CAS Message of Care for Professionals Addressing World Events - January 2021

Dear Colleagues,

There is a lot that divides us in this world, but what brings us together in CAS is a commitment to supporting our users in facilitating student learning and development by providing frameworks for implementing programs and services.

Our 43 associations are made up of tens of thousands of professionals who work within higher education and student affairs and who are committed to these goals.

The horrific events this week at our nation's capitol add to the significant and often overwhelming stress we have felt for the last 10 months: Covid, racial injustice, political divisiveness, and already stretched thin human and fiscal resources are weighing on all of us who do the important work of helping students learn and develop across our diverse institutions and functional areas. We are all tired and wondering how to make sense of this ourselves let alone how we engage with students and colleagues to understand what exactly is happening and the roles we can all play in addressing these issues. Many of us are demonstrating so much care for others that we may not take care of ourselves.

CAS wants you to know that we stand with you, ready to contribute to whatever strategies are necessary to help our 43 member associations, their members and their students make sense of these events. Please let us know how we may support you as individuals and associations. Please do take care of yourself as you take care of others.


Sincerely,

The CAS Governing Board

Dan Bureau, PhD
President
Council for the Advancement of Standards

Assistant to the Vice President for Student Academic Success
University of Memphis