Introduction/History | Record Group/Series Description | Inventory

 Introduction/History

The Michigan College Personnel Association donated their archives to the Center for Archival Collections to be part of the National Student Affairs Archives on March 23, 2005. The six cubic feet of constitutions, minutes, correspondence, conference files, committee files and publications date from the establishment of the Association in 1952-1953 and continue through 2006. No restrictions exist on the research use of the collection and duplication is permitted for scholarly purposes. The collection was arranged and finding aid prepared by Ann Bowers, National Student Affairs Archivist, in May 2006.

The following history is taken from the MCPA website:

On July 31, 1952, thirteen individuals from eleven Michigan colleges and universities gathered at the University High School in Ann Arbor to formally establish the Michigan College Counselors Association (MCCA). In December, the first conference was held at Michigan State University. The first MCCA newsletter was published in 1954.

Although the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) was not chartering state divisions in the 1950's, the MCCA continued to strengthen its ties with the national organization. In October 1957, MCCA officially changed its name to the Michigan College Personnel Association (MCPA) and adopted its first constitution. The first MCPA journal was published in the spring of 1964.

In the 1960's, MCPA was caught in the middle of the affiliation struggles between ACPA and the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA). At the time, APGA was the parent association of ACPA. Reluctant to become affiliated with APGA or its state chapter, the Michigan Personnel and Guidance Association, MCPA remained as a state division without official recognition until March 27, 1972.

Part of this recognition meant that members of MCPA were also required to be members of MPGA, and during some years, APGA. In 1983, MCPA changed its constitution to allow individuals to become members of MCPA without having to also become members of MPGA. In September of 1992, after forty years of discussion about the affiliation with APGA (renamed in the interim period the American Association for Counseling and Development), ACPA officially disaffiliated from its parent association. The following July, MCPA completed its disaffiliation with both AACD and MACD.

In October 2002, MCPA celebrated its 50th anniversary at the annual conference in Grand Rapids. The theme of the conference was Memories of the Past...Reflections of the Future. The organization took this theme to heart and began to plan the future of the organization. MCPA became incorporated in August 2003 and received their 501 (c) 3 status with IRS in August 2004. These actions moved MCPA into the position to more efficiently and effectively function as professional organization.

From an organization of thirteen professionals, MCPA grew to 86 members in three years and nearly tripled in size ten years later. Currently, MCPA maintains a membership of approximately 275 professionals representing nearly every area within student affairs as well as every institution of higher education in the state. MCPA has not only grown in size, but has grown in its offerings to its members. The organization has moved from one conference and a journal to an annual conference, three one-day professional development events, a Website, a listserve, a journal, and three newsletters a year.

The Michigan College Personnel Association is one of the largest state divisions with ACPA, consisting of dedicated professionals who regularly contribute to the field at the state, regional and national levels.

Record Group/ Series Description

The Michigan College Personnel Association Collection is divided into six Record Groups: Executive Board Files, Correspondence, Conference Files, Committee Files, Subject Files, and Publications. These Record Groups are divided into Record Series which are described below.

Executive Board Files

Organizational Documents
July-December 1952
Arranged chronologically
Includes correspondence and minutes regarding the organizational meeting of the association

Constitutions/Bylaws
1957-2006
Arranged chronologically
Includes the first constitution ratified in 1957 and all revisions through 1999

Articles of Incorporation/Tax Exempt Forms
2003-2004
Arranged chronologically
Includes articles of incorporation and request for Tax exemption

Rosters
1952-2001, 2004-2005
Arranged chronologically
Includes officer lists

Officer Responsibilities
1959-1960
Arranged chronologically
Includes job descriptions for the officers

Operational Manuals
1981, 1998 (draft), [2002]
Arranged chronologically
Compilations of officer responsibilities, policies and procedures of the association

Minutes
October 1953-May 2005
Arranged chronologically
Includes executive board and annual business meeting minutes, board-related correspondence, officer and committee reports

Correspondence

Correspondence
1953-1992
Arranged chronologically
Includes officer correspondence (mostly president) both internal and external to the organization

Conference Files

Conference Files
1954-1977, 1979-1981, 1983-1985, 1990-2005
Arranged chronologically
Includes programs and may include some planning documents, flyers, evaluations, and list of registrants

Workshops/Institutes
1978-1980, 1982-1985, 1990-1992, 1994-1995, 1998-2005
Arranged chronologically
Includes flyers, programs and some evaluations for workshops (drive-in, older returning student, topical, teleconference) and New Professionals Institute

Committee Files

Committee Files
1958-2006 (scattered dates)
Arranged alphabetically by committee name and chronologically within
Includes minutes, reports, correspondence for the following committees: Awards (includes chapter award nominations for ACPA), Commissions, Human Diversity, Liaison, Licensing, New Professionals, Nominating, Older Returning Student/Non Traditional Student, Research, Ways and Means

Subject Files

Subject Files
1956-2006 (scattered dates)
Arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically within
Includes correspondence, reports, surveys for the following subjects: Counselor Approval/Certification, History, Membership Survey.  Also includes President's information cards and Presidential addresses.

Publications

Journal
1964-1971, 1997-Fall 2003, Spring 2005
Arranged chronologically
Includes issues of the MCPA Journal/Michigan Journal of College Student Development-peer-reviewed articles on the profession

Newsletters
1953, 1955-1956, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1972-1981, 1984-August 2001, Winter 2003-Winter 2006
Arranged chronologically
Includes MCPA newsletter containing information on the organization, its events and news about members, short articles, officer reports

Membership Lists/Directories
1953-2000/2001
Arranged chronologically
Includes contact information for the members

Publications
1977, 1978, 1999
Includes: Guide to Services for Returning Adult Students in Michigan Colleges and Universities (1978), Human Resource Bank (1977), Using MCPA and ACPA Resources and Materials to Assist the Membership in Growth and Development for the New Millennium-2000 (1999)

Brochures
1970s-2000s (scattered dates)
Includes membership brochures

 Inventory

Record Group: Executive Board Files

Box 1

1. Organization of MCPA, July-December 1952
2. Constitutions/Bylaws, 1957-2006
3. Articles of Incorporation/Tax Exemption, 2003-2004
4. Rosters, 1952-2001, 2004-2005
5. Officer responsibilities, 1959-1960
6. Operations Manual, 1981
7. Operations Manual (draft), 1998
8. Leadership Team and Director's Manual, [2002]

Box 2

1. Minutes, October 1953-November 1958
2. Minutes, April 1959-November 1963
3. Minutes, April 1964-October 1968
4. Minutes, January 1969-December 1970
5. Minutes, January-December 1971
6. Minutes, January 1972-December 1973
7. Minutes, February-December 1974
8. Minutes, January-November 1975
9. Minutes, February-November 1976
10. Minutes, January-December 1977

Box 3

1. Minutes, January-November 1978
2. Minutes, January-October 1979
3. Minutes, January-December 1980
4. Minutes, January-November 1981
5. Minutes, January-December 1982
6. Minutes, January-November 1983
7. Minutes, January-December 1984
8. Minutes, January-November 1985
9. Minutes, January-November 1986
10. Minutes, January-October 1987
11. Minutes, January-November 1988
12. Minutes, January-December 1989

Box 4

1. Minutes, January-November 1990
2. Minutes, January-December 1991
3. Minutes, January-December 1992
4. Minutes, January-December 1993
5. Minutes, January-November 1994
6. Minutes, January-November 1995
7. Minutes, January-November 1996
8. Minutes, January-November 1997
9. Minutes, January-December 1998
10. Minutes, January-November 1999

Box 5

1. Minutes, January-December 2000
2. Minutes, January-December 2001
3. Minutes, January 2002-December 2003
4. Minutes, January-December 2004
5. Minutes, January-May 2005

Correspondence

Box 1

1. Correspondence, 1953-1959
2. Correspondence, 1960
3. Correspondence, 1961
4. Correspondence, 1962-1964
5. Correspondence, 1965
6. Correspondence, 1966-1968
7. Correspondence, 1969
8. Correspondence, 1970
9. Correspondence, 1971

Box 2

1. Correspondence, 1972
2. Correspondence, 1973
3. Correspondence, 1974
4. Correspondence, 1975
5. Correspondence, 1976
6. Correspondence, 1977
7. Correspondence, 1978
8. Correspondence, 1979
9. Correspondence, 1980
10. Correspondence, 1981-1987
11. Correspondence, 1988-1989
12. Correspondence, 1990
13. Correspondence, 1991
14. Correspondence, 1992

Conference Files

Box 1

1. Conferences, 1954-1956
2. Conferences, 1957-1959
3. Conferences, 1960-1962
4. Conferences, 1963-1965
5. Conferences, 1966-1967
6. Conferences, 1968-1970
7. Conferences, 1971-1972
8. Conferences, 1973-1974
9. Conferences, 1975-1976
10. Conference (25th anniversary), 1977
11. Conferences, 1979-1981
12. Conferences, 1983-1985
13. Conferences, 1990-1991
14. Conferences, 1992-1993
15. Conferences, 1994-1995
16. Conferences, 1996-1997
17. Conferences, 1998-1999
18. Workshops, 1978-1999 (scattered dates)

Box 2

1. Conferences, 2000-2001
2. Conferences, 2002-2003
3. Conferences, 2004-2005
4. New Professionals Institute, 2001-2004
5. Workshops/Summits, 2000-2005

Committee Files/Subject Files

1. Awards Committee, 1991, 1998, 2001-2002, 2004-2006
2. Commissions Committee, 1981
3. Human Diversity Committee, 1992
4. Liaison Committee, 1981, 1984
5. Licensure Committee, 1977
6. New Professionals Committee, 1981-1992 (scattered dates)
7. Nominating Committee, 1979-1983
8. Older Returning/Non Traditional Students, Committee, 1979-1992
9. Research Committee, 1958-1960
10. Ways and Means Committee, 1983-1985
11. Counselor Approval Plan/Certification, 1956-1969
12. History, 1952-1989
13. Presidents' Information Cards/President's Address, 2001-2006
14. Membership Survey, 1959

Publications

Box 1

1. Journal, Spring, Fall 1964
2. Journal, Spring, Fall 1965
3. Journal, Spring, Fall 1966
4. Journal, Spring, Fall 1967
5. Journal, Fall 1968
6. Journal, Spring 1969, Winter 1970, Summer 1970
7. Journal, Summer 1971
8. Journal, May 1997, Fall 1997, Spring 1998, Spring 1999
9. Journal Spring 2000, Fall 2000, Fall 2001, Fall 2002, Fall 2003, Spring 2005

Box 2

1. Newsletter Feb. 1953, Feb. 1955, Oct. 1955, Feb. 1956
2. Newsletter Feb. 1958, Jan. 1960, May 1963, Sept. 1963
3. Newsletter June 1972, [Nov. 1972?], March, Dec. 1973, Winter/Spring 1974, Oct. 1974, Dec. 1974
4. Newsletter Jan.-Dec. 1975, Feb.-Dec. 1976
5. Newsletter Feb.-Dec. 1977, Feb.-Dec. 1978
6. Newsletters Feb.-Dec. 1979
7. Newsletters Feb.-Dec. 1980
8. Newsletters Feb.-Dec. 1981
9. Newsletters Feb.-Oct. 1982
10. Newsletters April-Dec. 1983, Feb.-Dec. 1984
11. Newsletters Feb. 1985-Fall l986

Box 3

1. Newsletters Winter 1986/87-Fall 1989
2. Newsletters Winter 1990-Fall 1991
3. Newsletters Spring 1992-Fall 1993
4. Newsletters Winter 1994-Winter 1996
5. Newsletters Spring 1996-Fall 1997
6. Newsletters Winter 1998-Fall 1999
7. Newsletters Spring 2000-August 2001
8. Newsletters Winter 2003-Winter 2006

Box 4

1. Membership Lists/Directories 1953-1970
2. Membership Lists/Directories 1971-1981/82, 1986/87-1999/2000, 2000/2001
3. Guide to Services for Returning Adult Students in Michigan Colleges and Universities, 1978
4. Human Resource Bank, 1977
5. Using MCPA and ACPA Resources and Materials to Assist the Membership in Growth and Development for the New Millennium, April, 1999
6. Membership brochures 1970s-2000 (scattered dates)

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