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Why does our profession have both regionals and also a national association?  What is the difference? What is the relationship?

By David S. Bechtel, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The Unique History of our Industry-Profession

     In the beginning, were the regional associations, first forming in the east, around the Boston area.  (Eastern was formed in 1926; Rocky Mountain, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Southwest in 1947, 48 and 49; Western was formed in 1951 and the Canadian association in 1952.)   The depression of the 1930's forced colleges to show concern for the job needs of their graduates.  World War II and its manpower pressures to support the war effort required college placement offices to help employers find employees.  Post war, college placement served both veteran/students to get on with their lives and employers in the economic expansion to find college educated workers. Our organizations formed in a unique fashion in that they included both antagonists of a market, the buyer and the seller, the employment recruiter and the college placement officer. It is unique still.  Our regional associations have their genesis in geographically regional labor markets of the 40's, 50's, and 60's, where buyers (corporations) and sellers (colleges) needed contact and connection in order to find a "placement" for college graduates as new corporate hires.   It is important to understand that our professional associations were formed to facilitate commerce as a trade or industry association does.  It is equally important to understand that although we have evolved over the years and are still evolving, the work we do is still commerce and we are engaged in the industry of transitioning young people between higher education and the world of work.  

     When employers and college career service people gather at the same place and at the same time, they are, in effect, within the market place, engaging in commerce and facilitating transitions.  Our college interview rooms and the arenas where we hold our career fairs may seem more of a market place, but anytime that employers and career service people get together, it's commercial. 

      The national association was formed by the regional associations. The National Association of Colleges and Employer's (NACE) genesis was the collaboration of regional associations to produce a Journal of College Placement and to encourage cooperative activities, nationally.  The College Placement Council (CPC), a national federation of placement associations, followed and was formed in 1957.

Challenging the United States Employment Service

     In the early 60's, the consortium of the regional associations and CPC united to combat a national movement by the United States Employment Service (USES) to take over the responsibilities for the placement of college graduates into business and industry jobs.  The USES sought to be a manpower agency through which all hiring would be done.  The open and free labor market was threatened, as was equal access and free choice of students and employers.  College presidents and corporate executives joined the regions and CPC in the defeat of the government's initiative via the political process.  Subsequently, the regional associations gave CPC additional responsibilities to coordinate nationally and for dealing with professional and educational institutions in the overall interests of the employment of college graduates.

1950-60's: "Placement and Recruiting"

• regional labor markets
• personal and long term relationships between college and corporate participants
• seasoned professionals; experienced
• one-to-one contact with students/recruits; personalized
• expertise needed: developing personal relationships; salesmanship
• competition: Government and US Employment Service

Name Changes and Professionalism

    Fast-forward 50 years from the 50's. MCPA is now MidwestACE, Eastern and Mid-Atlantic are combined, the regions are ACE's, and CPC is now NACE. All still represent the industry that brings employers and colleges together with the student/new hire as their common denominator. It is now a national market, a global market, and the regions and NACE include a college-to-employer industry that is significantly different and much changed by technology and transportation.

     The evolution to a professional association gained credibility in the 80's with the adoption of The Principles and Practices of College Recruiting. This document became the standard of conduct for employers, career services offices, and students throughout the United States and Canada . Thus, a niche industry of college relations and career services practitioners, parts of larger professional groups, evolved into their own unique profession.

1990's-2000: "Career Services and College Relations"

• national and global labor markets
• impersonal relationships; short duration
• high turnover; new professionals both sides; veterans retiring
• long distance relationship with students/recruits through group gatherings, career fairs, and technology
• expertise needed: managing information
• competition: commercial vendors and employment.com's

Professional Network and National Scope

     The regional ACE's are the grassroots organizations that operate as professional networks bringing employer and college members together in conventions and workshops. As a result, we are able to renew our identity as college relations and career services people and welcome new members to our profession. The national association arose from the collaboration of regionals, and cooperation and collaboration are hallmarks of our tradition and profession. Yet, the national scope of our work and a technologically sophisticated world has required a more prominent role for NACE. Thus, the national has assumed "national" responsibilities and roles for the profession/industry like spokesperson, professional development, and information and expertise for decision making.

• NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers)
  • staff driven-volunteer coordinated
  • national scope, global opportunities
  • voice of profession/industry (media, representation, expertise)
  • knowledge base for members (legal, benchmarking, technology, best practices, research)
  • professional development, national scope; skills/expertise enhancement; current/future trends, technology and innovations
• Partnership roles
  • ethical standards in career services, college relations and recruiting
  • commitment to free competition in a world-wide open market for the college educated and equal employment opportunity and ease of access for all
• MidwestACE, Eastern ACE, Southeastern ACE, Rocky Mountain ACE, Southwestern ACE, and Western ACE
  • volunteer driven—staff coordinated
  • regional scope with some geographic overlap
  • first involvement-recruitment of new members to the profession/industry
  • grassroots involvement of members in the organization and networking within the profession/industry
  • professional involvement, regional scope; orientation; peer interaction/sharing

The Present

     Presently, there is tension between regionals and national and confusion about the respective roles of each. Those roles are becoming more defined and definitive and tension and confusion will be reduced over time as understandings are arrived at to benefit the entire profession. In this industry-profession, we are blessed with a confederation of organizations to look out for our interests and uphold our professional standards, rather than a single organization. I, for one, celebrate the history and tradition that made this good fortune our present day reality.

Historical background derived from:

Career Counseling and Placement in Higher Education: A Student Personnel Function; by Everette W. Stephens; and published by the College Placement Council, Inc.; in 1970

Read the Statement of Cooperation adopted by the ACEs in 2001.