One of the most popular student organizations for college students on many of our campuses is Dance Marathon, an organization where motivated, enthusiastic, and generous college students raise money throughout the year for pediatric cancer patients. Dance Marathon’s Big Event, held on high school and college campuses around the country, consists of participants dancing for 12 or 24 hours straight, ending in a “big reveal” of how much money has been raised throughout the past year. This is a truly incredible organization, and there are a lot of things that we as admission professionals can learn from these dedicated, energized, and enthusiastic students.

Do you ever look in the mirror and say, "Ugh...I need a new look"? I've often looked at our web site and said the same thing. Recently, we were offered a special opportunity from our hosting company, MemberClicks, to upgrade to a new platform. Our web site is getting a facelift!

The Iowa ACAC Professional Development Committee organized the annual Admission Counselor University (ACU) conference for new professionals in our world. This year, the conference was held at the University of Northern Iowa and had 27 attendees. Some were on their second or third day in the profession, where others were rounding out their first year. There were many informative sessions that took place, including Listening for Leaders, Recruiting vs. Counseling, Things I Wish I Knew During My First Year in Admissions, and Travel Tips & Tricks. Troy Anderson from Iowa College Access Network (ICAN) led an informative session on Financial Aid 101 and Haley Best, PD Committee Chair, gave an overview of the NACAC’s Code of Ethics.

This past July, I, along with 29 other Admissions Counselors from across Iowa, participated in Iowa ACAC’s Admissions Counselor University (ACU) at the University of Northern Iowa.  The majority participating were in their first year as Admissions Counselors, with some starting their first week. I was in my second week as a counselor at UNI and was excited to start networking with the Professional Development committee and fellow counselors across the state. It was interesting hearing from first time counselors and how diverse their backgrounds are. Admissions brings a wide range of personalities together. Some had backgrounds from outside of higher education while others were fresh out of their undergraduate or graduate degrees. I knew every conversation was going to be different. 

As travel season is quickly approaching, GoToCollegeFairs has made some changes. GoToCollegeFairs (GTCF) is an organization Iowa ACAC contracts with to help streamline college fairs. Students are able to create a barcode for college and university representatives to scan their information. This saves time for both students and admissions representatives, because students don’t have to stand at the table and fill out contact card for every school that they’re interested in. GTCF has recently made some changes to make it easier for colleges and universities to scan barcodes.

I have a co-worker who enjoys saying “So, now what happens?” at times when it is crystal clear what is about to happen. (My kind of humor). This expression took on new meaning to me recently, as I found myself officially passing the gavel to Tom Paulsen of The University of Iowa. In the blink of an eye, I was no longer the President of Iowa ACAC. This marked the first time I seriously asked myself, “So, now what happens?”

Admission Counselor University, also known as ACU, is an annual event hosted by Iowa ACAC’s Professional Development Committee. It is geared toward new (1 year or less) professionals in the Admissions profession. This year, ACU will take place at the University of Northern Iowa, July 16-17. It is a great event to attend; now I'm going to tell you why!

More research is needed to accurately estimate the number of college students in Iowa facing food insecurity and hunger. However, as the problem grows, college campuses are finding ways to accurately assess the problem and effectively implement solutions to deal with it.

The Iowa ACAC Inclusion, Access, and Success committee chaired by Juana Hollingsworth and Jesus Lizarraga-Estrada recently hosted another successful L.E.A.P Conference (Leading, Excelling, Academically and Professionally). The leadership conference is for underrepresented high school students in the state of Iowa. The conference this year was hosted at the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Ankeny Campus on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. Last year's conference was hosted in Cedar Rapids at Mount Mercy University.

The Iowa ACAC Spring Conference is rapidly approaching! We look forward to you joining us May 19-20 at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, IA! 
The Conference Planning Committee wants to give you an update on how you can prepare for the conference with a dos and don’ts list!

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.