GLACUHO Involvement - Steven Yeagley, Hall Director, Wall & Grand Apartments

So what is GLACUHO? GLACUHO is the Great Lakes Association of College & University Housing Officers which is our regional association of ACUHO-I. While there are a number of ways to be professionally involved at SIUC, our department is active and visible within GLACUHO.

To give an idea of our level of involvement, our Director of University Housing is a Past-President and Residence Life has had a number of individuals serve in Executive Board positions and a number of professionals have served on committees.

GLACUHO committees with SIUC representation in the past two years have included Professional Foundations, Contemporary Issues, Communications & Marketing, Inclusion & Equity, Campus Safety & Crisis Management and Programming & Development. As a professional in our department, the opportunity and encouragement to actively participate in GLACUHO is fantastic. During my first year here as a Hall Director, I able to attend GLACUHO and joined a committee. Every year, multiple staff members will choose to take on this commitment and will attend the Winter Business Meeting at Camp Tecumseh in Indiana.

GLACUHO’s Annual Conference has a wide array of professional development and service opportunities. While many will just attend sessions, SIUC has developed a reputation of active involvement. Over the past two years, 8 of our 11 Hall Directors have participated in the case study competition; we’ve presented a number of presentations on different topics which have included professional recruitment, co-supervision, and 1-on-1s. We’ve also had staff participate in GLACUHO’s community service project and the Connections program. With all of this involvement, it is exciting to share that we’ve also received recognition including multiple nominations and awards in New Professional of the Year and Outstanding Graduate Student.

Aside from the Annual Conference, GLACUHO has a number of professional development opportunities throughout the year, including a webinar series. Our staff often takes time out of our busy schedules to come together and view and participate in the webinar together. Other opportunities include publishing articles through GLACUHO’s Waves and Trends publications.

I just got back from attending GLACUHO’s Professional Development Institute with 19 other professional staff from throughout the region. It provided extensive training with the goal of preparing new professionals preparing to enter a mid-level position. I was fortunate to attend because I was supported and encouraged by my supervisor, Lindy Wagner, and by Tina Horvath, our Associate Director of Residence Life. While attending and speaking to peers at other institutions, it became clear that our involvement is beyond most institutions.

Overall, GLACUHO has an amazing amount to offer both graduate and professional staff. Regardless of the institution you choose to begin or continue your career at, I’d encourage it to be within the GLACUHO region.