American College Personnel Association (ACPA), headquartered in Washington, D.C. at the National Center for Higher Education, is the leading comprehensive student affairs association that advances student affairs and engages students for a lifetime of learning and discovery.

ACPA, founded in 1924 by May L. Cheney, has nearly 9,000 members representing 1,500 private and public institutions from across the U.S. and around the world. Members include organizations and companies that are engaged in the campus marketplace. Members also include graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in student affairs/higher education administration programs, faculty, and student affairs professionals, from entry level to senior student affairs officers. Learn about the benefits of joining ACPA.

Vision: ACPA leads the student affairs profession and the higher education community in providing outreach, advocacy, research, and professional development to foster college student learning.

Mission: ACPA supports and fosters college student learning through the generation and dissemination of knowledge, which informs policies, practices and programs for student affairs professionals and the higher education community.

Core Values:
The mission of ACPA is founded upon and implements the following core values:

• Education and development of the total student.
• Diversity, multicultural competence and human dignity.
• Inclusiveness in and access to association-wide involvement and decision-making.
• Free and open exchange of ideas in a context of mutual respect.
• Advancement and dissemination of knowledge relevant to college students and their learning, and to the effectiveness of student affairs professionals and their institutions.
• Continuous professional development and personal growth of student affairs professionals.
• Outreach and advocacy on issues of concern to students, student affairs professionals and the higher education community, including affirmative action and other policy issues.