Greetings Colleagues -
I hope you are having a wonderful summer! I know that many of us enjoyed a great Annual Meeting in Miami and came home energized and ready to put new ideas to work.
Annual Meeting Re-Cap: This year’s meeting was one of the largest ever and seemed to have a positive “vibe” as we piloted new approaches to learning and sharing, such as the very popular Ignite and Think Tank sessions. I was inspired by the terrific transformational leaders we heard from in the practitioner panel and AUPHA Forum. I heard from attendees that many of this year’s Faculty Forum meetings were productive and useful. I join your Board in thanking members who sponsored, planned, attended, presented, and made the 2015 meeting valuable and fun. Thank You!
I am honored to serve as the Chair of the AUPHA Board this year, joining Diane Howard (Chair-Elect), Brenda Freshman (Secretary), Mark Diana (Treasurer), and Tom Vaughn (Past Chair) on the Executive Committee. Our overarching theme for 2015-16 is that “YOU are AUPHA. We are AUPHA.” We encourage you to become involved on committees, in Faculty Forum discussions, and in any way you can. Our collective enthusiasm, engagement and action will drive improvement in AUPHA, in our programs, and across the field.
Your Board is Listening: Our June Board meeting focused on strategic planning and member engagement. We have made a commitment to a more robust dialogue with you, our members. Over the past few months, we have done this by conducting a member satisfaction survey, conducting one-on-one interviews with various stakeholders, and engaging formally with you at the annual Business Meeting and two Faculty Town Hall meetings.
Your Board is Planning: We are currently engaged in a strategic planning process that focuses on how we can help you and your program to be more successful. As noted in the Business Meeting, the Board re-affirmed our mission: AUPHA fosters excellence and innovation in health management and policy education and scholarship. We also identified the following strategic goals: (1) AUPHA will be viewed as the embodiment of excellence in health management and policy education. (2) AUPHA will be the intellectual home for directors and faculty of programs in health management and policy education. (3) The quality of AUPHA program graduates will increase as a result of increased quality of teaching and scholarship at member programs. (4) Professional education in health management and policy will be the academic pathway of choice and expectation for future leaders in the health sector. (5) AUPHA members will receive and perceive consistent and increasing value in their membership investment.
We will spend the next few months identifying action items and timelines. We will share the strategic plan with you by the end of the year.
Your Board in Action: Thank you for your energetic involvement in the Business Meeting and Town Hall sessions. We have committed to doing the following over the next several months: (1) review membership criteria, categories, and dues structures; (2) develop a strategy and action steps around faculty pipeline in general, and diversity and inclusion, in particular; (3) implement activities to directly support some specific needs of member programs, including (but not limited to) program directors, department chairs; adjunct faculty; clinical or teaching faculty; and (4) enhance AUPHA’s role as an advocate for the field and profession. Some of these activities will require renewed and expanded partnerships with other organizations. We will continue to draw upon your input, relationships, and involvement as work together to improve.
Enhancing Transparency: When you can, please take a look at materials on the Network that will keep you up-to-date on what your Board is doing. If you did not attend the meeting, please review Jerry’s slides in the 2015 Annual Meeting Library. We will be posting Board meeting minutes on the Governance Resources section of the AUPHA website, and slide presentations and other materials routinely on the Network.
Let Us Know How We Can Help You! I wish you a relaxing and productive summer! Please remember that we are here to provide exceptional value to you. Send a note or call me or any of your Board members and let us know how we can help you develop future healthcare leaders.
Christy