AACRAO's bi-weekly professional development e-newsletter

February 26 - March 1 is the inaugural Well-Being Week in Higher Education. Led by NASPA, ACHA, and NIRSA, a group of 20+ associations across higher education have come together to promote well-being across campus. The theme for this inaugural effort is Raising Literacy and Advancing the Conversation. This theme of 'Raising Literacy' is critical as many participating groups are being brought into the Well-Being conversation for the first time, so members and staffers are introduced to the topic and given tools to advance the conversation on their campuses.

In recognition of the importance of well-being for a healthy and sustainable campus community, AACRAO is promoting the event and sharing some free resources available to our members on our partner websites. All sessions are FREE and will take place between 12-4 pm ET to ensure maximum accessibility. All sessions will be recorded and available later.

The full schedule has not yet been released, but session highlights include: 

• Opening Keynote Monday, February 26, 12:00 pm-1:30 pm, Eastern / 9:00 am-10:30 am Pacific
  • Dr. Kevin R. McClure will present “The Caring University: A Roadmap to Reimagining the Higher Education Workplace.” Explore case studies of organization-level changes to learn more about the structures and cultures that support employee well-being. This session will include both a presentation and a Q&A with Dr. McClure.
• Data and Wellbeing: A conversation, Tuesday, February 27, 12:00 pm-12:50 pm Eastern/9:00 am-9:50 am Pacific
  • Wellbeing and mental health are frequently used interchangeably—both in higher education and in the broader societal lexicon. How are these two critical concepts different? Where are their synergies? How can campus work support both? Hear from Zainab Okolo (Senior Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, and Government Relations, JED), Hollie Chessman (Director, Practice and Research, ACE), Joyce DeWitt-Parker (Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs- Health and Well-being at the University at Albany, SUNY), and Kirk Dougher (Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Support and Wellness, Washington University) as they discuss these questions and more.
• Presidential Fireside Chat on Wednesday, February 28, 1:00 pm-1:50 pm Eastern/10:00 am-10:50 am Pacific
  • Join NIRSA Executive Director Pam Watts as she chats with Lewis & Clark University President Dr. Robin Holmes-Sullivan about a president’s perspective on wellbeing and how campus departments can unite in this work.
• Closing Session, Friday, March 1, 1:00 pm-1:50 pm Eastern/10:00 am-10:50 am Pacific
  • Join data experts and survey architects Nicole Brocato, Senior Assessment & Analytics Scientist, Wake Forrest University; Sarah Lipson, Principal Investigator, Healthy Minds Network; Allison Smith, Co-founder, Action Network for Equitable Wellbeing (ANEW); and Bridget Yuhas (Primary Investigator, Student Well-being Institutional Support Survey (SWISS), as they engage in conversation. The session will focus not on the specific tools these speakers represent but on the larger questions regarding using and gathering data in the complex and dynamic work of well-being.

Further details on speakers, program lineup, and registration are available on the NASPA Website. 

Attend the webinar "Managing Finances, Membership, and More with MemberClicks" on March 13 from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. (ET).

Learn more about AACRAO's work and register to attend the upcoming webinar "Elevating Diverse Leaders: The AACRAO ASCEND Program" on March 6 from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. (ET)

• Meetings, Workshops, and Trainings
• Professional Development and Contributions to the Field

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