With the recent tumult in the news regarding the current college admissions scandal, our profession has been challenged and placed in the spotlight of scrutiny. Although most of us are not directly affected by this in our day to day responsibilities, the events of this highly public disparagement has caused much discussion in our profession and allows us to take a look in the mirror at our own practices and policies.

Working in the fast-paced environments that are admissions and school counseling sometimes it can be hard to remember to slow down and take time to listen. To listen to our colleagues, our superiors, our students, and, frankly, ourselves. We can also probably all recall times where a problem may have been alleviated, if we would have simply taken the time to listen.

In the March edition of Scenes, we introduced a multipart series, “Eat Well, Live Well” - if you missed it, you can catch up here. In this first edition, Tom Paulsen, Iowa ACAC President-Elect, shared some great places around the state to grab a bite. We asked Iowa ACAC members what spots around the state needed to be added to that list and here is what you told us:

The first year of our Iowa ACAC Cares Campaign has been a success and we're topping it off with a FINAL collection drive at our FINAL college fair at NIACC in Mason City.

This sounds like a great opportunity for secondary and postsecondary professionals in Iowa - ANYONE can join! You don't have to be an Iowa ACAC or NACAC member (but we'd sure love to have you!)

This is the first part of an Iowa ACAC multi-part series. Join us as we explore food in Iowa…best kept dining secrets, food on college campuses, food insecurities in Iowa, and so much more! As a part of this series, we will be asking for your input to share with fellow Iowa ACAC members

Whether you’re new to the team or an admissions lifer, you probably have an excess of items in your office that you no longer need.

Some of our member colleges and universities are hosting student visit days just for international students.

Did you know only 8% of people actually keep their New Year’s resolution? There are many reasons people can’t stick to their resolutions, from setting too many of them to getting derailed by small failures. A fantastic resolution you could keep this year is to attend Visit the Hill and make a difference!

Now that admissions staff and students are back from winter break, many admissions offices are conducting their winter all-staff training. Although there are many similarities in how we all train and refresh staff on important topics, there’s a lot we can learn from each other about the best way to learn more about our campuses and improve in the work that we do to support students. To learn more about how different offices handle all-staff training, I spoke with Marcus Phillips from the University of Iowa, Tom Heiar from the University of Northern Iowa, and Drew Shradel from Cornell College.

Having a baby, whether it’s your first or third, can be a very exciting, and stressful, time in your life. For me, I am anticipating my third, and final, pregnancy in mid-January 2019. While this pregnancy was planned, pregnancy in itself doesn’t always come with perfect timelines. I was fortunate that for my first two pregnancies, they both hit in what admissions professionals would call the golden time of year to have a kid…the month of May! Wahoo! However, kid number three didn’t get the memo, and while January isn’t the worst time to have a kid in our profession, I will say guilt was one of my first emotions.

Rahm Emanuel, the mayor of the City of Chicago and former President Obama’s chief of staff, believes in the American Dream and the right to an affordable education. Because of this belief, he has assisted in the creation of the “Chicago Star Scholarship” program.

We’re barely into 2019 and I’m already tired of the expression “New Year, New You.” According to U.S. News & World Report, 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February. Upon hearing this, my initial reaction was ”I wonder how realistic those resolutions were…”

We have heard it, read it and likely said it ourselves:

The theme for the 2019 conference is “Change is Necessary for Growth” as the landscape for college admissions continues to evolve. 

A recent racially-driven admissions lawsuit against Harvard University has put affirmative action back into the spotlight.

I was fortunate enough to attend my first NACAC conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was easily one of the best professional development opportunities I have had. As a new attendee, I wanted to provide others, who may potentially have an opportunity to attend NACAC in the future, with some tips to make the most of your experience.

As we travel the state of Iowa recruiting students this fall, it’s important to be aware of other resources that can help students and families navigate the college search process. One resource that we can reference students and families to is ICAN, a nonprofit that provides college and career planning and financial aid resources to students and schools across the state of Iowa. Formerly known as the Iowa College Access Network, the organization has changed its name this year, along with changing some of their programming to better serve students and school counselors. In addition to focusing on financial aid and college planning, the organization will also focus on professional development for school counselors and educators. ICAN’s Director of Communications, Britt Morey, shares more about the organizations changes:

Although travel season is winding down, we know some of you road warriors might still have a few trips left on your calendar. If you are out and about traveling around our beautiful state for work, or for fun, consider making a stop at some of these hidden gems! Happy trails!