Announcing new ways to engage with ASHE

On behalf of the ASHE Board of Directors, we are excited to share new opportunities to get involved with ASHE. Dating back to the late 1980s, ASHE has acknowledged four different groups: the Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs (CAHEP), the Council for Ethnic Participation (CEP), the Council on International Higher Education (CIHE), and the Council on Public Policy in Higher Education (CPPHE). These Councils have organized events (e.g., pre-conferences, professional development events, etc.) and played a pivotal role in the association's growth.

Building a More Inclusive ASHE Entity Structure

Councils receive official backing and representation, whereas numerous other groups—formed around shared identities, research interests, or career stages—remain informal and have lacked official support. For example, the Athletics Group has organized events at the ASHE Conference for more than 15 years.

In response to longstanding feedback, including from the membership surveys and Board discussions, a workgroup led by Dr. Jennifer Johnson and including representatives of ASHE Councils and groups began meeting in 2022 to explore our current entity structure. From these discussions, the following guiding principles emerged:

• Recognition matters: Councils receive resources and representation that other groups do not, including space on the website, funding, and coverage under ASHE's insurance.
• Flexibility is key: Not all groups fit the current Council model; a one-size-fits-all structures won’t work.
• Intentional growth: Expanding entities creates more engagement opportunities but also requires thoughtful planning and support.

In October 2023, the Board approved a recommendation from the workgroup to create three categories of entities:

• Councils focused on scholarly topical areas, such as CPPHE.
• Networks focused on the work members do, such as the Graduate Student Network.
• Collectives based on identities, such as the Indigenous Scholars Collective.

Announcing 4 New Entities

Over the past year and a half, the ASHE Staff has worked with current Councils and potential new entities to formalize their recognition.

Today, we are happy to announce that at the May 2025 Board of Directors meeting, the Board approved four new entities:

• ASHE Faculty Affairs Network (AFAN), which was formerly the Community of Faculty Affairs group
• Graduate Student Network (GSN), which was formerly the Graduate Student Committee
• Council on Athletics in Higher Education (CAHE), which was formerly the Athletics Group
• Council on Undocumented Immigrants in Higher Education (CUIHE), which was formerly the Presidential Commission on Undocumented Immigrants

Additionally, earlier this year, members of CAHEP approved amendments to the CAHEP Bylaws restructuring the Council. Bylaw reviews and proposals are in the works for CEP, CIHE, and CPPHE; each requires a vote of their respective membership.

We also have two groups in the works that will have interest meetings in Denver:

• Scholar-Practitioner Network
• Black Womyn's Collective

The ASHE Staff with Board support are currently exploring additional new entity groups. If you are interested in starting an entity group, we encourage you to reach out to ASHE Assistant Director for Membership Erin Satterwhite-David at erin@ashe.ws for additional information.

Below, we have included initial information about each new entity group as well as ways to join the groups and each group's upcoming meeting to elect their leadership as well as sign up for entity committees.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out ASHE Executive Director Jason P. Guilbeau at jason@ashe.ws or ASHE Assistant Director for Membership Erin Satterwhite-David at erin@ashe.ws

The purposes of ASHE AFAN shall be to:

• Create a community of faculty affairs practitioners and scholars.
• Create a forum for discussion of both research and practice of faculty affairs in higher education.
• Create relationships with other entity groups to consider connections between their purposes and faculty affairs.

Join AFAN by logging into your ASHE MemberCompass and checking the box next to AFAN in your Member Profile.

Join us at our upcoming Virtual Business Meeting: Thursday, November 6, 1:00 pm -2:00 pm Mountain/Denver time via Zoom. You can register for this event here.

Also, join us at our upcoming kick off: Thursday, November 13th, 9:45 am-11:00 am, Sheraton Denver Downtown, Plaza, Concourse Level, Governors Square 14

Questions? Contact AFAN Coordinator Jessica Pesce at jessica.pesce@gmail.com

The purposes of the Graduate Student Network shall be to:

• Create a community of graduate student members.
• Create forums for discussion and resources for graduate student members.
• Create relationships with other entity groups to consider connections between their purposes and graduate students.

All Graduate Student members of ASHE are automatically members of the GSN.

Questions? Contact GSN Chair Hannah Kim at hannak4@illinois.edu

The purposes of the Council on Athletics in Higher Education shall be to:

• Create a community of scholars who study college athletics.
• Create forums for discussion of research and practice on athletics in higher education.
• Create relationships with other entity groups to consider connections between their purposes and college athletics.

Join CAHE by logging into your ASHE MemberCompass and checking the box next to CAHE.

Join us at our upcoming Virtual Business Meeting: Tuesday, December 4, 10 am-11:00 am Mountain/Denver time via Zoom. You can register for this event here.

Questions? Contact CAHE Co-Coordinator Wayne Black at blackwe@ucmail.uc.edu

The purposes of the Council on Undocumented Immigrants in Higher Education shall be to:

• Create a community of scholars who study undocumented students in higher education
• Create forums for discussion of research and practice on undocumented students in higher education
• Create relationships with other entity groups to consider connections between their purposes and undocumented students in higher education

Join CUIHE by logging into your ASHE MemberCompass and checking the box next to CUIHE.

Join us at our upcoming Virtual Business Meeting: Tuesday, November 4, 11:00 am-12:00 pm Mountain/Denver time via Zoom. You can register for this event here.

Scholar-Practitioner Network

Please join us for an interest meeting for a network of ASHE scholar-practitioners. During this session, we will discuss how the network can foster pathways for bridging scholarship and practice in our current or future administrative roles in higher education and ways of supporting each other in career advancement, publishing opportunities, and leadership development. We will also consider the role this network could play in shaping the field’s understanding of and value for the scholar-practitioner as an integral leader of higher education scholarship and practice.

Join us at our upcoming Interest Meeting: Thursday, November 13, 2025, 12:15 pm-1:30 pm, Sheraton Denver Downtown, Plaza Building Concourse Level, Governors Square 14

Questions? Contact SPN Co-Coordinator Amy Collinsworth at amy.collinsworth@umb.edu

Black Wom*n's Collective

Celebrate the launch of the Black Wom*n’s Collective. This interest meeting is a space for powerful connection, purposeful networking, and visionary conversation amongst Black Wom*n in ASHE. Together, we’ll honor our past, embrace our present, and co-create the future of this collective. This event is open to any current ASHE members who identify as a Black Wom*n.

Join us at our upcoming Interest Meeting: Friday, November 14, 3:45 pm to 5:00 pm, Sheraton Denver Downtown, Plaza Building, Concourse Level, Governors Square 15

Questions? Contact Erin Satterwhite-David at erin@ashe.ws