From The President

Hello CAPPA members and all,

Things are starting to turn green here, and I’d bet many of you are as excited about the end of winter as I am.

The CAPPA board met recently in Allen, Texas for the spring board meeting. This meeting was held at the Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel & Convention Center where we will be holding the fall CAPPA Conference. I’m excited about returning to Allen. The venue and surrounding area are very nice. Details for the conference are in their final planning stages!

I can tell you I’m excited about several of the agenda items, but I’m not going to steal the planning committee’s thunder by spilling the details. The Professional Development Committee is filling in the presentation schedule. The Call for Papers has already gone out, so please submit your presentation ideas as soon as possible.

Hearing about real projects and our colleagues’ experiences are one of the things I enjoy most about my association with CAPPA. Go ahead and put the conference on your calendar for October 1-3, 2023. You’ll see registration details before you know it.

At the spring meeting we discussed several other timely and important topics. One of them is developing a Code of Conduct for CAPPA members as they attend or otherwise participate at CAPPA events. In today’s litigious society it’s important we protect CAPPA, and each individual member, from situations that could be avoided by explaining the expected conduct at our functions. Similarly, it’s important that every participant feel safe and welcomed at our events. Third Vice President, Luis Morales, is heading up a taskforce that will be developing the CAPPA Code of Conduct. Please be on the lookout for future updates of their progress. Another equally important topic is the taskforce spearheaded by First Vice President, Matthew Rom, who’s considering plans to streamline the Board of Directors. We expect potential changes in the board structure will improve communication within CAPPA and allow the board to act faster as our industry changes.

The most discussed topic revolved around the idea of: What is the current and future value of CAPPA? In other words, what do our members find worthwhile about their association with CAPPA now, and how do we prepare ourselves for what will be worthwhile in the future. The answers are about as diverse as the changes in terrain between Nunavut and Guerrero. (In case you were wondering that’s the northern most Canadian province in CAPPA and the southernmost Mexican state in CAPPA.)

Declining enrollment, shrinking budgets, increasing customer expectations and the almost literal disappearance of qualified employees in certain fields were some of the variables that were covered during the discussions that are part of this new equation. One of the things you can expect as a result of these discussions is an increased range of topics being considered for the fall conference. We’re also considering additional delivery methods or opportunities at the meeting. The round table discussions held at the 2022 Conference in Lincoln were very popular.

The value doesn’t stop at the conference though. The Professional Development committee is working on additional education opportunities throughout the region. They will send out more information as plans are finalized. The Board also approved the purchase of a digital copy of APPA’s Custodial Guidelines for each member institution. Your institutional representative should receive an e-mail from APPA as soon as it’s available.

I will be sending out a survey in the coming weeks so we can make sure your comments are included in the discussion. The diversity of opinion over such a large area is one of the things that makes CAPPA special. Until then, be thinking about what CAPPA means to you.

I hope everyone can enjoy the warmup,

Brian Lasey

CAPPA President 2022-2023
Arkansas State University