American College Personnel Association - History

History

1924 - May L. Cheney, who organized a teacher placement office at the University of California, Berkeley helped form the National Association of Appointment Secretaries (NAAS). In 1924, NAAS met for the first time and came as guests of the National Association of Deans of Women (NADW) to a convention sponsored by the Department Superintendence of the National Education Association.

1929 - Forty-six NAAS members registered for the Sixth Annual Convention. NAAS became the National Association of Personnel and Placement Officers (NAPPO).

1930s - The name American College Personnel Association (ACPA) was adopted in 1931. Association communication consisted of one mailed newsletter, the Personnel-O-Gram (P-O-G). In 1937, the Student Point of View statement was developed by leaders of the American Council on Education (ACE) and ACPA.

1940s - The Journal for Educational and Psychological Measurement (EPM) became the next form of the association's newsletter communication in 1943. In 1947, ACPA's President Daniel D. Feder's recommendation for formal unification efforts led to the formation of the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA). No conferences were held from 1943 through 1945 during World War Two.

1950s - The Personnel and Guidance Journal replaced EPM as ACPA's official journal in 1952. ACPA members approved the plan to form APGA. Membership reached 1,000 in 1952 and continued to increase through the next two decades. In 1959, Charles Lewis, the P-O-G associate editor was named the first editor of the Journal of College Student Personnel, ACPA's new official journal.

1970s - ACPA collaborated with other national organizations on many national conventions. In 1973, ACPA and NAWDC (formerly NADW) coordinated a national convention. The Standing Committee for Women was established in 1973. In 1974, NAWDAC (name change for NAWDC), NASPA and ACPA coordinated a national convention. In 1976, membership totaled 9,384 at a record high. The Standing Committee for Multicultural Affairs was founded in 1978. In 1979, ACPA became one of the first members of the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS).

1980s - ACPA flourished under the presidential leadership of outstanding student affairs practitioners and faculty members such as Susan Komives, Margaret "Peggy" Barr and Dennis Roberts. In 1983, ACPA was incorporated under the District of Columbia Non-Profit Act. In 1987, ACPA and NASPA held a joint meeting in Chicago to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Student Personnel Point of View statement. In 1988, ACPA's premier journal was renamed THE JOURNAL COLLEGE STUDENT DEVELOPMENT (JCSD).

1990s - In 1991, after 40 years, ACPA leaders and members voted to disaffiliate from APGA, which was known as the American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD), and was later renamed the American Counseling Association (ACA). In September 1992, the separation became effective, and ACPA moved into a new office space at the National Center for Higher Education in Washington, D.C. Presidents Leila V. Moore (1991–92), Terry E. Williams (1992–93), Charles C. Schroeder (1986–87), Barbara Anderson (1994–95) and Harold E. Cheatham (1995–96) were all involved in this tremendous undertaking.

Early 2000 - In 2003, Carmen Neuberger retired as Executive Director. Gregory Roberts, ACPA President from 1999–2000, was selected as the new Executive Director.

2010 - The ACPA/NASPA Professional Competency Areas document was published by the Joint Task Force on Professional Competencies and Standards.

2011 - After more than two years of work by the Consolidation Steering Team from ACPA and NASPA leaders, a voting process took place in March. Eighty-percent of ACPA members voted affirmed consolidation while eligible NASPA members who voted fell short of the required 2/3 majority. In the July/August 2011 issue of the Journal of Higher Education, ACPA's premier publication, THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE STUDENT DEVELOPMENT (JCSD) is ranked fourth among 50 Tier One journals in higher education. In a study by Nathaniel Bray and Claire Major, 106 out of 144 respondents reported that they read JCSD, and more than half of them cited JCSD in their work. This report continues JCSD's streak as the highest ranked journal in student affairs.

2012 - ACPA appointed the Credentialing Implementation Team, launched the Institutional Councils Program and published its on-going Global Initiatives.