When talking with students’ overall satisfaction during their time in higher education, I often talk about Alexander Astin’s theory of Student Involvement (1985) and the benefits of being involved in campus life. Getting involved in various co-curricular aspects during their time in college allows individuals to become more invested in their institution. In addition, the benefits a student gains are often directly proportional to the extent to which student is involved, both in terms of quality and quantity. Additional involvement often leads to more enjoyment and a greater overall satisfaction with their experience (Reed & da Silva, 2007). I believe this same idea can be used when talking about involvement in professional associations and the benefits gained by being either an engaged member or serving in a leadership role.
OCPA is a passionate community of higher educational professionals who are dedicated to advancing student learning and development. Being involved with OCPA comes with many benefits for individual members. OCPA is a member-driven organization that focuses on important issues within our field. The association has an active and energized network of higher education professionals from various institutions across the state of Ohio. Through collaboration, resource sharing, and our collective expertise, professionals are able to anticipate and respond to the various needs and challenges faced by university staff, faculty, and students. In addition, OCPA offers a variety of professional development opportunities including workshops, webinars, events, and conferences. These opportunities offer members a chance to not only attend, but to present, share research, or just expand their professional network in the field. Thus, getting engaged within the association does not only expand your professional knowledge and skills, but will also offer the opportunity for you to build relationships with other student affairs professionals as mentors, colleagues, and friends.
Outside of being a member within OCPA, the association encourages our members to take on additional leadership opportunities within OCPA by joining the Executive Board. The OCPA Executive Board is a leadership team focused on advocating the needs of our members and engaging in strategic actions promoting the association’s mission, strategic plan, and core values. Similar to Astin’s theory, I believe being involved in the decision-making process and the direction of the association, allows for greater satisfaction and an improved experience with OCPA.
The application and nomination process for the 2021-2022 OCPA Executive Board will kick off on February 1, 2021. Applications will be due on March 8, 2021 and elections will take place in mid-March. I strongly encourage all members to look at the below positions and videos linked here which will be opening up for the 2021-2022 OCPA Executive Board. Hear from the current chairs encouraging you to apply for their position and be a part of the association’s decision making moving forward.
Open 2021-2022 Executive Board Positions
- President-Elect
- Member-at-Large – Graduate (2)
- Assistant Annual Conference Chair
- Assistant Careers Conference Chair
- Assistant Treasurer
- Development Chair
- Equity & Inclusion Chair
- Faculty Liaison
- Historian
- Professional Development Chair
There are professional and personal benefits for being engaged and getting more involved within the association. New and diverse voices are always needed for OCPA to assist our members to the best of our abilities. With the always changing environment in higher education and the opportunities and challenges facing our institutions in the state of Ohio, we hope you will consider taking on a larger role within OCPA, and be a leading voice in the direction of our association. Nominate yourself or a colleague at this link!
Citation:
Reed, Whitney D. and da Silva, Stephanie P. (2007) "The relation between college student involvement and satisfaction," Modern Psychological Studies: Vol. 12: No. 2, Article 3.