Message from the NJACAC President
Haaaay NJACAC!
A year goes by so fast! This is my final monthly message as President and I want to use this opportunity to review some of the major highlights of the 2023-2024 cycle. This is clearly not an exhaustive list.
Membership
We instituted a new membership model trial, allowing for both individual and institutional memberships. 84 institutions throughout the country signed up using the institutional option. Our membership now sits at just below 900.
Our organization transitioned to a new CRM, Neon One. The Executive Committee authorized us to execute a 1-year contract, allowing us to see if this new platform would best suit our needs. We have heard substantial feedback from our membership and will be making decisions that will hopefully improve your experience creating and renewing memberships and registering for events.
NJACAC hosted one of our largest membership meetings at NACAC–over 200 people joined us for a reception in Baltimore.
2024-2027 Strategic Plan
After months of planning and discussions, the Executive Committee adopted a 3-year strategic plan. Please click the links to see a Summary Image and the Full Plan.
Expanded Professional Development
This year we ramped up the number of workshops offered to our members. We hosted a “Day in the Life” series highlighting the work that occurs on all sides of the desk and collaborated with HESAA to offer two workshops on the FAFSA changes and their impact for School Counselors and Admission Professionals. Additionally, workshops were offered focusing on HBCUs, NCAA Eligibility, and Trends in the College Admissions Landscape.
We reinvigorated our Mentorship program allowing those who are new to the field to be paired with an experienced practitioner.
The Summer Bus Tour is up and running again. When registration went live, over 200 people from across the country expressed interest in attending.
NJACAC’s Online Presence
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Chris Hoffman, we launched a brand new website! The new design is easy to navigate and provides a ton of valuable information! Admittedly, there are waaaaay too many pictures of me on the website, but get ready to see Ryan DePuy’s face emerge in the coming months!!
NJACAC created a LinkedIn page this year and we already have over 260 followers. Be sure to follow us, not only on LinkedIn, but Facebook and Instagram as well.
NJACAC on the National Stage (literally)
This year, members of our NJACAC community were highlighted in national forums. Dr. Sarah Smith presented at the NACAC NEXT program, Ryan DePuy presented at the NACAC Middle Management Institute, and I presented at the NACAC Conference First Timers Orientation. Additionally, Carlos Cano was nominated for NACAC Board Service and is featured in the current edition of NACAC’s Journal of College Admission Counseling. Jennifer Nuechterlein was a guest on and now is a host for Counselor Bites, sponsored by the College Guidance Network.
I know that there are others who are doing amazing work within NACAC and other organizations across the country. You make us all proud!!
NJACAC Banner Mystery Solved
Not everyone may know this, but our NJACAC banners have been missing in action since just before the pandemic. We searched high and low and it was the focus of MANY conversations among the Executive Board members. Thankfully, THE BANNER HAS BEEN LOCATED! This literally might be the achievement that brings me the most joy! We will guard it at all costs.
Attitude of Gratitude
My deepest thanks to the 23-24 Executive Board and Executive Committee for your support and helping to move NJACAC forward. Thank you Susan Hatch for your ongoing dedication and support–CONGRATS ON YOUR NJACAC RETIREMENT, you will be missed (though still a phone call away). Thank you Sarah Smith for being a sounding board and willing to let me know when I would go a bit too “out there”. Thank you Ryan DePuy for your insights and helping me to learn so many new phrases that have entered my lexicon, specifically, “is the juice worth the squeeze?”. I am confident that you will continue to build upon our successes as you roll into your Presidential term.
Thank you to my wonderful and supportive colleagues at Hackensack High School. Melynda Cruz, Colleen Krenn, Kara Ferrazzano, Maggie Magner, Dr. Lucinda Harris, Terry Rauschberg and our new supervisor Alyce Cusano. You have listened to my stories, proofread many texts, and provided unconditional encouragement. Because I know you would not step into the spotlight yourselves, I am going to shout you out here!!
Most importantly, THANK YOU to all our members. More than you will know, I appreciated the random texts and emails and conversations of support, encouragement, and suggestions. It truly is remarkable how many wonderful people are among our ranks!
Concluding Thoughts
Serving as NJACAC President has been both challenging and rewarding. Thank you for granting me the opportunity to serve and represent our Association over the past year, it truly has been a highlight of my professional career.
As you can see, NJACAC is active and our best days are ahead of us. I do not want to steal any of Ryan’s thunder as he transitions into the Presidency, but know that lots of changes are on the horizon that will continue to elevate our association and hopefully improve your membership experience.
Ultimately, my goal this year was to leave the Association just a tad bit better than when I entered into the President role. My steadfast belief that we are in this together and that collectively, there is nothing we cannot accomplish has been reinforced time and time again.
As always, it is an honor to work alongside you all. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at president@njacac.org (just until the end of the conference). After that, I can be reached at pastpresident@njacac.org and will be basking in my Past Presidential Glow Up.
I hope to see many of you next week at NJACAC24: The Crossroads of Counseling.
In gratitude,
Randy Stamm
School Counselor, Hackensack High School
NJACAC President (23-24)