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Where Your Donation Goes

Invest in ACUHO-I Foundation and invest in our future.

The Association of College & University Housing Officers – International provides significance and value to each member through professional connections, ongoing educational opportunities, and the pursuit of innovative products, programs, and services. Ultimately, ACUHO-I aims to make collegiate housing environments better and more meaningful places for its members to work and for the students to live.

ACUHO-I members recognize that the innovation, connection, and education they receive from ACUHO-I truly matters. That’s why they have chosen to invest their time and their funds into the ACUHO-I Foundation and, in turn, invest in our future.

The ACUHO-I Foundation was formed in 1988 to provide a way for individuals, institutions, corporations, government agencies, and other foundations to support the collegiate housing profession through gifts and grants. Since its inception, the ACUHO-I Foundation has raised more than $1 million used to fund commissioned research, study tours, conference speakers, institutes, and scholarships.

Its work continues today. At a time when the role student housing plays on a college campus is growing in importance, responsibility, and accountability the ACUHO-I Foundation works to provide the support and guidance that professionals need to succeed and grow into the future.

Where Do the Funds Go?
Much of the work done by the ACUHO-I Foundation happens behind the scenes. But the results of their work, are delivered to the forefront of collegiate housing. It is their funding that allows ACUHO-I to create and maintain the projects, research, and awards that will benefit the association, its members, and the profession as a whole.

The following are just some of the initiatives realized in recent years due to the hard work of the ACUHO-I Foundation and the generosity of those who have donated their time and funds to it.

21st Century Project: ACUHO-I’s 21st Century Project will result in the construction of prototype residential facilities that offer the unique, functional, and technologically advanced living experience today’s students are seeking. The project will explore the ever-changing roles that residences play in the collegiate experience and how they can improve and adapt to better serve students needs. Learn more by visiting the 21st Century Project's Web site.

China Study Tour: The 2009 China Study Tour took participants to college and university campuses across China including the cities of Guangzhou, Guiyang, Beijing, and Shanghai. The study tour was an incredible opportunity to experience and develop an understanding of the structure and practice of higher education in different regions of China. The tour offered a mix of campus visits and meetings with students and educators as well as a number of opportunities to experience the culture, sights, and history of the country.

Global Housing Summit: The Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I) is excited to provide information regarding the success of the ACUHO-I Global Housing Summit. This unique, international event was held January 11-15, 2009 in Hong Kong. It brought together 100 senior collegiate housing and student development leaders from around the world to discuss the ever-changing face of housing and residence life, identify challenges, share experiences on possible solutions, or discover new ideas.

Commissioned Research: Through the guidance of the ACUHO-I Executive Board and support of the ACUHO-I Foundation, the association has funded a number of commissioned research projects. Two major projects that have benefited from this support are the National Survey of Living Learning Programs and the ACUHO-I Workforce Development research project. The information gathered and created through these initiatives will strengthen the profession and are being shared with members through a number of media including conference presentations, magazine articles, journal manuscripts, and professional white papers.

ACUHO-I Online Library: Providing the development funds necessary to create a specialty online library and knowledge center, the Foundation has enabled members to access resources round the clock from anywhere in the world. The online resource, coupled with the corporate librarian staff position has been instrumental in allowing ACUHO-I to harness the available knowledge, identify potential new resources, and make it available to all members.

ACUHO-I Awards and Recognition: The generous donation of Foundation funds allows ACUHO-I to honor the best and brightest of the profession at the annual conference. Each year awards are given to the winner of:

  • The ACUHO-I Award (the association’s highest recognition)
  • The James A. Hurd Award (given to a member of color)
  • The James C. Grimm Leadership and Service Award (for those who have devoted time and service to the profession)
  • The S. Earl Thompson Award (non-ACUHO-I individual who has bettered the housing profession)
  • Outstanding Corporate Friend Award (for corporate individuals who strive to better the profession)
  • Presidential Service Awards (given to individuals and institutions that have contributed to the association and profession)
  • Research and Publication Award (non-ACUHO-I individual who has contributed to the body of research);
  • The Herstory Award (outstanding woman professional)
  • Judy Spain Award (outstanding professional and advocate for the GLBT community)
  • Robert P. Cooke Talking Stick Article of the Year (recognizing the highest quality magazine story of the year)
  • Betty L. Harrah Journal Manuscript of the Year Award (recognizing the highest quality Journal article of the year)

Scholarship: The Foundation also supports the growth of the profession by providing financial awards to members that allow them to attend professional development events such as the James C. Grimm National Housing Training Institute (NHTI), the Chief Housing Officers Training Institute, and more. Additional scholarships recognize “the best” presentations at regional events as well as the ACUHO-I Conference Series events and allow those presenters to expose their ideas and concepts to a broader audience at the ACUHO-I annual conference and exposition.

The Talking Stick: ACUHO-I Foundation funds allowed the redesign of the Talking Stick in terms of content, design, and mission. Now, exciting color graphics and lively writing help educate readers with current, relevant information that professionals at all levels can put to use. Currently more than 5,000 people receive print copies of the award-winning publication six times while a digital version of the magazine is available for all ACUHO-I members to access for no additional cost.

Learning Reconsidered II: Foundation funding allowed ACUHO-I to partner with NASPA, ACPA, and other student affairs association to publish Learning Reconsidered II. This popular title examines how student affairs contribute to student success including the important role that collegiate housing plays. The publication was so popular, a second printing was required.

The Journal of College and University Student Housing: 2008 saw the redesign of the ACUHO-I Journal of College and University Student Housing. This new look brings the Journal into line with other ACUHO-I materials, while maintaining its focus on informative and resourceful peer-reviewed articles. Based on these changes, The Journal received a 2009 Gold SNAP Award in the "Scholarly Journals-Most Improved" category for the Society of National Association Publications' (SNAP) 29th Annual EXCEL Awards, recognizing the best and the brightest in association media and publishing.

ACUHO-I Southern Africa Chapter: ACUHO-I Foundation support enabled the association to do work with college housing professionals in Southern Africa. There the need for staff training, as well as the development of student leaders was established. Since then the association has enjoyed strong relationships and offered professional development opportunities, culminating in the ACUHO-I Southern African chapter.

ACUHO-I Web site: Financial support from the Foundation has allowed the expansion and growth of the association’s website. While early improvements brought a new design and organization to the website, future developments will position the site as a clearinghouse of information and resources. It will be the hub through which members communicate and share information, gather supporting evidence for projects, and find colleagues within their communities of interest. Best of all, this resource will extend ACUHO-I to members around the world and make it available around the clock.

STARS College: Recruiting future professional leaders is a passion and commitment of ACUHO-I and the Foundation. That commitment has lead to the formation of the annual STARS College that brings together 40 such rising stars each year. Through their attendance at the event, as well as the ACUHO-I annual conference and exposition, the young students get a view of our passion, personal experiences, and our hopes for the future of collegiate housing.

Professional Development: The association regularly assesses current training programs as well as core competencies needed in order prepare our work force, give housing professionals a clear and defined career path, and ultimately strengthen the profession as a whole. This initiative, funded in part by the Foundation, will create new opportunities for professional development throughout the profession. From a certification program to new training opportunities; webinars to a Mid-Level Managers Institute, ACUHO-I and the Foundation are dedicated to professional growth.