Higher Education

Council of Higher Education Management Associations (CHEMA)

CHEMA is an organization of nonprofit associations representing the administrative functions of colleges and universities. NIRSA Executive Director Kent J. Blumenthal is serving as the Chair of CHEMA’s Steering Committee through November 2008.

Notable CHEMA Member collaborative projects

• Various CHEMA associations regularly collaborate on workshops, symposia, audio seminars, webinars, and other projects
• Invited speakers regularly provide timely and important higher education and association management topics at CHEMA annual meetings. Recent examples include: IT trends and new products for associations; emergency preparedness & disaster relief; sustainability in higher education; contemporary practices in board governance; and higher education legislative updates
• CHEMA associations have participated in a number of benchmarking surveys on topics relevant to governance, financial management, and products and services
• ‘The Future of Higher Education’ research study (2006) – more than 20 CHEMA member associations contributed financially and contracted with the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR) to undertake this important initiative
• CHEMA associations sometimes hold co-located and/or joint conferences. For example, APPA, NACUBO and SCUP held a joint annual meeting in Honolulu in July 2006 (Campus of the Future – A Meeting of the Minds)
• The ACUHO-I 21st Century Project included representatives of several CHEMA member associations, collaborating to design the campus housing of the future
• The Higher Education Associations’ Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) was initiated in 2005 and includes representatives of several CHEMA members
• The Student Affairs in Higher Education Consortium (SAHEC) was formed in 2005 by several CHEMA member associations who share similar interest in student development. The SAHEC’s first project, Learning Reconsidered 2: A Campus-Wide Focus on the Student Experience, was published in March 2006
• Several CHEMA member associations participated in CHEMA Showcase poster presentations at the 2004 and 2005 NACUBO Annual Meetings and the 2006 APPA/NACUBO/SCUP Annual Meeting. This successful activity is planned again at the 2007 NACUBO Annual Meeting.
• A publication, entitled Contract Management or Self-Operation – A Decision Making Guide for Higher Education (1993), was developed by 14 CHEMA member associations. The participating associations pooled resources and contracted with Coopers and Lybrand to produce this important document.