Highest Standards

Christakis Joins Board of National Student Affairs Association

ALBANY, N.Y (July 31, 2017) — Michael Christakis, UAlbany’s vice president for student affairs, attended his first meeting as a member of the board of directors for NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, the premier professional association for student affairs professionals around the world.

Michael Christakis shows incoming UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez, left, around the newly completed Campus Center West. (Photo by Carlo de Jesus)

Christakis was appointed to the board in April as director of a seven-state region that includes New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The board meeting, held July 20-21 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, addressed matters related to professional standards and strategic partnerships that advance student success efforts nationally. The board also discussed international collaborations, reviewed centennial planning efforts, and was updated on progress towards achieving the association’s strategic priorities.

With more than 15,000 members nationally, NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health and sustainability of the student affairs profession. The organization was formed 99 years ago at the University of Wisconsin and now has members in all 50 states, 25 countries, and in eight U.S. territories. The principal source of leadership, scholarship, professional development and advocacy for the student affairs profession worldwide, NASPA offers a variety of programs and conferences, professional staff, and continual support of its leadership and members.

“I am honored to be able to serve my professional association in such an important role, as well as serve student affairs professionals throughout the region,” Christakis said of his appointment. “At such a critically important time in our nation’s history, the central role that student affairs plays at colleges and universities to help bolster student success, enhance the quality of life, and prepare students for their roles as global citizens has never been more apparent.”

Christakis’ involvement with NASPA spans more than a decade. He has served as chairman of NASPA’s regional conference in 2007 in Albany, N.Y., as the region’s first corporate relations coordinator, coordinator of the region’s NASPA undergraduate fellows program (NUFP) and, most recently, as co-chair of the region’s mid-level managers institute.

Christakis concluded his two-year term as the national co-chair of NASPA’s Assessment, Evaluation and Research Knowledge Community this past March. His board appointment lasts through March, 2019.

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