Central to the substance and structure of the ACPA 2010 Convention program are the ACPA Professional Competencies. As such, the Competencies will be used in the program proposal, evaluation and selection processes. ACPA members who are developing sessions and preparing proposals are urged to become familiar with the Professional Competencies to ensure that their sessions substantially address and incorporate one or two of them in their program proposals. Accompanying the Professional Competencies is a set of critical issues identified by the 2010 Convention Program Planning Team. These timely and relevant issues may also be addressed in a program proposal, either in combination with any of the Professional Competencies or as a stand alone topical area.

Advising and Helping: Application of theories and skills related to providing support, direction, feedback, critique, and guidance to individuals and groups.

Assessment, Evaluation, and Research: The design and implementation of quantitative and qualitative techniques and tools focused on student learning and satisfaction, organizational issues and development, professional development and training, student development, and other emergent issues.

Ethics: The ability to assess daily activities from an ethical perspective as well as understanding and applying ethical standards to one's work.

Legal Foundations: The ability to assess daily activities from a legal perspective as well understanding and applying knowledge of legal issues to one's work environment and relationships.

Leadership and Management/Administration: Organizational competencies such as influencing, motivating, and enabling others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members; and the deployment and manipulation of resources to advance institutional or organizational mission, goals, and initiatives.

Pluralism and Inclusion: An understanding and valuing of diverse groups and views, civic engagement and social responsibility, as well as recognizing the importance of language and culture in pursuit of creating and maintaining more pluralistic and multicultural campuses.

Student Learning and Development: Knowledge and understanding of concepts and principles of student development and student learning theories, and ability to apply theory to improve student affairs practice.

Teaching: Knowledge and understanding of concepts and principles of teaching, learning, and training theory and how to apply these theories to improve student affairs practice and education.

Competencies adapted from ACPA Steering Committee on Professional Competencies (Report, July 2007)