Professional Development Institutes

OCPA is committed to providing professional development opportunities for higher education professionals across Ohio. The Professional Development Institutes are a series of workshops sponsored by OCPA designed to provide professional development opportunities throughout the year for members of OCPA.
Held on June 4, 2020 this event was geared towards first and second year (graduating) master's students involving a panel of grad school program directors! Topics included:
View of Higher Education in the state of Ohio during COVID-19 Advice for graduating Master's students & Job Searching in the time of COVID-19 Changes to program requirements for 1st year graduate students Communication & classroom instruction with students & faculty in their programs
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The COVID Corner will provide monthly asynchronous opportunities to build your trauma stewardship crafted by Jivanto van Hemert and Leah Ward, members of the Housing & Residence Life team at the University of Dayton. They have both found great knowledge and space for reflection in Laura van Dernoot Lipsky’s Trauma Stewardship (2009) which will be the foundation for their work, "COVID Corner", moving forward. Read more about the Corner as well as the June issue at
this link.
Questions? Please contact Leah Schuh, OCPA Professional Development Chair

Annual Conference

January 28 & 29, 2021
FROM THE COMFORT OF WHEREVER YOU CHOOSE!
MEMBERS CAN NOW LOG IN TO THEIR CAMPUSGROUPS ACCOUNT AND VIEW RECORDED PROGRAM SESSIONS! LINKS TO THE SESSIONS CAN BE FOUND IN THE GROUP'S FORUM.
We have all spent much of the last year re-inventing how we Connect with one another and with our students. From Zoom Meetings to virtual processes, we have had to make adjustments to the way that we interact with each other both personally and professionally. This year, we will connect 100% Virtually via Zoom for the Annual Conference to ensure the Health & Safety of all OCPA Members and make the conference as accessible as possible for as many people as we can. At the close of last year's conference, we asked you to consider what campus partners you work with regularly to enhance the experience of students on your campus and to consider sharing your story of collaboration. That invitation remains at the center of the call for this years Virtual Conference. Take a good look at the people you have been working with to navigate the challenges of this past year and find someone who might not normally attend OCPA to present with. We invite you to tell us how you Connect!
OCPA wants to provide members the most value for their membership and provide quality professional development, while recognizing the reality of the financial constraints that all institutions are currently facing. As such, registration will be entirely free to all active / paid members of OCPA.
2021 QUICK LINKS:
SPONSORSHIP

An OCPA Annual Conference Sponsorship allows us to provide a high-quality professional development event for Ohio's Higher Education Student Affairs professionals.
Sponsorship is available in a variety of levels. Your organization and register and pay for a sponsorship online (http://cglink.me/r877681). For more information, contact Tori Rehr, OCPA Development Chair, at rehr.1@osu.edu.
REGISTRATION
Registration for the conference is FREE for all current, active OCPA members. To check on the status of your membership, contact Membership Chair David Vale at dmv42@case.edu.
PROGRAM PROPOSALS
As always, this year's conference hopes to engage participants through keynote addresses, program sessions, and conversations about our evolving field. We hope that you will consider submitting a proposal for the conference! Topics should focus on the conference theme or outcomes and will span a wide array of topics. We are seeking presenters to share their knowledge and insights with their colleagues. Presentation proposals are open now and will close on December 13th. Program topic ideas include (but are not limited to):
Assessment
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Supervision
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Mental Health & Wellness
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Intercultural Dialogue
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Leadership Education
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Non-Traditional Students
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Professional Networking
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Student Conduct
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Professional Development
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Service-Learning
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Crisis Response
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and more!
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Here are some things to have prepared before submitting the proposal:
- Contact Information of Presenters
- Research/Theories or Best Practices connected to your program
- Two-Four Learning Outcomes
- Short Outline of the Presentation
- 100 Word Abstract
If you have questions about program proposals, please contact our Educational Sessions Sub-Committee Chair, Robin Schreck, at schreckr@wittenberg.edu.
Contact Us

Dennis LoConti
Conference Chair
dloconti@heidelberg.edu
Josh Bodnar
Assistant Conference Chair
bodnar.75@osu.edu