President’s Message Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. (Moore, 192 1, p. 147)

All 39 past presidents in the 45-year history (1940-85) of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) (including two prede- cessor organizations) must have had similar views to those of Burnham. Those volunteer leaders, assisted by thousands of active and profession- ally committed members down through the years, brought us to the present. One of their major objectives was to provide an identity for counseling and guidance through training programs. To strengthen the impact of the variety of creative advancements accomplished to date and, perhaps, to serve as a sign that we are still growing as an association, our theme chosen for 1985-86 is “Curriculum as Creed-Roots of Greatness.” The process of reviewing, rethinking, and redesigning criteria needed in local counselor preparation program renewal serves as a stimulus to and sentinel of high-quality standards relating to many concerns including accreditation, licensure, and certification.

In response to the changing social patterns in our society, our challenge is to combine our glorious past in counselor preparation with a future ripe for opportunities, leading with balanced curricula rather than lagging far behind. During these times of crisis, less federal support, and stringent budgetary factors in higher education, the development and nurturing of counseling and guidance must be as- sumed by the ACES and other professional organizations functioning in our field. Because we wanted the other American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD) divisions and region leaders and members to share in our curricular tasks ahead, we invited them to collaborate in our improvement efforts to improve qualitative growth and effectiveness. Rather than depending entirely on intuitive thinking, shrewd guesses, and fertile hypotheses to improve curricula, we plan to search out our user groups and learn from our learners and other consumers as necessary ingredients for feedback.

In dealing with how counselors should be educated, creating the curricula, and better facilitating learning, counselor educators benefit from identifying outcomes of their work. In 41 states with ACES state divisions, opportunities exist to draw on members of AACD state branches for contributions to curriculum review. Joining with them are coordinators, directors, and heads of counselor education programs who are engaged in exchanging ideas and knowledge, participating in workshops, symposia, and seminars, collaborating in the annual fall

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conferences, conducting surveys, and other involvement activities. Dur- ing AACD and ACES regional conferences this fall, “Curriculum as Creed” theme sessions were planned. A preconvention workshop with continuing education unit credit available is planned for ACES members at the 1986 national convention in Los Angeles.

Our curricula involves a variety of activities beside actual classroom instruction. Curriculum review in our several hundred counselor prepa- ration programs is an ongoing responsibility. We need to learn how to learn so that we can transform our perspectives adequately to assist others in similar pursuits. Our theme again this year reflects great opportunities and involvements for all of us and relates directly to the national AACD theme. Let us find out if we know where we are and where we are going in the counseling field.

Need we remind ourselves that the original “roots” group of ACES focused on federal funds for this nation’s school population in efforts to facilitate learning to help prevent mental, emotional, vocational, and educational problems in our society? Let us have another great year in our careers!

REFERENCE

Moore, C. (1921). Daniel Burnham (Vol. 2). Boston: Houghton MifAin.

Vernon Lee Sheeley ACES President

4 COUNSELOR EDUCATION AND SUPERVISION