: It’s complicated for college students. Secular culture sets a model that is problematic for many people of faith. This session will share contemporary research as well as anecdotal experience from “Does Anyone Date Anymore?” a course offered at the University of Dayton for the past four years. By boldly stepping into real conversations about the influence of casual attitudes about hooking up, pornography, and gender scripts, professional staff have the opportunity to help students deepen their understanding of themselves, their values, and their intimate relationships. Drawing on Catholic social teaching — specifically the dignity of the individual and the common good — students can be challenged to consider the impact of their behavior on their community.

Student affairs counselors are typically involved in management activities, developing organization budgets, offering student leadership activities, providing counseling for career guidance, and supporting diverse learners in multicultural programs. How are these principles and leadership development immersed in a virtual world where "taking flight" is a symbolic representation of the distance among students and college service providers? Literature that marries these topics of Catholic values with student affairs leadership experiences in online programs in sparse. Soria, Werner, & Nath (2019) speak to the tie between leadership opportunities and positive social perspective. The Journal of Catholic Higher Education shares valuable insights into values, leadership, and the common good. However, the research remains separate. This workshop explores specific areas of ethical and moral dilemmas and challenges to leadership development that arise in online programs. It includes suggestions for initiatives to address these concerns and provides further resources.

Twenty years ago, on March 27, 1999, ASACCU held its first meeting in New Orleans as a pre-conference session at the annual NASPA convention. The organization emerged over several years from discussions about student affairs and Catholic identity that were initiated by the publication of Ex Corde Ecclesiae in 1990. It’s a great story of a grassroots, collegial movement of student affairs professionals to embrace and define our work at Catholic colleges. Join ASACCU’s seven founders for a conversation about ASACCU’s history, contribution, relevance, and future.

The Founders: Dr. Sandra Estanek, Canisius College; Dr. Robert Friday, Catholic University of America (retired); Dr. Colleen Hegranes, St. Catherine University (retired); Dr. Robert Pastoor, University of Providence; Gregory Roberts, Hilbert College; Rev. Richard Salmi, S.J., Ph.D., Fordham University; Dr. Linda Timm, Saint Mary’s College (retired)

This session shares an orientation program developed for the parents of iGen students. It introduced parents to developmental challenges and potential obstacles students face during their college years. This program is grounded in research; parents learned about the negative effects of helicopter parenting on students' growth and development and why helicopters should remain on the landing pad. We often say “parents are partners,” but as practitioners, are we keeping abreast of the research regarding current parenting styles, especially "helicopter parenting?" This program describes how a university can journey alongside parents in support of the principle that calls us to “Challenge students to high standards of personal behavior and responsibility through the formation of character and virtues.”

With over 20 million assessments registered, Gallup’s CliftonStrengths is one of the most widely recognized tools to identify an individual’s top strengths. Over the past two years, St. Mary’s University has worked toward creating and developing a Strengths-based campus using Gallup CliftonStrengths for Students. Using CliftonStrenths and the Marianist values, we are able to help our students become well-rounded and discover their vocations. This session focuses on the background, process, and future of what it takes to build a Strengths-based campus.

The principles of restorative justice as a means of harm reduction and healing are fairly well-established. Many institutions have taken significant steps to incorporate restorative practices into conduct procedures. Such practices place new demands not only on institutional structures, but on students and the overall culture of connection. Without opportunities to practice these new skills of relating, our communities are ill-equipped to engage in restorative work when harm arises. This session provides an overview of some small steps taken at Loyola University Maryland to foster a community congruent with the restorative justice paradigm within existing programs and structures. For us, this process begins with student onboarding in the first year, strengthens within leadership training practices, and culminates with the senior transition into our broader world.

LGBTQ+ identifying students at any institution must daily navigate climates that range from dismissive to hostile toward their identities and experiences. This can significantly impede students’ ability to succeed academically and to engage meaningfully with their educational community. Catholic institutions have unique opportunities to support LGBTQ+ students, to connect them with resources and services, and to provide leadership development. This session will outline how one Catholic university has developed and grown a program of LGBTQ+ support that is rooted in its Catholic and Marianist values and teachings. It will include examples of structures, services, education, programming, leadership development, and training and will close with time devoted to questions and discussion.

With unprecedented levels of distress (anxiety, stress, depression, etc.) negatively impacting students’ academic performance, their ability to carry out daily activities, and their capacity to engage in meaningful relationships, the University of Dayton developed the UD Step Care Model, a visual tool to empower all members of the community to shift the culture of resiliency. The comprehensive approach to destigmatizing mental health challenges, promoting the dignity of all members of our communities, and educating students on self-help strategies reflects a holistic approach to mental health and empowers faculty and staff to guide students through conversation to broaden the perspective of well-being, encourage proactivity and autonomy, and promote campus supports. This session will highlight the ways in which the model reflects caring for the whole person and nurturing a community of learners. Further, it will discuss ways in which this these elements promote an ethic of well-being as an intrinsic part of the University of Dayton institutional identity.

Opportunities for students to experience, reflect upon, and act from a commitment of justice, mercy, and compassion are not only important to a Catholic, liberal education; they are essential to educating the heart and mind. In the spirit of the Holy Cross tradition, the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Portland developed a three-year diversity and inclusion plan with staff and student leaders. It identifies strategic objectives and outcomes and includes suggested activities, an estimated budget, and an intended timeline. Presenters will share Insights, essential partnerships, and lessons around three strategic themes: professional and student staff development; diversity and inclusion staffing infrastructure; and inclusive campus environment. Attendees will leave with a planning framework to aid in the important work of preparing graduates to be thoughtful contributors in their communities and the world.

It is becoming increasingly clear to educators and employers that 21st-century leaders must have emotional intelligence to be successful. Leaders with emotional intelligence — the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s own emotions and the emotions of others — are able to understand themselves and listen to others not only at the surface level, but at a deeper, less visible level that requires a mindful awareness. In this session, we will share specific ways we have implemented emotional intelligence development into the University of Saint Francis’ student leadership program. We also will invite others to share ways they have done so at their institutions.

Young student affairs professionals often struggle to find their seat at the table as decision influencers. This session is designed for entry- and mid-level student affairs professionals who are looking for ideas and tips on how to earn (and keep) their seats at the table as valued voices. Adam Casler, Director of Community Living at Siena College, will share experiences related to building strong networks, self-advocacy, and professional development as tools for professionals looking to find new opportunities to be decision influencers. The session will be roughly 45 minutes of presentation materials and 15 minutes for questions.

This interactive session will explore the development of the University of San Diego’s Torero Renaissance Scholars Program, formed In support of the principle “Welcomes all students into a vibrant campus community that celebrates God’s love for all." The mission of TRS is to provide support and resources to students who identify as former foster youth; homeless or at risk for homelessness; emancipated minors; or in legal guardianships. The session will provide an overview of the development process, including funding, staffing, and services; participants will be encouraged to reflect on the needs of this vulnerable population and explore ways to serve them on their home campuses.

This session will focus on Strategic Goal #2: Facilitate professional development among student affairs professionals working in Catholic higher education, including the promotion of effective practices and the exchange of ideas

This session will focus on Strategic Goal #3: Enhance and develop collaborative efforts among our Catholic colleges and universities and across professional organizations

This session will focus on Strategic Goal #4: Assure the sustainability of ASACCU as an organization that meaningfully supports our member institutions

In August 2018, the University of Notre Dame launched the Family Resource Center (FRC) to provide support services to married, parenting, and/or pregnant students to ensure all families thrive at Notre Dame. The FRC serves undergraduate and graduate students in all colleges and professional schools. Through year-round educational and social programming, the FRC strives to build community among Notre Dame’s married, parenting, and/or pregnant students and their families as well as offer valuable resources. In this session, you will hear some of the successes and lessons learned during our first year and plans for the future. Time will be set aside at the end to allow session participants to discuss their support systems for married, parenting, and/or pregnant students.

It is not unusual for colleges and universities to respond to the shifts in student culture. In recent years, shifts in self-censorship, freedom speech and expression, harassment, and student expectations have accompanied Generation Z. Born between 1994 and 2014, this generation requires university leadership to be prepared to respond to student concerns, expectations, and entitlement in innovative ways. This session will include a discussion about Generation Z, its motivations, and the legal framework for determining and addressing speech rights on campus.

This presentation describes Saint Martin’s University’s newly implemented credit-bearing leadership certificate program, called the Benedictine Leaders Program (BLP). A partnership between Student Affairs and Academics, BLP draws from the Rule of St. Benedictine, the Benedictine values, and the Benedictine, Catholic mission and identity of the university to help students develop into courageous, moral leaders who can address the issues facing our shared humanity. In this presentation, we share how BLP developed from a series of workshops to a three credit leadership certificate program instructed by Student Affairs staff. Our motto for the program reflects the influence of our Benedictine charism: “We lead by the Rule.” We explain the key components of BLP and offer strategies to help Student Affairs staff build partnerships with Academics to implement a credit-bearing leadership program on their own campus.