SCUP Board Meeting, Ann Arbor, November 2-3, 2007

At left, SCUP president Nancy Tierney of the University of Arizona, engaging in discussion with international director-at-large Miguel Cedano Romo of Universidad Technologica de Mexico.

SCUP's Board of Directors meets face to face four times a year. Once is at the annual, international conference and idea marketplace, which in 2008 will be in Montreal. The other three meetings are in Ann Arbor, which is the location of the society's office. This fall meeting is one where, among the primary objectives, the board takes a look at the status of the FY07-08 budget (The fiscal year began October 1.) and reviews the year's environmental scanning efforts in light of the organization's strategic plan, and recommends directors for volunteers and staff that will inform the first look at the FY08-09 budget in April of 2008.

In this image are, left to right, Rich Franz, Professional Development Committee chair (David E Shambach Architect, Inc); Sal Rinella, president-elect (STRATUS, a Division of Heery International); David L. Miller, North Atlantic Regional Council chair (University of Wisconsin System); Jaime Garrido, director-at-large (Pima Community College).

Below, Niraj Dangoria of Stanford University, chair of SCUP's Pacific Regional Council, makes a point about the importance of personal connection in society professional development events.

As part of its regular review of SCUP's strategic plan, at this meeting the board of directors has revised the language of the society's mission to read: "The Society for College and University Planning is a community dedicated to providing its members with the knowledge and resources to establish and achieve institutional planning goals within the context of best practices and emerging trends."

One of the major discussions at this meeting is about how SCUP addresses "internationalization," both as a society which is serving a membership and as one which scans for emerging and important trends in higher education.

This meeting is taking place in the Michigan Room, on the second floor of the Michigan League, a heritage campus building for the University of Michigan which was, at the time of its construction, the answer for women students to the fact that the Michigan Union was only for men. (Interestingly, as I write these words, there are 11 women in this room and 8 men.)