Graduate student and new professionals community of practice

Thank you for stopping by to learn more about the ACPA Graduate Students and New Professionals Community of Practice (GSNPCOP). Take some time to look through our content and don’t hesitate to share how you’d like to get involved. Use the menu below to jump to a section of interest. 

Please contact us at gsnpcop@acpa.nche.edu or connect with the members of our Directorate Body with questions or ideas.

Our Mission

The Graduate Students and New Professionals Community of Practice (GSNPCOP) is one of the entity groups within ACPA charged to develop and deliver year-round programs and services focused on enriching and supporting the needs of graduate students and new professionals in student affairs and higher education.

Our Vision

GSNPCOP strives to be the centralized gateway, network, and resource for graduate students and new professionals that elevates current issues, addresses institutionalized culture, produces scholarly work, and implements innovative practices that promote systemic change in order to transform higher education and student affairs.

our history

1988 // The Graduate Students and New Professionals Community of Practice (GSNPCOP) was created as a standing committee through the work of 1987’s Graduate Student Member-at-Large, Anne Eskridge

2011 // The Standing Committee matured to a more defined Directorate structure with positions and requisite skills defined.  Communication with the Standing Committee constituency was improved by an improved newsletter, including regular versions made available online through the ACPA homepage. The “inverted funnel model” of leadership development through the Standing Committee was introduced.

2015 // The Standing Committee transitioned to be a Coalition. The change represented several positive advances the Standing Committee was able to accomplish for the support of graduate students and new professionals within the field of student affairs. 

2017 // The association decided that a Coalition was not the best place for Graduate Student and New Professionals. Shortly after, Communities of Practices were established, and one Community of Practice was established for Mid-Level Professionals. In the summer of that same year, the Coalition officially changed its name to the Graduate Students and New Professionals Community of Practice.

ACPA Ambassador Program

Ambassadors are graduate students and new professionals working on campuses internationally to expand the knowledge of ACPA through a curriculum-based engagement experience. Our virtual program requires Ambassadors to serve as a liaison to their campuses and professional networks regarding ACPA-specific content, maintain virtual presence in the Community of Practice and enhance its vision and goals, and, if attending, volunteer at ACPA’s annual convention. During a designated cohort term, Ambassadors engage in valuable networking and professional development opportunities and are also prepared for future engagement and leadership roles in ACPA. Click on the Get Involved section to learn more about the application process.

To contact the Ambassadors team, email us at gsnpambassadors@gmail.com. You can also learn more about our program and connect with us through our social media:

Have you been a part of the Ambassadors Program in the past? Please join our LinkedIn Alumni Network!

Learn more

The 8th Vector

The 8th Vector is a student affairs and higher education-related blog created by GSNPCOP. It has been historically known as a newsletter and has undergone many changes to draw interest and provide an effective resource for our members.

The blog features the work of graduate students and new professionals in higher education in any form: traditional articles, op-eds, posters, podcasts, poetry, art, and more. We will showcase any content or resources members would like to share with others. Materials are gathered on a rolling basis and will be published to the site upon 8th Vector Team approval.

If you have questions or feedback contact us at 8thVector@gmail.com.

Explore the 8th vector

News & Updates

upcoming events

There are no upcoming events at this time.

Check out all Upcoming ACPA Events

Meet the Directorate

Tye Wesley

Chair

she/her/hers

Radford University

Ambassador Team

Julie Townley

Vice Chair

She/Her/Hers

University of North Texas

Zith Toth-Gaddis

Assistant Vice Chair

She/Her/Hers

St. Olaf College

Olivia Maldonado

Assistant Vice Chair

She/Her/Hers

Radford University

Antonia Tway

Coordinator

She/Her/Hers

Rose Glenn

Coordinator

She/Her/Hers

Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Rick Cazzato Jr.

Coordinator

He/Him/His

Washington University in St. Louis

Cortlyn Raymond

Coordinator

She/Her/Hers

Pitzer College

Oksana Maksimov

Coordinator

She/Her/Hers

Purdue University

External Affairs Team

Jasmyne Channel

Vice Chair

She/Her/Hers

University of Oregon

Hannah White

Coordinator of Scholarships

She/Her/Hers

University of Oregon

Taylor Swan

Coordinator for Sponsored Programs

She/Her/Hers

Vriginia Tech

Networking Team

Tavarius (Tav) Horne

Vice Chair

He/Him/His

University of Washington

Alex Rosenbery

Coordinator for Convention Colleagues

They/Them/Theirs

Clemson University

Emily Rasch

Coordinator for Socials

She/Her/Hers

Southern Methodist University

Operations Team

Luke Klefstad

Vice Chair

He/Him/His

Carleton College

Beck Hawkins

Coordinator for 8th Vector - Marketing

They/Them/Theirs, He/Him/His

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

Holly Loberg

Coordinator for Records & Website

She/Her/Hers

Riverland Community College

Jordan Williams

Coordinator for Assessment

She/Her/Hers

Washington University in St. Louis

Professional Development Team

Jess Shapiro

Vice Chair

She/Her/Hers

Ithaca College

Stella Wang

Coordinator for Professional Engagement

She/Her/Hers

University of Louisville

Rachelle Brown

Coordinator for Professional Engagement

She/Her/Hers

University of Memphis

Zachary Smith

Coordinator for Professional Engagement

He/Him/His

Macalester College

Hannah Aksamit

Coordinator for Special Events

She/Her/Hers

California Polytechnic State University

Get Involved in gsnpcop

Become a member of the Graduate Students & New Professionals Community of Practice! Actively participate in opportunities that provide resources and support to members, both personally and professionally, with care, respect, and encouragement.

Ready to join?

Joining an Entity through the ACPA Member Portal automatically identifies you as a member of that Entity! You will begin to receive Entity communications through their respective email listserv and have access to any resources they share!

  1. Login to your ACPA Member Account
  2. Click on Community Groups (Chatter)
  3. Click Groups
  4. Click Active Groups
  5. Find the entity you want to join and within that group, click +Join

Contact GSNPCOP via email at gsnpcop@acpa.nche.edu to learn more about ACPA’s Graduate Students & New Professionals Community of Practice.

Any ACPA member can become involved and there are varying levels of involvement:

  • Become an Ambassador
  • Submit to the 8th Vector
  • Attend our open business meeting at the annual ACPA convention
  • Review program proposals for the Convention
  • Submit a sponsored program proposal for Convention
  • Host a webinar

Additional Involvement Opportunities

ACPA Ambassadors

Individuals interested in serving as an Ambassador must apply and be selected for our cohort-style program. There are either one or two cohorts offered each academic year before annual convention begins. An update will be posted to this website and our various social media accounts regarding each cohort’s application process. If you would like to receive communication when a cohort’s application is opening, please complete this form: https://bit.ly/AmbassadorsInterest.  Should you have any questions regarding Ambassadors involvement, please email gsnpambassadors@gmail.com. 

Note: being an ACPA member at the time of application is not a requirement.

Scholarship Reviewers Needed for GSNPCOP

Dec 3, 2021

We Need Scholarship Reviewers!  Reviewers will be needed for both application cycles. The review period for the Convention Registration scholarship is December 15-23, 2021. The review period for the Flat-Rate and Membership scholarship is January 3-14, 2022.  You can...

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gsnpcop Awards

The depth and quality of work by student affairs educators, higher education scholars, and faculty colleagues too often goes unrecognized. Get Involved with GSNPCOP by recognizing and nominating a colleague, supervisor or supervisee, mentor, or other leader for an Award.

Start gathering information today and get ready to recognize colleagues!

Nominations are closed for 2022 Convention Awards.

 
Nominations are closed
Outstanding Master’s Student

This award is given to a current master’s degree student in a higher education or student affairs related program. The recipient of this award will have made a positive contribution (either through research or service to the profession) to the field of student affairs and/or has made significant contributions to their graduate program and institution.

Outstanding Doctoral Student

This award is given to a current doctoral student in a higher education or student affairs related program. The recipient of this award will have made a positive contribution (either through research or service to the profession) to the field of student affairs and/or has made significant contributions to their graduate program and institution

Outstanding New Professional

This award is given to an individual in their first five years of professional (post-graduate) employment. The recipient of this award will have demonstrated outstanding contributions to their department, institution, and the field of student affairs (either through research or professional service). This individual should demonstrate a propensity for developing students and utilizing theory in practice.

Outstanding Mentor to Graduate Students

This award is given to an outstanding student affairs professional or graduate preparation faculty member who goes above and beyond in their efforts to provide guidance and support to graduate students in higher education or a student affairs related graduate program.

Outstanding Mentor to New Professionals

This award is given to an outstanding student affairs professional who goes above and beyond in their efforts to provide guidance and support to new practitioners in the field of Student Affairs.

Outstanding Dedication to Professional Service

This award is given to a new professional or graduate student in higher education or a student affairs related field who demonstrates an outstanding commitment to the field of student affairs through involvement in professional associations (both local, regional, and national), committees, conferences, and/or graduate program recruitment.

Unsung Hero Award

This award is given to a graduate student or new professional initiating and leading action to remove barriers and improve equity and access in higher education. They constantly seek to improve the campus environment to enhance the experience of historically underrepresented student populations through concrete action in their communities.

Advancing Equity Award

This award is given to a graduate student or new professional initiating and leading action to remove barriers and improve equity in higher education. This person is dedicated to researching, understanding, and improving systemic barriers to historically underrepresented students.