Affiliate and Chapter President Meeting
June 27, 2005
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Kansas City, MO
Attendance: John Grela, SUNY, Chair; Michael Barrett, University of Saint Thomas, MN, Minnesota Chapter; Gary Margolis, University of Vermont, IACP College and University Section; Michael Coleman, University of Virginia, VACLEA; Jessica Luedtke, Medical College of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chapter; Keith Mizelle, Valencia Community College, FL, FACSSA; Ken Kennedy, Missouri Southern State University, MACLEA; Priscilla Stevens, College of Southern Maryland, IACLEA President-Elect; Kenneth A. Willett, the University of Montana, IACLEA President; Allan Laird, Albertson College of Idaho, WACLEA; Robert Cowper, University of Windsor, OACUSA; Steve Rittereiser, Central Washington University, IACLEA Board Liaison.
Staff: Peter J. Berry, IACLEA Chief Staff Officer; Christopher G. Blake, IACLEA Associate Director.
Summary of actions taken:
A template for a regular e-blast message soliciting information on new trends, legislation, best practices, annual meeting information, and changes in contact information should be developed and sent out on a periodic basis.
J. Grela called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m. He asked those present to introduce themselves and to indicate their chapter or affiliate organization.
J. Grela asked if there were any questions regarding the minutes of the June 28, 2004 meeting in Ottawa. These minutes were distributed in advance. There were no questions.
He asked if there were any questions about the two handouts, “Minimum Guidelines for IACLEA Chapter Status” and “IACLEA Affiliate Organizations.” S. Rittereiser asked if anyone has ever taken advantage of the benefit in which IACLEA gives $25 to any organization for its use to an organization that recruits a new IACLEA institutional member. P. Berry said he believes Texas once took advantage of this benefit. P. Berry further stated that organizations that recruit a new member must pass along the information to the headquarters office in order to receive the $25 benefit. J. Grela said it would be beneficial to send the two documents, “Minimum Guidelines for IACLEA Chapter Status” and “IACLEA Affiliate Organizations,” to chapter and affiliate presidents because these offices turn over frequently and the new officers may not be aware of chapter and affiliate requirements and benefits.
He also said that affiliate and chapter presidents should designate a representative to attend this meeting at the Annual Conference if they are unable to attend.
He urged those who want to propose changes to “Minimum Guidelines for IACLEA Chapter Status” and “IACLEA Affiliate Organizations,” to contact C. Blake at Headquarters.
P. Berry urged those in attendance to update the contact information on the Chapter/Affiliate Organizations list that C. Blake circulated. He underscored the importance of creating an accurate and updated list because this information will be published soon in the next IACLEA Directory. Staff updates this list twice a year.
J. Grela there is a need for the group to focus on fulfilling its purpose and to become more active, since he plans to step down as chair. He said he and Ernie Leffler, the North Atlantic Regional Director, came up with a list of issues that are important to affiliate organizations. Chief among these is the need for more communication on issues of mutual concern. He added that the recent assignment of C. Blake of the IACLEA staff to work with chapter and affiliate organizations is a welcome move. He can serve as the linchpin for facilitating greater communication among state organizations and affiliates.
P. Berry reviewed the purpose of the group. The idea was to create a forum for networking, exchange of ideas, and sharing of information, such as legislative issues, newsletter articles, and Annual Meeting details. These could be achieved through workshops at the Annual Conference meeting of chapter and affiliate presidents. Potential workshop topics include government relations, Annual Meetings, and newsletters. P. Berry said the state chapters and affiliate organizations should take advantage of the opportunity to network and share information about emerging trends and issues, and best practices in their states or regions. This group needs to work with IACLEA to come up with a strategy for moving forward and meeting its purpose. There needs to be some ownership and a continual effort made throughout the year to communicate and share information. The group should have an agenda and a means of sharing information on a regular basis.
G. Margolis raised the question of what is the benefit of this group. What can members of this group contribute? What can they do to make it work better?
S. Rittereiser said there are a variety of ways that the group could be a benefit to its members and IACLEA. For example, if there are emerging legislative issues at the federal level affecting the campus public safety profession, the group could identify and/or contact local Congressional representatives. It could discuss the impact of federal legislation at the local level. It could develop interest in membership at the state level. It could promote information exchange on vendors who support the campus public safety community. Finally, the IACLEA list serve along is worth the price of admission through the exchange of ideas and information.
P. Berry asked whether an IACLEA list serve set up exclusively for state chapter and affiliate organization presidents would be helpful in building up the group.
K. Mizelle said list serves or links to state organizations’ web sites, the IACLEA sites and web sites with information relevant to campus public safety would be great resources. G. Margolis suggested that a bulletin board format, wherein postings would be organized by topic or subject area, would be a tremendous resource. P. Berry said such a format is available in the Members Only area of the IACLEA web site. M. Barrett said organizing the information in categories is useful. P. Berry said the staff has just completed a web site redesign, including moving the site to a new platform to facilitate these types of technological innovations.
K. Mizelle suggested that this meeting next year in Orlando could be turned into a workshop on leadership development for new or incoming presidents. Often, presidents come into their position without a lot of training in what it takes to effectively lead an organization. This type of training, presented at an IACLEA Annual Conference, would be a great way for IACLEA to assist in developing strong and effective presidents for state chapters and affiliate organizations.
P. Berry said IACLEA could organize a panel for next year’s meeting consisting of experienced presidents to share their wisdom and thoughts on effective leadership and governance. This panel could also present information on legislative initiatives and resources available to state organizations. This suggestion was enthusiastically received and it was agreed that IACLEA should pursue a workshop for next year.
J. Grela said one of the major challenges facing the group was to develop strong central coordination from IACLEA to facilitate sharing of information and ideas. During discussion it was suggested that IACLEA should send out a regular blast e-mail to the group soliciting information about new trends, best practices, hot issues, etc. It was agreed that this would be the best way for keeping the group engaged throughout the year.
After discussion, J. Grela asked for nominations from the floor for a new chair. Several said they might be interested in the future but did not feel they were ready. S. Rittereiser agreed to take the lead in coordinating the group and will coordinate with the headquarters staff.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
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