The new ACM program brings professional staff together to explore emerging trends, strengthen cross-campus collaboration, and develop practical strategies to support student success.
The Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) has launched a new professional development program, Navigating a Changing Higher Education Landscape, to help staff deepen their understanding of emerging trends and strengthen their capacity to lead and manage change on their campuses.
Recognizing that professional staff play a vital role in sustaining the student experience and advancing the mission of small liberal arts colleges, the program brings together colleagues from across ACM member colleges for shared learning, discussion, and practical skill-building focused on supporting today’s students. Through in-person workshops and follow-up virtual sessions, participants explore how their institutions can better align services, communication, and support structures to meet the needs of current and future learners.
For Elliott Rocha, assistant director of residence life at Coe College, the recent workshop provided opportunities to discuss shared challenges with cross-institutional peers and to collaborate with staff from Coe whom he does not see every day.
“It was really refreshing to hear that everybody is kind of having the exact same issues,” Rocha said. During the workshop, he and his Coe colleagues discussed how they can better guide students to the campus support systems they need. “I think it’s very important that staff have these conversations and development opportunities so that we can all come together and figure out ways to work toward the common goal: making sure students feel successful and feel like they belong.”
The first two workshops in the series, held on February 4 at Ripon College and on March 4 at Coe College, brought together more than 100 staff members from nine member colleges, representing areas including student life, academic affairs and advising, admissions, financial services, advancement, career services, public safety, and accessibility services.
A recent report from The Chronicle of Higher Education found that staff and faculty are especially concerned about mental health services, proactive academic advising, tutoring, first-year support, peer mentorship, and emergency financial assistance. At the same time, survey respondents noted that meaningful progress requires coordinated efforts across campus rather than a single initiative. Finding time for coordination is challenging, given mounting pressures arising on and off campus.
Against this backdrop, the new ACM program creates space for staff to share perspectives, learn from colleagues across institutions, and develop practical approaches to addressing student needs. Participants conducted peer interviews to learn about the challenges and opportunities facing colleagues in different roles and offices, then returned to campus-based teams to brainstorm solutions.
Mary Hatlen, director for career and professional development at Ripon College, stressed that today’s students are often exhausted from constantly having to reprioritize.
“Students are coming in with so much unpacking to do about themselves and the world we’re living in, and they’re walking into a lot of uncertainty,” Hatlen explained. “I think it’s very easy to get complacent in what we do, and I think staff development offers an opportunity for us to grow. If we’re growing, we bring back new ideas to help our students grow, and, ultimately, that’s what we’re modeling to our students: that learning is a lifelong endeavor.”
Each campus team identified a student-facing challenge to explore further and committed to testing one pilot solution to address it this semester.
ACM President Lisa Jasinski was excited to see the strong level of participation in the program, highlighting it as a reflection of both the dedication of professional staff and of the importance of creating opportunities for collaboration.
“Professional staff play incredibly meaningful roles in so many aspects of campus life, from supporting students directly to strengthening the systems that help them succeed,” Jasinski said, noting that expanding programming for professional staff is a key component of ACM’s strategic framework. “Programs like Navigating create opportunities for colleagues across our campuses to amplify their collective impact on undergraduates and beyond.”
Jasinski expressed gratitude to Ripon College and Coe College for hosting the first two workshops and to the staff and faculty panelists who shared their perspectives and experiences.
Throughout the spring semester, participants will continue to develop tools and strategies to implement change on their campuses. ACM will also host a workshop for another cohort of staff on April 9 at St. Olaf College. More information can be found here. Future offerings of Navigating a Changing Higher Education Landscape are planned for the 2026-2027 academic year.
