Welcome to this edition of the Commission VII newsletter -- I hope you will find the contents helpful and interesting to you in your work. Thanks as always needs to go to Annie Tomlin, a senior at the University of Michigan, who has helped put this in a web friendly format — her work is much appreciated. As we did last year, this edition is focused on helping us all prepare for the upcoming ACPA National Convention in Washington, D.C., April 1-5. There is an extensive listing of programs, which have qualified for CE credits for psychologists, with accompanying abstracts. Thanks so much to Kurt Gehlert and Laura Lyn for providing this information to us all — it helps immensely as we wade through the program book. We also have highlighted and described in depth a workshop which will be presented by Dr. Richard Keeling for our Sunday afternoon time slot. Please consult flyers and the program book for specifics on times/rooms/changes once you get to the convention.

Also in this edition is a brief piece from three of our Commission VII members -- Kathy Bieschke, Sharon Bowman, and Jim Croteau -- on how belonging to Commission VII and ACPA is meaningful to them as faculty members. It is my hope as we read their very personal and illuminating statements, that we as a commission keep maintaining and nurturing the bridge between science and practice. Their words will also help broaden the landscape of our professions and hopefully stimulate us all to see new ways of connecting with each other and new roads as we progress as a Commission. I also appreciate the implicit theme they wrote about -- engaging in personal work and journeys yet also connecting with our larger professions -- be they academia, counseling, psychology, social work, administration, etc. In an age where travel budgets may be shrinking, we do have to make choices about "professional homes" and conventions -- ultimately it comes down to "what can I gain by being a member, by going to a conference?". The answer for many of us to what the ACPA national convention means is that it is a time of connecting with the expanding circles of our work. We all know how wonderful it is to connect with people that we see once a year at the convention, to talk with others about issues we all struggle with, to hear fresh ideas and new ways of looking at practice issues, and ultimately, to connect with our broader student affairs profession. It is a time of professional renewal, of re-connecting with the meaning and purpose of our work, and maybe most importantly, to have fun and laugh. Have a great convention!