By Sue Brandt
Within the NEA and MEA, the APA falls under the classification of ESP which stands for Education Support Professionals. Meaning those employees who are in a support role and not a teacher or faculty member. I had the opportunity to present two sessions at the NEA ESP Conference recently. Outside of my session it also was a wonderful chance to network with others who are in support roles and share similar experiences. While there may be geographical differences, the commonality of some of the challenges and successes we shared helped to spark new ideas and motivate us to work together in creating sustainable and inviting environments for employees to work and students to learn. Professional development training opportunities are available online through various webinars, virtual and in person conferences. For more NEA information go to https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence and for MEA https://mea.org/professional-development/.
I would encourage other Higher Education ESPs to consider submitting a proposal to present at conferences so that we continue to bring more Higher Ed voices into the room. To view the APA Conference Proposal Submission Protocol go to https://msuapa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/APA-Conference-Proposal-Submission-Protocol.pdf.