Presidential Updates - October 2024

Hello SEAHO Family!

Just prior to our last newsletter, our region was reeling from the effects of Hurricane Helene and the devastation she brought to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee (and I would wager some smaller communities in SW Virginia as well). Half of our region (or more) was affected, in significant ways, by the storm.Many of those communities are still weeks, months or even years away from returning to some semblance of normalcy. Some, unfortunately, may never look or feel the same. And then there was Milton whose cross-Gulf path brought Jim Cantore and his Weather Channel teammates to the West Coast of Florida. The potential impact of the storm surge from Milton was the focus as he approached. That threat was coupled with the severe weather on the East side of that storm that brought tornadoes and destruction that swept through communities along the Atlantic coast. Y’all, I’m just not sure how much more we can take at this point. It is time for calm, for cooler weather and cooler heads, and a peaceful situation for us to settle into during the waning months of this year. 

I always look to October as that time when we can all claim some time back as ours, enjoy things that refill our cups, and even separate from our work for a bit. We’re not always that fortunate though because inevitably, “I HATE my roommate!” month hits around this time, our student orgs start their storming phases, and staff recruitment season kicks in. So, we find ourselves right back in the thick of it. Some of us more “spicy” folx (you know, those of us with salt and pepper hair) are so accustomed to this pattern that we barely notice it’s happening. For many of us that is due to the familiarity of the annual patterns and some of that might be separation from some of the goings-on associated with this time of the year. Our more spicy colleagues, instead, might be more concerned with getting spring contracts ready, finalizing next year’s budget, and looking towards FY26’s capital and renovation projects. Whatever the case might be, there will always be something waiting on the other side of our doors or our time away that demands our attention.

In the midst of all of that, SEAHO continues to roll along towards our marquee event, Sweet Home SEAHO, our 2025 conference. This month’s newsletter contains all kinds of great information regarding the conference, and I’m looking forward to seeing you all there! Aubree and the conference Host Committee have done great work creating an engaging and fulfilling event. Our location at the Von Braun Center and Embassy Suites in Huntsville, AL are fresh and ready for us to have run of the place while we’re there.The Program Committee did a wonderful job discerning which programs will best serve the needs of our members and slated an amazing group of programs. The amount of effort, attention, and discernment needed to go from almost 200 program submissions, down to a slate of about 80, is daunting. I am deeply appreciative of our colleagues on the Program Committee for taking on this task, and I have tasked that group to share more about how this process is facilitated. Please be on the lookout for that in future SEAHO communications.

As we enter the last-third of our SEAHO year, I am truly grateful for the work that our Association’s leadership has poured into it. I hope you will honor their commitment and hard work by choosing to engage with SEAHO in the coming weeks and months leading up to Sweet Home SEAHO. Then, when February 24th finally arrives, we can all celebrate, learn, and fellowship together and collectively recharge our batteries and refill our cups. In the meantime, please hang in there, take care of yourself, and show care for those around you. To quote one of my favorite movies (I’m not going to tell you which one…) “You can do it - I believe in you… Bye, bye!”

With much SEAHO love,

Ben Wicker

SEAHO President