ACUP Rising

A landmark event in the in-plant world took place April 17-21 in Dallas. ACUP, the Association of College and University Printers, convened for its 46th annual conference—its first conference as a “formal” organization.

ACUP has deep roots as an in-plant organization, dating back to 1964 when in-plant managers from 25 colleges and universities met at Harvard University and agreed on the need for a forum to share ideas. The University of Virginia hosted the first annual conference in 1965, and the string of conferences continued unbroken until 2009 when the conference was cancelled because of low registration.

Over the years, ACUP membership grew to several hundred and included in-plant managers from Australia, Canada, Great Britain and New Zealand, as well as all parts of the United States. In-plant managers from the largest research universities to small, private liberal arts colleges met with a common thread: How can I be a better manager for my institution?

Why was this year’s conference such a big deal? Don’t most organizations have annual conferences?

Yes, but prior to this year, ACUP had been a unique organization. There was no formal organizational structure. The old ACUP had no offices, no newsletter, no staff and did not charge dues. Everyone that attended an annual conference was a “member” for life, and conference fees were waived for retirees. ACUP was more than an “association”; ACUP was a community—a community of in-plant printing professionals coming together to share ides, accomplishments and solutions to common problems, and to network.

The “association” was a group of volunteers. Each year in-plant managers from one, or in some cases a small group of regional colleges and universities, would volunteer to host the next conference. The host institution(s) assumed all responsibility for the conference, planned the educational sessions, organized guest activities, solicited sponsors for support and generally made it happen.

Leadership consisted of a president, the current year’s host, and a board of directors, which consisted of the previous four hosts. The primary duty of the president was to preside over the business meeting, and the primary function of the business meeting was to select the next conference site. And that’s all that was needed.

Conferences were entirely self-supporting, and host institutions were not expected to contribute financially, although they were usually generous with other resources, space and staff support, for example. Vendors contributed as well, and vendor support was vital to ACUP’s success. After the conference was over and the dust had settled, the host paid the bills and forwarded any leftover funds to the next host.

ACUP was truly a labor of love, and it worked for nearly 50 years.

As the economy soured, many colleges and universities cut travel and professional development funds, so conference attendance declined. It suffered so much that in 2009 that the conference was cancelled altogether. The 2009 host successfully hosted a conference in 2010, but attendance was well below previous levels. And to make matters worse, no one volunteered to host in 2011. The thing that made ACUP unique almost proved to be its undoing. With no one stepping up to host 2011, we didn’t know if we would have a conference or not.

To make matters worse, ACUP’s board was severely impacted by the economy. Two of the previous five hosts/board members, as well as the ACUP presidents from 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003, no longer held in-plant manager positions and were ineligible to serve.

In true ACUP spirit, the remaining board members, along with volunteers who were also previous hosts/past presidents, came together to form an interim board with a common goal: To chart a path forward for the organization. We considered several alternatives. One was to partner with another organization for in-plant managers. Another was to disband ACUP altogether.

When we surveyed the membership of a listserv of more than 600 higher education print and graphic arts professionals, the results were overwhelming: 93% said that it is somewhat important or very important to attend an in-plant printers conference centered around the needs and concerns of the higher-education sector. What's more, 86% said that if they were only able to attend one print-related event in the next 12 months, networking with colleagues from higher education would be the single most important criteria. Respondents also favored ACUP becoming a formal organization, and 75% indicated that they were likely to join a formalized ACUP.

Armed with feedback from our constituency, the board forged ahead, and the formal organization—the new ACUP—was born. Working entirely online, the ACUP interim board began the arduous task of forming an organization. Fortunately two former higher-ed in-plant managers who were also former hosts/past presidents were available to provide front office support. Moreover, the host of the 2010 conference had proven to be a savvy money manager, so there were some funds available for seed money and start-up expenses, including compensation for the executive and administrative directors. In September 2010, articles of incorporation as a 501(c) (6) organization were filed in the state of Colorado. ACUP was an official organization.

Who would have thought...

There is much more to be done. Some might say that the easy part is over, and now the real work begins. We have to build membership. We have to work through details, like selecting the president, selecting future conference sites, filing tax and non-profit reports, and managing program content. There are ample opportunities to be involved.

More than 85 higher-ed in-plant managers attended the first new ACUP conference in Dallas. All are now ACUP members, and several more have indicated their intention to join. Their first task was to read the bylaws, which were forwarded to each conference attendee/member. At the conference, these were discussed in detail.

The new structure of ACUP positions the organization to move toward self-sustainability. The interim board envisions an organization that continues the tradition as a community of experts, and opens the door to new services to its members.

ACUP can only be as good as what we put into it. So I challenge in-plant managers in the educational community to make ACUP work. Step up to the plate. Get involved. Contribute your most valuable asset: your ideas.