by Charlotte Klaar, IECA Member (Maryland) and Chair, Board Development Committee

Each year when I receive my membership renewal from IECA and make the decision not only to renew but also to continue to be actively involved in the organization, I am amazed at the strides IECA has made in the preceding year. Now, some 15 years after I first became associated with IECA, I look back and see a transformed organization whose efforts have also transformed an industry. This transformation has come about through the work of our Executive Director, Mark Sklarow, and his staff and the efforts of the many involved members of the organization.

This past year has been a particularly meaningful one for me since I have seen efforts that I have been periodically involved with come to fruition, and others that began later show progress. This year, sets of competency documents for each of our constituencies have been finalized. The committees (College, Schools, Learning Disabilities, and Special Needs) each decided on these competencies, which were necessary to properly do the work of each specialty. This was an idea that began with the Education and Training Committee, and using the model that the Special Needs Committee had begun, under the leadership of Tom Callahan, asked that the other disciplines put together their competency documents. This is a huge step forward for the organization and for our members who will soon be able to look at the competencies to decide if they are truly up-to-date in the services they offer. More training will be available to those who want it.

The Board Development Committee (BDC) is another group that is working hard at adding to the professionalism of the organization, with particular focus on the Board of Directors who set the direction of IECA. Last year, under the leadership of Tim Lee, the BDC created instruments by which the Board can assess its own work, and for each Board member to assess his or her contributions to the Board and to the organization as a whole. In addition, a protocol was created to provide advance information on the responsibilities of a Board member, so that those asked to stand for election to the Board know the level of commitment required. This year the BDC created a debriefing document for former Board members and also distributed talent surveys to the sitting Board and committee chairs to create a database of existing member talents. Our next steps will be to examine the qualities required for each of the Executive Board positions, and to assess each position and its relevance in the changed environment that is IECA today.

There is no doubt in my mind that we are a more professional organization today than when I began 15 years ago. I am honored to be part of this changed organization and thank all those who came before me who sowed the seeds for this transformed profession.

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IECA’s group page on Facebook

by Sarah Brachman, Manager of Communications, IECA

Are you on Facebook yet? You should be simply because it’s an easy (and free!) way to market your practice, it can help you communicate with your colleagues, and it’s another way to stay connected to IECA members, schools, and programs. Once you have set up your Facebook page, join IECA’s group page where you will find recent news from IECA, discussions, national news articles featuring member consultants, and updates from schools and programs. Working with Facebook is fairly simple, and we can help you learn how to use it.

Here are four things to include on your Facebook page:
1. Under your photo (definitely include a photo), in the box “Write something about yourself,” add the name of your business and its Web address (include http:// to make it a live link)

2. In this same box, add information about your practice “specializing in school, college, and therapeutic consulting to help families with their educational decisions” for example.

3. On your “wall,” mention any campus tours that you have recently participated in, and include photos if you can. Let readers know what you have been doing to keep current.

4. Are you writing a blog? Add a link to your blog under your Web address, and add the actual blog feed to your page so every time you post a blog it shows up on your wall.

Do you want to keep your ‘friends’ list private so no one can see who your friends are?
You can create separate friends lists—for example, personal and professional. Then you can add different friends to different lists and edit their security settings. As you receive friend requests you can decide which group you want them in. It’s also helpful if you only want to share videos or photos with certain people. And you can send messages to these groups from the main friends page. To create a separate friends list, follow these steps:

• Go to your ‘Friends’ listing at the top left of the page.
• At the top of the page, click on ‘create new list.’
• Select all of your colleagues, for example, name this list ‘colleagues’ and select ‘create list.’
• At the top right of the page click on ‘Settings’ > ‘Privacy settings’ > ‘Profile.’
• Under ‘Profile,’ click on the ‘Friends’ drop down menu and choose ‘Customize.’
• At the bottom of this window under ‘Except these people’ type in the name of the list you just created (‘colleagues’).

Now the people on this list will not be able to see your list of friends. You can do the same for your Wall postings if you don’t want your colleagues to see what other friends post (just select the ‘Wall Posts’ drop down menu), and you can also restrict who sees your videos and photos.

Want to Hide Status Updates for Certain Friends?
It’s simple. Just hover over the status update of the friend you want to hide. The ‘hide’ button will appear on the right, and when you click it, it will say ‘hide [friend's name].’ Now that friend’s status updates won’t appear on your news feed, they won’t know it, and they will still remain on your friends list.

If you have Facebook tricks and tips you’d like others to know about, feel free to share them here!

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by Janice Berger, Manager of Member Services, IECA

Excitement is brewing as everyone looks forward to the pre-conference college, school, and program tours. The response to registration has been exceptional—we were thrilled to have been able to set up a second set of college tours.

We thank each institution that has graciously opened their campuses to IECA consultants in the pursuit of direct knowledge not only at pre-conference time, but also for providing tours throughout the year! These tours provide IECA members with invaluable insight into the school or college, which they can then share with their clients.

On another note, I have been getting quite a few calls from those who attended the IECA Summer Training Institute (STI)—they tell me how energized they have been from the week at Swarthmore and are asking lots of questions about membership.

One thing that struck me is how some of the STI participants mentioned that they have already been in touch with IECA members and how gracious and generous our members have been in offering their time to someone making the transition to private practice. Some of this mentoring comes so naturally to our members that they may not even realize how much of a difference they make. We’re here to tell you, you bet it does! Offering your time to someone can set those newer to the field off to a solid start, create confidence and a feeling of connectedness to IECA colleagues and IECA as an association. We know that our members are collegial, but it is always nice for you to hear how much you are appreciated. You as a mentor play a large part in perpetuating ethics in the field and a lot more. Wait, this is probably a great moment to plug the IECA Mentoring Program, don’t forget to ask me about it…

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by Sue DePra, Director of Education, IECA

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that IECA is firmly committed to providing on-going professional development and training through our annual Spring and Fall Conferences, our annual Summer Training Institute for new consultants, and through the many resources and services that are available to IECA member consultants, to name just a few of our current initiatives!

This commitment to excellence in the profession is also evidenced in a one-day workshop we offer each September for those who may be several years from opening a practice: Transitioning to Independent College Consulting, to be held September 23, 2009 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Held one day prior to the annual NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) conference, IECA has created this workshop specifically for those who are currently employed in a school or college setting and are contemplating a move to independent college consulting in the coming year(s). (This workshop is not designed for those already working as educational consultants.) The curriculum covers a variety of topics: how to assess and build on your expertise; how to market yourself as an independent professional; how to set up a small home- or office-based business; how ethics, counseling services, and credibility issues change; and how to write a “Transition Plan” to guide you through the process. Sessions are led by some of our most experienced college consultants, each of whom has successfully made the transition from an institutional setting to private practice.

Now in its fifth year, the 2009 Transitioning workshop will be held in Baltimore on Wednesday, September 23rd from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. NACAC supports our efforts by offering this as one of their official pre-conference workshops, and partners with us by managing registration and the logistical aspects of the event. Registration is limited to approximately 65 participants.

To learn more about the workshop and link to the registration system, please visit the IECA Web site. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me directly: 703-591-4850 ext. 15 or Sue@IECAonline.com

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by Diane Geller, President, IECA

Our Executive Board hit the ground running on Wednesday and came up for air only when it was time to return home. Although I did have my running shoes with me, Mark’s reference to “marathon” pertained only to our meeting—we were all so engaged in discussion that I never even made it to the gym!

We began our conversation with updates on the upcoming Charlotte conference, our recently completed and well attended Summer Training Institute, and a report on our financial picture. We are excited about our conference registration and membership numbers. All in all, an excellent report card.

Our agenda was full, but the overarching theme was our continued commitment to IECA’s role and responsibility in serving the profession, insuring that families are well served, and that we are maintaining and even raising our high standards. We are fortunate that committee meetings are no longer limited to in-person sessions at conferences; new technologies enable our standing committees to work and meet via teleconference between our fall and spring conferences. The Learning Disabilities committee has completed its lexicon and is developing a “top ten” competencies list. The Schools committee is promoting increased visibility at other professional associations and conferences and has embraced the “speed dating” model for schools and consultants at the Charlotte conference. The Special Needs committee demonstrates not only its hard work but also its tech savvy on its Facebook page. The Board Development Committee and the Nominating Committee are working on leadership development; the Directory Task Force will follow up on the Membership Committee’s suggestion regarding specialty codes. And, as always, our Outreach Committee continues to reach out at receptions and events. Members will soon be learning more about using new technologies for Web-based training and our “Standards of Excellence” document is nearing completion. We are thrilled with our affiliation with the University of California-Irvine certificate program in Educational Consulting and our College Committee is proud of our relationship with College Week Live where our members volunteer and are featured on a regular basis. We are forming an affinity group for consultants who work internationally and a task force is in the works for coordinating our members who do volunteer work and community service.

In all consultant specialties, community service is being initiated, consultants continue to visit schools, colleges, and programs, and opportunities for continuing education are being pursued.

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by Mark Sklarow, IECA Executive Director

The PLAN for Thursday was for the Executive Board to meet through the morning, and then break for lunch and some fresh air. We’d plan to re-group by 1:30 or so, work until 5:30 and break until dinner.

The REALITY of the day was a meeting that started at 9:00 a.m. and worked straight through 7:00 p.m., missing dinner reservations and finally breaking as the marathon session gave way to a quick sandwich in the hotel bar.

The work of the Board, as always, included an examination of ethics, membership outreach, member services, education, training, conferences, leadership development, finances, the operations at the national office and our communications plan.

Yet the most interesting and exciting part of the day certainly put the “important” ahead of the “urgent” (see my blog of 8/19).  The IECA officers spent considerable time looking not just at the Association, but the entire profession of educational consulting, including professional training, continuing education, developing the first-ever certificate program specifically in independent educational consulting by UC-Irvine in coordination with IECA, professional ethics, and our belief that IECA must maintain its status as the leading voice and trendsetter in the field.

Every IECA member would have been pleased and every school and college reassured by our assertion of total commitment to professional competence, ethical and educational knowledge, and student-centric approach that we believe must remain central to the work of every consultant.

Next week you’ll hear from IECA President Diane Geller on some of the specific recommendations that grew from the meeting, that continues today.

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by Mark Sklarow, IECA Executive Director

A year ago on this date, we were just preparing to open registration for our Fall Conference. This year we anxiously opened registration a few weeks ago, concerned how we would be impacted by the economy, by the selection of a less well known city, and other factors.

We now know that the registrations, before we even hit the early bird deadline, seem to indicate a  staggering success lies ahead. By Thursday evening registrations were closing in on 600—and the conference is still about 11 weeks away. Typically only half the total registrants sign on by the end of the early bird season, although given these amazing numbers we may be seeing a particularly early rate of participation.

Schools, colleges, and programs waiting to be sure that consultants would be attending in good number will be pleased to learn that we’ve already surpassed 200 consultants, suggesting that by the time we gather together in Charlotte in November we could have the largest number of consultants ever for an IECA conference. In turn, consultants wanting to be sure there would be large participation by educational institutions know that seems assured.

Participation in the speed meetings is looking great and more than 260 people have chosen to participate in some pre-conference workshop, tour, or event. Registrants have enthusiastically embraced the Saturday morning Master Class as over 200 have pre-registered. For more conference details, to download the brochure, or to register, go to our Conference Web page.

Sponsors and vendors are reminded that participation is limited—as are ads in the conference program—and should contact IECA Conference Manager, Rachel Diamond right away (Rachel@IECAonline.com; 703-591-4850, ext. 16).  Early bird registration ends today, Friday 8/21/09.

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by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

IECA associate member Bola Adeniyi-Taiwo (Canada) made the four-hour train ride from Windsor, near Detroit, to attend the planning meeting for the IECA Conference to be held in Canada next spring. The planning meeting was held in what will be the conference hotel in Toronto. The surprising thing was that Bola was not the furthest traveler. Mike Rosson of EduNova, a consortia of colleges from the province of Nova Scotia flew in the night before.

Toronto Planning Meeting Attendees

Others in attendance throughout the province of Ontario included consultants, boarding school representatives, therapeutic program representatives, and others  joined in the meeting led by IECA Vice President for Conferences, Mary Mansfield, IECA Conference Manager, Rachel Diamond, and me.

This was the first time a planning group invited such participation from non-member consultants and admission representatives, and the response by these partners was very exciting. Among the local institutions represented in the room: Carleton University, Pine River Institute, Ryerson University, University of Guelph, University of Toronto, Upper Canada College, and York University.

For some who wanted to participate but couldn’t be in the room, the three hour gathering was joined via conference call, allowing IECA member Rosa Moreno (FL)  and Paola Baca, representing a consortia of colleges from British Columbia, to participate.

The group was very efficient, suggesting important topics to be addressed, including those directly dealing with U.S. / Canadian educational issues as well as those issues that span all parts of the world including autism, parent involvement, transitioning to college, and more.  They also identified amazing possibilities for keynote and featured presentations that could make for a unique conference.

As a group they also came to agreement on what makes Toronto special as a way of zeroing in on themes. Diversity of the population and a commitment to a healthy sustainable planet everyone felt summed up Canada’s largest city.  In addition, many ideas were floated for special events, off-site possibilities, and performances that would make attendees at IECA’s first-ever conference outside of the United States a great place to be next spring.

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by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

(Attending the ASAE Convention in Toronto)

I heard Newsweek International Editor and CNN host Fareed Zakaria speak today. I was particularly taken by one of his opening lines: “The urgent will always crowd out the important.”

Zakaria was speaking about what Senator Obama had stated as his one over-arching goal in deciding whether to run for president: getting the U.S. out of Iraq. Of course what he has found is that on any given day dozens of other items both large (the economy) and less so (Somali Pirates) demand his immediate attention.

But isn’t Zakaria’s point true of us all. We may begin a day knowing what important task “must” be confronted, yet a panicked phone call from a client or a sick child or a broken air conditioner can quickly grab our attention.

On Wednesday afternoon the IECA Executive Committee will meet. Needless to say there are “important” issues to be confronted, but none of us will be surprised if some urgent matter dominates the 48 hours we have together. I for one hope that our cell phones don’t work in Canada or our Internet connections are just not quite strong enough, allowing us to shut out some of those urgent matters so the important ones can be discussed.

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by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

(from Toronto, at the ASAE Convention)

No topic has been more discussed, debated, praised, and disparaged than the role of social media in the work of associations here at the national convention of association executives.

There are two questions that dominate.  “Do we need to do this?” is raised often by my colleagues who hear a resounding chorus of “yes” from their peers. The other question “WHY are we doing this social networking?” is raised by many more who have established blogs, wikis and LinkedIn groups. Unlike the single word answer to the first question, this one is greeted with everything from blank stares to mutterings about ROI (return on investment), to membership recruitment, to shrugged shoulders.

My answer is different:  Engagement.

IECA’s hope is to fully engage each and every member in the life of the association. We want every Independent Educational Consultant to know what the staff is doing, and planning. We hope the social media efforts we’ve undertaken, including Facebook, this blog, and much more to come, means our members can go further than hearing from us and understanding what we’re working on.

Rather we expect this to be a two-way dialogue: members suggesting ideas, new ways of doing things, offering their opinion, telling us what we’re doing well, and not so well. Our colleagues from schools, colleges and programs can post things to our Facebook page and get an immediate response from our members.

We invite you to join us as we seek to create a dynamic, engaged community of educational placement professionals.

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