Collegiate Career Services Association of Colorado and Wyoming
Collegiate Career Services Association of Colorado and Wyoming
The organization was originally called the Colorado Collegiate Career Planning Association. Records, dating back to 1970, show that Warren "Bud" Best, University of Northern Colorado, was then president of this rather informal group of college placement officers. The organization probably dates back further than 1970, but there was no records to confirm that.
Jim Jones, placement director at Fort Lewis College, appears to have been one of the founders of the association. Letters from Jones indicate that he was elected president in 1972.
Prior to his election, according to Jones, placement officers in Colorado had met once a year on a very informal basis for "tea and sympathy." Correspondence dating back to 1972-73 further reveals a marked resistance on his part to creating a more formal organization.
A planned for meeting of the group in the spring of 1972 never materialized. According to Jones, in another letter to the placement officers in the association, "...nothing was done."
At the RMCPA conference in Omaha in 1972, Jones confronted the Colorado members who were present. he said "That we (should) dissolve our organization due to lack of interest." Bud Best is reported to have been quite vocal in opposing the idea and the group decided to continue as an organization. Those who remember Bud Best will no doubt smile at the image of Bud "forcefully" making his point.
Another year went by, however, with apparently no meetings of the group and little or no commitment from the membership to carry out a project to which all had agreed - namely, to bring into the organization placement officers from Colorado's junior/community colleges.
In fall of 1973, Al Serafin from Denver University and Earl Young form the University of Colorado at Boulder, contacted Jim Jones to see if the long dormant organization could be resuscitated. A poll of the membership at the time indicated interest in having a formal organization with two meetings a year. Apparently what had been missing was the leadership to simply get the thing off the ground.
Serafin and Young, with Jones' blessing, agreed to host and co-chair the first meeting after a two year hiatus. That meeting was held at Denver University on May 7, 1974.
O.J. (Joe) Norton, placement director at Western State College, was treasurer. he informed Serafin and Young that the organization's checking account balance was $481.48. There having been no demands on the treasury for several years, Jones agreed to have the association pay for the lunch.
Among the many topics discussed at that meeting, several have become perennial favorites: confidentiality of records, reciprocity, placement file retention and coordinated scheduling of one-day job fairs.
Attendance at the meeting in 1974 was quite good and the group agreed to meet again in September. Helen Jacober, Colorado Women's College, and Earl Young were elected to serve as co-chairs for the September meeting to be held at CWC. And, the members all agreed to meet at least two times a year from then on. There was, after all, life in the old "body."
Many familiar names appear on the membership roster of the time:
The effort to include the placement officers from the Colorado junior/community colleges in CCCPA proved unsuccessful. No common ground could be found and so after a year they dropped out. For a brief time they tried having their won organization, but that seems to have failed also.
In 1975, a committee was established to determine the feasibility of publishing a brochure that could describe all of the Colorado colleges and universities. The intended market for this information campaign was to be employers. A similar booklet had been produced in 1970, with an introduction written by Bud Best who was identified as president of the organization. The booklet devoted a full page to each institution in the state. It essentially provided a thumbnail sketch of the school, i.e., size, degrees, programs and location. So, the idea was not new. It was really a plan for updating the earlier publication - perhaps in a different format.
However, in 1975, employer feedback clearly indicated that they saw no need for the brochure as they believed that they were sufficiently familiar with the schools in the state. The committee also concluded that the venture was to expensive. And so, the project was suspended.
It was in 1975 that CCCPA decided to reinstate a system of annual dues for each member school. Dues had not been collected since probably around 1970. Joe Norton, treasurer, retired as the 1974-75 academic year came to a close. The financial records and bank account was transferred to Earl Young who has acted as treasurer to the present time.
The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs established a fledgling placement office in 1975 under direction of John Ormanoski. Today, John is Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Support Services.
during the school year 1975-76, several new faces were welcomed into the organization as they replaced others who had retired or moved on. Few of these members remain with the organization today.
And, one very good friend to all died unexpectedly that year - Al Serafin.
Minutes of the CCCPA meetings for the next several years reveal a preoccupation with issues related to placement credentials, increasing use of "placement fees", confidentiality, and the idea of setting up a "credentials bank" that might solve some of the problem of all school districts requiring that candidates duplicate complete application files for each district they want to teach in. And, the issue of publishing a brochure about all of the institutions in Colorado was back again for consideration, promoting one member to observe that, "it reminded him of the movie 'Night of the Living Dead', you just couldn't kill the thing!"
Aggressive leadership of CCCPA continued with Jay Rosson, Helen Jacober, Pat Brelesford, Ted Giles and Earl Young. One of the projects initiated during the school year of 1976-77 was a survey of all Colorado school districts to gather information on current hiring practices and use of placement credentials files. Jay Rosson compiled the results of the survey which were used by placement offices for several years. Earl Young was president at the time.
Kathy Gibson became a new placement director at Regis College in 1977; Joann Albright accepted the position of Assistant Dean of Student Life at Denver University, presiding over a reorganized placement department. And, the affable Dave Berilla hosted the May meeting in Gunnison.
In September, 1977, the Association met in Glenwood Springs. New members at that meeting were Karen Stonley from Denver University, Avis Berlin, School of Mines, Jack Lieski, Denver University, Rich Patrei, Arapahoe Community College (Littleton). It was at this meeting that Jay Rosson announced his resignation at CSU to return to full time counseling.
By the spring of 1978, Regis College had another career planning director - Helen Jacober had moved from CWC to accept the position. Florence Moore was the placement coordinator. Carol Leavenworth represented Colorado College, and Don Sutton joined CSU as its new placement director. Don had come to Colorado from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln where he had served as assistant director under Frank Hallgren. All of these people quickly emerged as leaders who make lasing contributions to the Association.
For a period of about five years from 1977 there were few complete records of meetings and activities of the Association. CCCPA continued to hold regular meetings, even increasing the number to three meetings annually. the Association did take on the character of a more formal organization with the annual election of a president, the "official" appointment of the treasurer and three regularly scheduled meetings each year. Although minutes were kept of the meetings, no one was specifically charged with that responsibility until a few years later when the association included the position of elected vice president who was responsible for taking and distributing minutes.
As CCCPA moved into the 1980's, resignations and retirements continued with new members bringing enthusiasm, ideas and energy to the organization. Lawrence Gomez now represented Adams State, George Schilthuis having retired earlier. Fort Lewis had two new representatives in Tina martinez and Cathy Chaffin - Cathy was to continue as the primary representative from Fort Lewis. Vikki Smith replaced John Ormanoski at the growing UCCS campus and was an active participant until leaving the profession somewhere around 1984. Vikki's replacement was Irene martinez who came to collegiate placement from personnel work in local government.
During the early part of the 1980's , the membership roster continued to change. Bob Stokes became the Mesa College representative and Nancy Nish became placement director at Colorado College. sandy Hegevik joined the association representing Regis College, only to move on to Denver University for a short time later as the placement officer in the Graduate School of Business. Lynn Shaman was hired to replace Hegevik, but before CCCPA members had a chance to get to know her, she moved to the Cooperative Education Program at Regis.
Trudy Nocella had worked for several years at Loretto heights, primarily in counseling with placement duties assigned. She resigned to complete work on her PhD at the University of Northern Colorado. Emilie Snyder accepted the position as placement director. By the spring of 1988, Loretto Heights College was prepared to close due to insurmountable financial problems. Regis College agreed to take over the institution and in the process cut back on many of the programs. Emilie Snyder resigned and accepted a position outside of the state.
The Association's meetings grew in size as more representatives form the member schools began attending the meetings. Certainly a change from the early 1970's when only the "placement director" from each school would attend. By 1985, Dick North was the new placement director and very "active" participant in CCPA meetings. he resigned a year later and was replaced by Jo Chytka.
With Wyoming included in the organization and a growing impatience with the cumbersome name of the Association, members concluded that a name change was appropriate. After much discussion, the Collegiate Career Services Association (CCSA) of Colorado and Wyoming became the new name of the organization. Although name simplification was not achieved, the new name did give something of a broader view of what the organization was all about.
Special projects during this time included mailings to employers like the "CAPS OFF" flier touting the benefits of hiring Colorado graduates; a January reception for employers who had recruited on Colorado campuses was held at Regist College to "CAP OFF THE NEW YEAR". It was a way of showing appreciation to employers from the Association.
By the mid 1980's, the ever popular project of printing a brochure describing all of the collegiate institutions was resurrected. This time, however, persistence won out, or, perhaps the members wore out. At any rate the publication was designed, printed and distributed to employers by all of the collegiate placement offices.
It was also around 1984 that CCSA initiated an employer reception at each of the RMCPA conferences. this annual event was made possible through generous support of the Adolph Coors Company who provided the refreshments.
CCSA's influence as a professional organization was first felt in 1983 when the Colorado Education Employment Clearinghouse (CEEC) was established. No Colorado placement officer had been consulted when this computer assisted teacher referral services was put together by the Northern Colorado BOCES. Because of the potential for conflict between the collegiate teacher placement offices and CEEC, the president of CCSA requested that officials from CEEC meet with CCSA at its meeting in Fort Collins. Although somewhat acrimonious at times, the meeting did result in agreement about the use of placement credentials files and a CCSA members as appointed to the CEEC Steering Committee. earl Young served as that representative until 1988.
members of CCSA met periodically with the Colorado Association of School Personnel Administrators to discuss issues related to hiring of teachers. Although regularly discussed, agreement was never reached on such matters as a uniform employment application, standardized placement files, uniform placement procedures, etc.
During the academic year, 1983-84, the Association established an Employer Advisory Board so as to get feedback from employers on such topics as on-campus recruiting, improved communication between employer and placement officers, preparation of graduates for the job market, etc. Warren Spaulding, School of Mines, chaired this group. Although launched with great optimism, the advisory board met only a few times, finally disbanding because the association was uncertain as to the purpose and direction such a board should have.
By 1985, CCSA was regularly scheduling three meetings a year. The spring meeting was a two day meeting with emphasis on professional development.
The issues and problems haven't changed much over the years, but the organization has. It has evolved into a more formal structure with elected officers, financial stability through annually assessed dues, a clearly identified sense of purpose and a willingness dto speak with authority for the profession it represents. For example, a uniform position statement on third party agencies was agreed to and implemented; guidelines were developed for employers regarding the retraction of job offers; a firm statement of principles regarding job acceptance ethics was published and distributed to students going through on-campus interviews. The latter was adopted by the Rocky Mountain College Placement Association (RMCPA). The Colorado Association of School Personnel Administrators solicits input from the organization when looking at issues related to teacher placement.
CCSA continues to work toward fulfilling one of its stated purposes, namely the development of programs of mutual support among the member institutions. for example, during the summer of 1986, Bob Jenkins, UNC, coordinated a mailing providing all Colorado school districts with the names and addresses of teacher candidates still seeking teaching positions. Subsequent assessment of the project, however, concluded that the value was of marginal benefit to the graduates.
The years 1985 and 1986 saw the departure of two of the association's strong leaders - Don Sutton left CSU to take a position in the private sector and Dave Berilla resigned from Western State to accept a position in career services at the University of Delaware. Nancy Pool became acting manager of the CSU Career Services office, and Western State filled Berilla's position internally with a part time appointment of Chuck Tutor.
After a year's leave to complete a doctorate, Joann Albright returned to Denver University in the fall of 1987 as director of the Counseling and Placement Centers. she was asked to develop a statement of purpose for the association and to present it at the spring meeting, 1988. The statement adopted by the organization at the meeting in keystone.
Gerald Gerber, USC, announced his retirement effective May, 1988. Julie Hughes, Auraria Higher Education Center, completed her year as president of CCSA by announcing she was going on maternity leave in January, 1988.
Jim Jones probably wouldn't recognize the old CCCPA as it has evolved today. For one thing, virtually all of the members are strong leaders. Members possess a high level of motivation and commitment to maintain a strong, viable organization - one that sets goals and accomplishes them.
MEMBERSHIP - CCSA can be described as a "casual" professional society. Membership is by institution. Career services staff and current interns may attend CCSA meetings. Each new member should receive a new member's package, which outlines some of the past accomplishments of the association.
MEMBERSHIP FEES AND MEETING FEES - The annual university or college membership fee of $50. The annual fee is used for membership projects or to bring in presenters. Both the president and treasurer hold signature authority on the funds. The CCSA treasury is typically used for joint projects, professional training, etc. Any membership expenditures under $100 may be approved by the president and treasurer; any expenditures over $100 must be approved by the membership (virtual votes may occur.) Additional individual fees are charged for each meeting for refreshments and/or facility rental.
MEETING SCHEDULE - We meet twice a year (it used to be 3x's a year). The fall meeting is held in November on the eastern slope and the spring meeting is held in May on the western slope. The spring and the fall meetings typically run from Thursday morning until noon the next day. In 1995, the career directors wished to have time to meet with each other, and for travel convenience, Thursday morning before the CCSA spring meeting was selected.
MEETING AGENDA - The agenda is typically based on the interests of those who will be in attendance. Any member is welcome to request a particular subject or suggest a different approach for the meeting. And CCSA has changed through the years according to the membership's wishes. Most cultural changes occur casually based on discussion and agreement at a meeting; the by-laws have a set procedure for change. Through the years there has been an increased interest in providing professional development at each meeting that can be provided by the members or by bringing in a professional speaker. The president sets the meeting agenda and facilitates the discussions. Providing nametags at each meeting is highly recommended since there are typically new people at each meeting.
ATTIRE - Generally the fall meeting is office attire or business casual. The spring meeting is more casual since we are usually at a mountain resort (jeans, shorts, etc.)
OFFICER POSITIONS AND ELECTION PROCESS - If one stays in CCSA long enough, one usually has the opportunity to hold an office of secretary/president-elect, president, and treasurer (this one tends to hold on to its incumbent longer because of the need to change signatures for the bank account.) The election process is held during the spring meeting. Nominations are written on a piece of paper. Confidentially, the president and president-elect note who is nominated (no counts are given) and the individuals are asked if they are willing to serve. An individual who is not at the spring meeting and wishes to be considered for an office needs to let someone know beforehand. The election is similar: vote on a piece of paper, the president and president-elect counts who gets the most votes and announce who are our new officer (no counts are given.) A little history: nominations used to be given vocally, those willing to serve left the room and a show of hands elected the officers . . . it was very awkward. There tends to be no politicking in the election process.
PRESIDENT RESPONSIBILITIES - The president also keeps the CCSA "suitcase" current with meeting minutes, projects, and the shared video library. It is helpful as one receives the suitcase to review the contents of our past. The president is responsible for meeting agenda and its facilitation. The president provides new members with a membership orientation package. With the president-elect, the president conducts the election held during the spring meeting.
PRESIDENT-ELECT/SECRETARY RESPONSIBILITIES - The president-elect is the secretary the year prior to taking the president's position. The position is responsible for meeting minutes which is submittal to the membership to view within one month of the meeting and updates the membership. The president-elect will immediately replace the president should s/he leave office before the term ends and an immediate virtual election will take place.
TREASURER RESPONSIBILITIES - The treasurer holds signature authority with the president and maintains the membership bank account. The treasurer bills and collects the annual membership fee, pays membership bills, submits tax-exempt filing, maintains signature changes on bank account, and provides a financial statement for approval at each meeting.
FACILITY/SITE CHAIR - At the spring meeting, the president solicits who wants to host the next two meetings. Outlined on the web site are guidelines on contracting with hotels, meeting space, etc. One note in contracting with hotels is to set a release date for held lodging rooms so the membership is not responsible for rooms not reserved.
JOINT PROJECTS - Joint projects, such as the joint invitation to school districts to education fairs, and employment statements (see CCSA web site) have been developed in the past as a result of task teams. Liaison positions to other organizations are appointed by the president. In the past we have had a liaison position to CASPA (Colorado Association of School Personnel Administrators) Occasionally, a professional trainer is invited and non-members are invited to attend and pay a fee.
SUMMARY COMMENT - The one enduring result of membership in CCSA has been the relationships and friendships that have developed. CCSA members can contact each other for advice and understanding - and it tends to be an individual process. Since some members only see each other 2x's a year, the meetings are ones of renewed relationships and development of new ones.