ACHA Strategic Plan

About the Strategic Plan

ACHA elected and appointed leaders, and the association's paid professional staff, bear a fiduciary responsibility to the organization. The association places upon them a special trust and confidence, expecting that they shall make decisions and act solely on behalf and in the best interests of the organization in their leadership or staff support capacity. Integral to that responsibility is the requirement for careful and responsible management of all association resources; therefore, wise stewardship must accompany implementation of this strategic plan and its various elements.

It is acknowledged that underpinning all association activity is its requirement to be perpetually sustained; without the requisite infrastructure and resources, the organization cannot exist to serve members and advance the health of college students. Accordingly, manageable expenses and reasonable revenues represent important, and indeed necessary, considerations for any of the activity envisioned herein, and the financial health of the association shall be deemed as paramount. Membership strength and growth are implicit throughout; hence, all activities shall be pursued in the context of their value-added proposition to members.

Vision

To be the recognized voice of expertise in college health.

Mission

To serve as the principal leadership organization for advancing the health of college students and campus communities through advocacy, education, and research.

Values

In promoting healthy campus communities and healthy individuals as integral to student learning, the American College Health Association values:

  • Social justice, human dignity, and respect for all
  • The provision of student-centered services
  • Professional excellence, responsiveness, and ethical practice
  • Multidisciplinary and collaborative approaches to health
  • The commitment and participation of other stakeholders both on and off campus who advance health
  • The active involvement of students
  • Evidence-informed practices as a foundation for our programs

Goals


  1. Provide continuous and timely advocacy for national policies that support the health and well-being of college students and their campus communities.
    1. OBJECTIVE: Increase ACHA's influence in the development of national health policies.
      1. STRATEGY: Articulate a clear and relevant association advocacy agenda.
      2. STRATEGY: Allocate appropriate and affordable resources to support and advance the advocacy agenda.
      3. STRATEGY: Increase advocacy partnerships with other organizations to advance mutual advocacy issues collaboratively.
    2. OBJECTIVE: Increase the skills and capacity of ACHA members to advocate for policies and positions at the state and local level.
      1. STRATEGY: Leverage the expertise of internal association groups (coalitions, committees, and sections) to provide members with topic-specific informational resources for advocacy.
      2. STRATEGY: Provide an advocacy skills-building component within the annual meeting to improve individual member efficacy in state and local advocacy efforts.


  1. Provide high-quality education to college health professionals, students, and other stakeholders to enhance the skills and capacities needed to advance health and build healthier campus communities.
    1. OBJECTIVE: Increase ACHA-provided professional development and organizational development opportunities that address the evolving needs of college health professionals and student leadership.
      1. STRATEGY: Sustain processes for identification and visibility of the most pressing and relevant educational needs/practice gaps.
      2. STRATEGY: Expand educational opportunity (quantity and formats).
    2. OBJECTIVE: Increase visibility and access to college health professional development and organizational development opportunities beyond those provided by ACHA.
      1. STRATEGY: Create or sustain professional partnerships with other organizations to develop and provide educational programs.
      2. STRATEGY: Create or sustain professional partnerships with other national agencies, associations, and organizations to develop and disseminate educational materials.
      3. STRATEGY: Increase visibility of other non-commercial educational offerings/opportunities available to members.


  1. Support and disseminate relevant research and evidence-informed knowledge related to issues impacting the health and well-being of college students and their campus communities.
    1. OBJECTIVE: Increase ACHA's capacity to support the creation, utilization, and dissemination of research.
      1. STRATEGY: Articulate a clear and relevant association research agenda.
      2. STRATEGY: Increase staff support for research within the national office.
      3. STRATEGY: Acquire and implement a software package that meets the needs, requirements, and expectations of ACHA committees, coalitions, and other groups for multi-faceted data collection and presentation.
    2. OBJECTIVE: Increase the visibility, dissemination, and sharing of college health-related research.
      1. STRATEGY: Conduct a regular "research symposium" at the annual meeting wherein members may provide brief presentations of research findings (also consistent with Goal II, Objective 1, Strategy b: Expand educational opportunity).
      2. STRATEGY: Innovatively leverage technology to provide broader visibility and sharing of research.
      3. STRATEGY: Encourage the conduct of relevant research on campuses, including student research.