Student Groups
Marquette University College Student Personnel Association
What is CSPA?
The College Student Personnel Association — the graduate student organization for the STPA program — is involved in a variety of campus activities, including service projects, networking and internship events, and fundraisers to underwrite national student affairs conference attendance.
The College Student Personnel Association is an organization for all graduate students, undergraduate students, or Marquette alumni/ae interested in higher education and student affairs.
The organization aims to provide an educational, professional and social base to encourage and enhance all facets of individual professional growth and development and advocate on behalf of the organization's members. The organization serves as the official graduate student assembly for all students in the College Student Personnel Administration program.
History
The Marquette University College Student Personnel Association (MUCSPA) was established in September, 2002 as an organization for all graduate students enrolled in courses in the College Student Personnel strand of the Educational Policy and Leadership program at Marquette University, as well as for Marquette University alumni interested in higher education and student affairs. The MUCSPA was founded by Dr. Darnell Cole, then Assistant Professor of Educational Policy and Leadership in the School of Education, and the first cohort of students in the College Student Personnel strand of the Educational Policy and Leadership program with the intention of providing those people interested in careers in higher education and student affairs with a network through which to learn and grow and develop professionally.
Purpose
The aim of the MUCSPA is congruent with the philosophy of student development. The organization provides an educational, professional, and social base for its members. It encourages and enhances all facets of individual professional growth and development. Overall, the MUCSPA serves as an advocate on behalf of its members.
Membership and Organizational Structure
All full and part-time graduate students enrolled in courses in the College Student Personnel Administration program in the Educational Policy and Leadership program as well as Marquette University alumni interested in higher education and student affairs are considered regular members of the MUCSPA. All faculty members teaching College Student Personnel courses are considered honorary members of the MUCSPA. A faculty member of the Educational Policy and Leadership department serves as the advisor to the MUCSPA; this faculty member is appointed by the chair of the Educational Policy and Leadership department.
The MUCSPA is organized into three committees that focus on the following responsibilities: social/fundraising, academic/faculty relations, and professional development. Members may choose to participate in any of the three committees.
- The social/fundraising committee oversees social event planning, develops ideas for fundraising projects, and helps to welcome incoming students. This committee plans several events each semester, such as attendance at a Milwaukee Admirals game and a series of dinner events at local restaurants. Through fundraising initiatives MUCSPA provides partial financial assistance to members interested in attending professional development conferences.
- The academic/faculty relations committee focuses on communication with the School of Education regarding the selection of electives, practicum options, and course sequencing, as well as recruitment and outreach to MU undergraduates interested in student affairs.
- The professional development committee works to provide opportunities for current STPA students to network with alumni and attend professional conferences. The committee brings educational speakers to the group, in addition to developing a practicum and internship resource binder for STPA students.
Goals
The MUCSPA strives to provide its members with a variety of resources to aid in their professional growth and development. These resources include a peer mentoring program, a practitioner mentoring program, assistance to attend the annual conferences of professional organizations such as ACPA and NASPA, and mock interview sessions.
In accordance with the mission and values of Marquette University, the members of the organization also participate in service projects and volunteer opportunities.
Activities
The members of the MUCSPA have coordinated fundraisers, attended the ACPA conference, and participated in Marquette University Mission Week activities. Presently, the members of the organization are planning for the implementation of a mentoring program for entering students, as well as a mock interview session for graduating students pursuing careers in student affairs.
