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
Our Vision
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. The purpose of this standing committee was to create a system of support for graduate students and new professionals in ACPA by recognizing the need to have affordable convention registration, housing options, as well as programs and events focused on graduate students.
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. The goal was to enable graduate students and new professionals to move in to the Standing Committee up through the Directorate and on to positions of great responsibility within the Association.
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. While working as a Coalition, Graduate Students and New Professionals helped emphasized the importance of partnership and collaboration and helped make our entity group more inclusive to the entirety of our membership.
2017 // After conversations with ACPA in 2017, it was 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.
Newsletters
December 2024
November 2024
July 2024
February 2024
November/December 2023
October 2023
September 2023
2022-23 Year in Review
News & Updates
GSNP Bylaws Voting
Voting on the GSNP CoP proposed revised Bylaws is now live! A unique link has been sent via email to all active GSNP members, with voting ending on March 14th. Click here for a web-accessible copy of the proposed revised Bylaws or go to...
GSNP T-Shirt Fundraiser Round Two!
GSNP T-Shirt Fundraiser Round Two! See some of our GSNP folks around Long Beach rocking our shirt and want one of your own? Round two of our fundraiser is live now! To purchase a shirt, visit our CustomInk page at this link or go...
GSNP Scholarship Recipients
Congratulations to our GSNP CoP scholarship recipients! The Graduate Students and New Professionals Community of Practice is passionate about getting folks involved with ACPA, and these scholarships do just that!
GSNP Directorate Board Applications Now Open!
We are excited to have launched the application form for Graduate Students and New Professionals Community of Practice 2025-2026 Directorate Coordinator positions! We are accepting applications for a total of 15-18 new Coordinators across four functional areas who...
GSNP Election Information and Candidate Bios
Elections for the Graduate Students and New Professionals Community of Practice are officially live! Voting takes place October 28th - November 1st. All active GSNP members should have received a unique link via email today, October 28th, to vote for the following...
GSNP CustomInk Fundraiser
GSNPCoP is Celebrating Careers in Student Affairs Month by kicking off our CustomInk fundraiser! Funds raised through this fundraiser will help us send graduate students and new professionals to Long Beach! GSNP’ers need your help so that they can network, job search,...
GSNP Convention Flat Rate and Membership Scholarship Applications Are Live!
The applications for the Convention Flat Rate and ACPA Membership Scholarship are now open! Click here to apply or go to https://forms.gle/fUt3ajm71S7p2zDx6 Applications for both of these scholarships are due by December 15th, 2024. The Convention Flat Rate...
Fill Out Our GSNP Member Needs Survey!
GSNP invites you to fill out our 2024 Member Needs Survey! Your feedback will help us plan for the upcoming year so that we can continue to provide you with relevant and useful professional development and networking opportunities as well an amazing Convention...
Apply to be a GSNP Convention Ambassador!
If you are looking to connect with others in our community, learn more about ACPA, and have built-in guides for convention, sign up to be a ACPA Convention Ambassador in Long Beach! Convention Ambassadors is a initiative led by the ACPA Graduate Students and New...
upcoming events
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Meet the Directorate
Liv Maldonado
Chair
She/Her/Hers
Appalachian State University
Coordinator for Recruitment and Student Operations
Blanca Moncada
Chair-Elect
She/Her/Ella
San José State University
Coordinator for Academic Success
Julie Townley
Past Chair
She/Her/Hers
Clemson University
CARE Case Manager
Convention Experience Team
Cole Verbeten
Vice Chair, Convention Experience
He/Him/His
University of Wisconsin- Madison
SOAR Operations Specialist
Abby Roskos
Coordinator, Special Events
She/Her/Hers
University of Nebraska Lincoln
Program Coordinator
Nick Malendowski
Coordinator, Special Events
He/Him/His
Eastern Michigan University
Assistant Director, Honors College
Taylor Gregory
Coordinator, Convention Ambassadors
He/Him/His
University of Arizona
Community Director
Kayla Vukas
Coordinator, Convention Ambassadors
She/Her/Hers
Arizona State University
Coordinator of Fraternity and Sorority Life
Emma Hage
Coordinator, Awards & Scholarships
She/They
University of Cincinnati
Program Manager
Networking Team
Sydney Rubin
Vice Chair, Networking
She/Her/Hers
The Ohio State University
Recruitment and Engagement Specialist
des velázquez
Coordinator, Cross-Organizational Involvement
He/Him/Él
University of California, Santa Cruz
Program Coordinator, Cantú Queer Resource Center
Soheli F Jony
Coordinator, Cross-Organizational Involvement
She/Her/Hers
Indiana University Bloomington
PhD Student, NSSE Graduate Assistant
Lucy Ade
Coordinator, Member Engagement
She/Her/Hers
Western Illinois University
Graduate Assistant, Office of Student Engagement
VACANT
Coordinator, Member Engagement
Operations Team
Steven Feldman
Vice Chair, Operations
He/They
Indiana University Bloomington
PhD Candidate, NSSE Graduate Assistant
Ramon Izquierdo
Coordinator, Data and Assessment
He/Him/His/El
University of Cincinnati
Community Coordinator
Lauren Feldman
Coordinator, Website Content and Development
They/She
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Assistant Director, Gender Equity and Sexuality
Chloe Dragos
Coordinator, Social Media
She/Her/Hers
Western Carolina University
Professional Development Team
Maddy Wilson
Vice Chair, Professional Development
She/Her/Hers
Boise State University
Student Organizations Coordinator
Michael Chapman
Coordinator, Professional Engagement
He/Him/His
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Men’s Engagement Coordinator
Anne Badgett
Coordinator, Professional Engagement
She/Her/Hers
Appalachian State University
Residence Director
Carly Fanning
Coordinator, Professional Engagement
She/Her/Hers
State University of New York at Buffalo
Student Engagement Coordinator for the School of Management
Eddie Stakelum
Coordinator, Special Events
He/Him/His
Rochester Institute of Technology
Residence Coordinator
Jaclyn Coppinger
Coordinator, Special Events
She/Her/Hers
New York University
Graduate Intern, Office of the Provost
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!
- Login to your ACPA Member Account
- Click on Community Groups (Chatter)
- Click Groups
- Click Active Groups
- 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.
- Become a Convention Ambassador
- Attend our open business meeting and awards session at the annual ACPA convention
- Submit a program proposal for Convention
- Review award and scholarship submissions
- Host a webinar
Additional Involvement Opportunities
ACPA Convention Ambassadors
Please check back soon for more information.
Submit to Present in the Growing Knowledge Series!
Recently successfully defended your dissertation? Undecided about working toward an article, but looking for a way to share your dissertation scholarship? Never published your recent dissertation research? The Growing Knowledge Series is for YOU!! This new offering...
Apply to join the GSNPCOP Directorate!
We are currently seeking to fill all of our Coordinator positions on our Directorate for the 2022-2023 cycle. Before completing the application, please be sure you have reviewed the Directorate Interest Packet for Coordinator Positions. For full consideration, please...
GSNPCoP Scholarships
ACPA’s Graduate Student and New Professional Community of Practice is once again offering scholarships for ACPA25 and ACPA membership! If you have any questions, please reach out to acpagsnpconex@gmail.com
For an overview of what scholarships we’ll be offering this year, please review below:
Convention Registration Scholarship
Application Closes: September 15th, 2024
Description: The Convention Registration Scholarship will cover the registration fee for the 2025 ACPA Convention in Long Beach, CA at Early Bird 2 Rate for ACPA Graduate Students and New Professionals ($239). If you are not an ACPA member and/or do not register by the deadline, you are responsible for making up the difference in costs.
Eligibility Requirements: Must be a current graduate student (Masters or Doctoral) or in the first 1-5 years of their professional role at the time of the 2025 Annual Convention. Also must plan to attend the 2025 Annual Convention February 16-19, 2025 in Long Beach, California.
Flat-Rate Scholarship
Application Opens: October 1st, 2024
Application Closes: December 15th, 2024
Description: This scholarship is intended to cover other financial needs associated with Convention other than registration (for example hotel, meals, airfare etc.) as we know that institutions might only fund certain parts of attendance. This scholarship’s recipients will each receive a flat-rate stipend to go towards conference expenses while attending ACPA25. The scholarship will most likely come in the form of a reimbursement – more information will shared at the time of acceptance.
Eligibility Requirements: Must be a current graduate student (Masters or Doctoral) or in the first 1-5 years of their professional role at the time of the 2025 Annual Convention. Also must plan to attend the 2025 Annual Convention February 16-19, 2025 in Long Beach, California.
Membership Scholarship:
Application Opens: October 1st, 2024
Application Closes: December 15th, 2024
Description: This scholarship is intended for grad students or new professionals who are unable to attend Annual Convention due to financial or other reasons. This scholarship will provide a year-long membership to ACPA where folks will be able to access ACPA2GO, the “Journal of College Student Development”; and “About Campus”, a network of Entity groups, and resources on the Strategic Imperative for Racial Justice and Decolonization.
Eligibility Requirements: Be a current graduate student (Masters or Doctoral) or in the first 1-5 years of their professional role at time of application submission
Additionally, we will looking for scholarship reviewers for these annual scholarships! Check back soon for a link to sign up to be a reviewer.
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 by October 31st.
The Graduate Students and New Professionals Community of Practice (GSNPCoP) honors 7 individuals with the following awards during ACPA 2025 in Long Beach, California. If you have questions about this process, please contact the Awards Coordinator via email at ACPAGSNPConEx@gmail.com.
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 three 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 a 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 a 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.
Racial Justice and Decolonization Research Excellence Award
This award is given to a practitioner or researcher within Student Affairs who has dedicated research hours and/or publications related to the Strategic Imperative on Racial Justice and Decolonization. Research should highlight the progression or action steps outlined by the Strategic Imperative.