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The first move toward the
establishment of the Missouri College Personnel Association was
started by Marie T. Bergmann, now retired from St. Louis Community
College-Meramec, when she was the ACPA representative to the
Missouri Personnel and Guidance Association (MPGA). She conferred
with Robert Callis (UM-C) who agreed that there was no vehicle for
communication between personnel at the college/university level in
student services throughout the state. So Marie got a copy of the
guidelines for starting an ACPA state division and took the first
step, that of surveying interest among the ACPA members in the
state.
The survey, sent in October 1969,
revealed considerable interest, so Marie went to the president of
MPGA and asked him to appoint an organizing committee, which he did.
Leo Sweeney of UMKC was the chair and other members were:
Board of Higher
Education/Lutheran Church, Lesser R. Bayer
Central Missouri State University, William L. Brewington
Concordia Seminary, Kenneth H. Briemeier
Drury College, Kenneth E. Cook
Jefferson College, Norman E. Turnbough
Longview Community College, George F. Yee
Northeast Missouri State University, William J. Kunzler
Park College, Frank Christensen
St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley, Cassidy L. Riggs
St. Louis Community College-Meramec, Marie Bergmann (Ex Officio)
Saint Louis University, William M. Klepper II
Stephens College, Bernice L. Williamson
Southeast Missouri State University, Mary Helen Flentge
Southwest Baptist College, Richard D. Kahoe
Southwest Missouri State University, Homer J. Long
University of Missouri-Columbia, Rob Callis (Ex Officio),
William R. Galeota, L. Sandy MacLean, Allan Purdy
University of Missouri-Kansas City, S. Wheadon Bloch, Joe J.
Doerr
University of Missouri-Rolla, Sam A. Burton
University of Missouri-St. Louis, Arthur E. Smith
Washington University, Hazel Sprandel
Westminister College, Gale L. Fuller
In March 1970, letters of intent and
proposed By-Laws were sent to all ACPA members in Missouri and to
Theodore K. Miller, the Chairman of the ACPA State Division
Coordinating Committee at the time. An organizational meeting was
held during the ACPA Convention in St. Louis in late March 1970, and
signatures were obtained for the formal application of a State
Division Charter.
In January of 1971, a vote was take
of all ACPA members in Missouri on the approval of the establishment
of a State Division of ACPA. Leo Sweeney reported the vote to Daniel
L. Bratton in March 1971, and the charter was issued in April 1971.
At this point, things began to break
down. Leo Sweeney was extremely busy with other projects and could
not give the new association the attention it needed. He did call an
organization meeting in St. Louis on March 10 and 11, 1972, and
Marie Bergmann says that there appeared to be little motivation to
get the organization going. In all that time there had not been an
election and there were no official officers.
In October 1975, eleven people met in
St. Louis and decided to try to revitalize the organization. It was
decided that a steering committee would be formed to represent the
different types of higher education institutions across the state,
Joyce Fielding was to schedule and organize the steering committee.
Bob Callis was to get a program together for the spring and Sharon
Pope was to continuer as the membership chair. This steering
committee met in February 1976, and drafted Joyce Fielding to be
President and Hazel Sprandel as Past President. The first election
of officers was held the following Spring and the association has
been growing since then.
For several years,
MoCPA held their annual conferences in
conjunction with other professional associations in the state. For
example, in 1978, MoCPA held a joint
conference with the Missouri Association of College Registrars and
Admissions Officers at the Lake of the Ozarks and in 1979, 1980, and
1981, joint conferences were held with the Missouri Personnel and
Guidance Association. By 1982, the Executive Council felt that the
Association was strong enough in both number and quality that a two
and one-half day annual conference would be supported by the
association alone. In addition to the annual conference, one-day
drive-in workshops had been started in 1978 by then-President Homer
Long. The quarterly newsletter, MoCPA
Notes, was started in 1977 under the leadership of President Sharon
Pope.
| Joyce
Fielding, 1976-77 - State Fair Community College
Sharon Pope, 1977-78 -
University of Missouri-Columbia
Homer Long, 1978-79 -
Southwest Missouri State University
Barbara Hunt, 1979-80
- St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley
Terry B. Smith,
1980-81 - Northeast Missouri State University
Audrey W. Remley,
1981-83 - Westminster College
Richard B. Caple,
1982-83 - University of Missouri-Columbia
David Sundberg,
1983-84 - Northwest Missouri State University
Catherine Cox Scroggs,
1985-86 - University of Missouri-Columbia
Johhnie McClinton,
1985-86 - Longview Community College
John D. "Jack" Morgan,
1986-87 - Maryville University
Jann Becherer, 1987-88
- St. Louis Community College-Meramec
Greg Roberts, 1988-89
- Central Missouri State University
Jim Selby, 1989-90 -
North Central Missouri College
Ellen Krout-Levine,
1990-91 - Washington University in St. Louis |
Linda Kaiser,
1991-92 - University of Missouri-Columbia
Mark Govoni, 1992-93
- Webster University
Tammy M. Gocial,
1993-94 - Webster University
Kathy Murray, 1994-95
- University of Missouri-Columbia
LuAnn Krager, 1995-96
- Central Missouri State University
O. Ray Angle, 1996-97
- St. Louis University
David Bravermann,
1997-98 - Culver-Stockton College
David Hoffman, 1998-99
- Truman State University
David Humphrey,
1999-2000 - Westminster University
Ron Gerstbauer,
2000-2001 - State Fair Community College
Kent Porterfield,
2001-2002, 2002-2003 - Northwest Missouri State University
John Comerford,
2003-2004 - Missouri Western State College
Matthew Quick,
2004-2005 - Rockhurst University
Jon Burke, 2005-2006 -
Blue River Community College
Venita Mitchell,
2006-2007 - William Woods University |
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Thoughts from our Past Presidents
I became involved in
MoCPA as a new professional and became President in 1984.
My involvement at the state level allowed me to
connect to professionals from Missouri as well as across the country.
Each year at ACPA, we in MoCPA, hosted a reception.
We invited anyone who had any connection to Missouri
to attend our reception.
It was amazing to how many professionals from around
the country at some point in their careers had worked in Missouri and had been a
part of building MoCPA.
Our state division over the past 35 years has helped new
professionals connect and be mentored.
It has provided professional development to student
affairs educators at all levels and it has prepared them for leadership in out
state and across the nation.
I am and have always been proud to be associated with MoCPA and am really sorry
to be missing this conference and celebration.
Cheers!
Cathy Scroggs
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
University of Missouri Columbia
MoCPA President 1984-1985
I was very proud
to have been president of MoCPA a long time ago.
I recall that during my service as President, we
bought lottery tickets for all of the attendees at our annual meeting and passed
them out.
I don’t think anyone won a lot, but some did reap a small
reward.
I have the strong recollection of traveling to Columbia, or
whatever we were meeting with a couple of other St. Louis folks, and talking
together who we thought should be considered for the next leadership position.
I recall Janna Becherer as one who served as
President, as of course, Cathy Scroggs among others.
My best to you, and the future of MoCPA
Jack Morgan
Executive Director of Omicron Delta
Kappa
MoCPA President 1986-1987
I arrived at
Truman in Fall 1994 fresh from my doctoral program at the University of Maryland
College Park.
I was encouraged by then Dean Mark Shanley to join MoCPA
and attended the annual fall conference held in at the Alumni Center at the
University of Missouri in Columbia that year. MoCPA President Kathy Murray
encouraged me to get involved and I joined the Executive Council in a position
she created to explore ways the state association could stimulate more research
in student affairs.
While we never were quite able to find a viable way
to produce a state journal, the association became much more focused on
encouraging graduate student scholarly activity within the association through
poster sessions, presentations, and in more recent years, the case study
competitions at the annual fall conference.
MoCPA provided me with a friendly, supportive
network of student affairs colleagues from across the state.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of serving the
association in a variety of capacities such as Treasurer, Conference Chair, and
the three year commitment in the President’s rotation.
I had a challenging 18 month term as president, when
David Braverman left to take a new position in California and half the Executive
Council also took new positions out of state.
Other member stepped up that year and MoCPA served a
valuable role in helping ACPA host a very successful 1998 National Convention in
St. Louis under the leadership of Dr. Trish Volp.
Over half of the members on the convention planning
team were current or former MoCPA members.
This was in addition to MoCPA’s own fall conference
and spring workshop. MoCPA has also provided me with opportunity to become
involved as a leader within ACPA, serving as MoCPA’s representative to the
State/International Divisions Council, Assessment Commission Member, and
Professional Development Core Council Representative for the State/International
Divisions.
I have been privileged over the years to visit many of the
campuses across the state through the opportunities provided by MoCPA. I am
always amazed at the association’s ability to get nationally renowned speakers
and leaders in student affairs at out conferences and workshops.
I am also pleased that MoCPA is a welcoming
association where graduate students and new professionals and more “seasoned”
student affairs professionals have the opportunity to interact and learn from
each other.
As the association continues to evolve to meet the needs of
its membership, I believe that MoCPA continues to provide its members with
excellent professional development experiences and networking opportunities.
This 30th anniversary provides an
opportunity to reflect on the significant impact the association has had in
serving Missouri student affairs professional and the students they serve.
Whether we’re at Lake of the Ozarks, Columbia, St.
Louis, or Kansas City, I always look forward to seeing old colleagues, meeting
someone new, and furthering my lifelong professional development through the
learning opportunities provided by MoCPA.
I am proud to have been honored with a lifetime
membership in MoCPA. MoCPA has had a distinguished past and can look forward to
a bright future!
David A. Hoffman, PH. D.
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
and Director, Office of Citizenship and Community Standard
Truman State University
MoCPA President 1998-1999
I have a lot of
good memories from the years I was involved in MoCPA leadership.
During those years, I had the good fortune to spend
a lot of time with student affairs leaders from around the state, many of whom I
consider to be friends and colleagues to this day.
Seeing the young professionals grow into seasoned
professionals was one of the most reward aspects of being involved in MoCPA, and
it was one of the main reasons I chose to serve at the time I did. I remember
vividly a few years back when the state association was nearly defunct.
A small group of student affairs professionals came
together at that time in an attempt to bring MoCPA “back to life” so to speak.
In large part, we were self-appointed and though
there were few resources available, we managed to pull together quality programs
and services which attracted professionals back into the association.
I am very proud to have served two terms as MoCPA
President, and to have had some small role in helping the association evolve
into the strong state division of ACPA that it is today.
Being a part of MoCPA has always been incredibly
rewarding and enriching experience for me.
As always, I’m looking forward to joining my
colleagues at the fall conference.
Kent Porterfield, Ed. D.
Vice President for Student
Development
Saint Louis University
MoCPA President 2001-2003
I’ve been joking
lately that I keep trying to leave Missouri, but it doesn’t want to let me go.
I’ve now worked at three different colleges in the state, despite never setting
out on a job search with any preference for Missouri.
The right opportunity and the right school just
keeps me in the state.
But, in reality, it’s more than simple randomness that
has kept me here.
I now have a state-wide network of sorts.
When my current job came open, I had friends and
colleagues that I could call to get information on the school and the position.
This network is no accident- it is MoCPA.
It may seem strange, but I look forward to MoCPA
more than any other conference.
It’s always a solid professional development
experience, but so are other conferences.
MoCPA has become more than that for me-the
conference is a reunion of friends.
These are the friends and colleagues who have been
mentors for me and continue to be a simple phone call away.
What I think is best about MoCPA is that this network is open, truly open, for
anyone.
I didn’t have to fight or claw my way into an exclusive
club.
I was welcomed with open-arms and treated as an equal and
friend immediately.
I will continue to serve and support MoCPA because
it continues to serve and support MoCPA because it continues to serve and
support me, and I’m sure it will for anyone else who wants to get involved.
John Comerford
Vice President and Dean of Student
Life
Westminster College
MoCPA President 2003-2004
When Dr. Kent
Porterfield called this newly minted Dean of Students at Rockhurst University in
2000, little did I realize that this would be a life changing moment for me in
so many different ways.
He was calling to invite Rockhurst to be a part of
the “reinvigoration” of MoCPA—asking me and the staff to consider membership in
the year ahead.
What began as just membership gradually evolved into
leadership by a number of the Rockhurst team on the Executive Board and other
roles of service over the last five years- including the opportunity to host and
assist in the planning of MoCPA professional development events at Rockhurst and
other Missouri colleges and universities.
While the programs offered by MoCPA have played an
impactful role in my professional life over the last few years, the real
transformation for me has been as a result of the friendships and supportive
network I’ve had the privilege of developing as a result of being involved with
MoCPA.
Our state is filled with an amazing group of new,
mid-level, and senior student affairs personnel- and having the chance to be
connected with them has allowed me to grow in my role as Dean of Students at
Rockhurst and also helped my work to be more purposeful and fulfilling.
I am very proud of my affiliation with MoCPA- one of the top
state associations within ACPA as well as a leader within Missouri when it comes
to educational programming for student affairs/student services professionals
from 2 year, 4 year state and 4 year private universities.
While our respective campuses and organizational
structures may differ, we are united in our desire to educate and care for
students in the very best ways possible while having some great fun in the
journey!
Matthew D. Quick, Ph D
Dean of Students and Associate VP
for Student Development & Athletics
Rockhurst University
MoCPA President 2004-2005
It is an honor
to serve as the MOCPA President during our 35th anniversary
celebration.
I have truly enjoyed being a part of this organization and
it is a humbling experience to follow in the footsteps of so many wonderful
Student Affairs professionals.
I have enjoyed seeing so many folks from around the state,
at various levels of their experience and involvement, come together to reunite,
recharge, and build new relationships.
It is an organization that is made up of new and old
friends, where a place exists for anyone who wants to get involved.
I appreciate the work of this year’s CO-Chairs and Conference
committees.
Reflective of who we are when we are at our best, this
conference has been a collaboration of many full-time professionals and graduate
students, from various institutions, working together toward one common goal…to
Aspire 2 Inspire.
It has been an honor and privilege to work with them
and the Executive Council and I look forward to another 35 years!
Kristen Alley
Dean of Student Services
North Central Missouri College
MoCPA President 2007-2008
Other memories from MoCPA Past
Presidents
Richard Caple
(1982-1983) said that he enjoyed
serving on the board as the President and enjoyed the interaction he had with
other members of MoCPA
Professor
Emeritus
University of Missouri-Columbia
David Sundberg
(1983-1984) believes that one of
the really great things about MoCPA is the opportunities for students to do
presentations in a welcoming and friendly environment.
Professor
Emeritus
University of Missouri-Columbia
Kathy Murray
(1994-1995) indicated that she
couldn’t think of a better organization for new professionals to become involved
in, as it relates to Student Affairs.
Assistant Dir.
Campus Activities
University of Missouri-Columbia
David Humphrey
(1999-200)
said that he enjoyed having the opportunity to meet other colleagues across the
state of Missouri.
He also enjoyed the good friends he made through
MoCPA.
Dean of
Students
Averett University