APA members = Student Success
Imagine a freshman arriving at MSU with no advance support. Housing has not been arranged and confirmed, financial aid remains unresolved, a major is not declared, their next meal is unclear, and they literally have no idea where to take the next step. If they are lucky, they may resolve these early challenges only to run up against more when their buildings are not comfortable, the IT technology is offline, they are having a personal health or emotional issue, or they simply need guidance. Without the efforts of the MSU support staff, the university is a vast wilderness no one can navigate alone.
Over 3,100 dedicated Administrative Professional Association (APA) positions support the success of students at Michigan State University. The APA represents over 350 classifications that are employed in those positions. Page 101 of our current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) starts a long list of titles that include words such as Administrator, Assistant, Advisor, Coordinator, Counselor, Therapist, Technologist, Trainer, Manager, Engineer, Analyst, Officer, Planner, and many more. Each has influence in the ability for our students to reach their goals.
The importance of support staff cannot be stressed enough. The APA could not be prouder of the personal character exemplified by our members as they provide critical services to our students. Especially what we have learned in the last 3-4 years. When the darkest days were upon us, our APA members helped so many others find their way. To that end, the APA is not an entity separate from our members, but the very essence of a collective being where the pieces create the whole. The working conditions for the APA support professionals are student learning conditions. When the members of the APA are able to succeed, they do not succeed alone. Thank you for all your efforts and especially how you make a difference in the lives of our students.