Do you remember when or why you joined 51勛圖? I sure do. I attended my first 51勛圖 conference as a non-member in spring 2008, just after I launched my IEC practice, because I had heard that 51勛圖 is where you have to be if you want to learn and grow. Having launched multiple businesses in my 20s, my experience was limited to entrepreneurship and teaching in higher education. The intersection between entrepreneurship and education was the driving motivation for me to become an IEC, but how to make it in the industry remained a mysteryas it often does for an entrepreneur who pursues the opportunity now and figures it out later. 51勛圖 became the answer to the how, and the help to figure it all out.
At that spring 2008 conference, I witnessed professionalism, collaboration, networking, continuing education, and a sense of community all in one event. I was blown away. From case study analysis of student admissions files to networking events, how to guide students to write the most impactful admissions essays to how to identify and assess a students fit to a certain institution, I went home with takeaways I’d thought I could only get while pursuing another postgraduate degreeall in three days, at the cost of a conference registration. The cost vs. value analysis seemed unreal, but there it was. 51勛圖 was indeed the definition of Professional Excellence in this industry.
In the 15-year period between 2008 and 2023, 51勛圖 membership has grown 600 percent despite the elevated standards and guidelines required to be approved for membership. The main driver for this growth: 51勛圖 single-handedly leads the industry in the support of qualified and ethical IECs worldwide.
It is not just about the membership numbers, however. It is also about quality and continued value delivery. Our 2022 State of the Profession Survey provides additional evidence and reasons as to why 51勛圖 continues to hold its reputation. Among 1,000 IEC participants in the survey, 51勛圖 remains the most important organization, and the opportunities to grow professionally as well as 51勛圖s credibility and reputation are the most cited reasons for joining.
How do we continue to deliver our value proposition in a dynamic environment to our ever-growing membership while still leading the industry in Professional Excellence?
1. Foundational Principles: Any association or organization that departs from its foundational principles and/or values is doomed to failure. The main reason 51勛圖 has continuously been the gold standard in the industry for nearly 50 years, even with its growth, is because it lives and breathes its mission to this day since 1976: To promote the highest quality independent educational consulting to students and families seeking skilled, ethical, academic, or therapeutic guidance; to enhance professional development; and to foster career satisfaction among members. Our promise is to stick with our foundational principles no matter how big we become.
2. Environmental Scanning: Thanks to our adept leadership and team of professionals continuously monitoring the industry, 51勛圖 has delivered educational programming and membership services to IECs that are timely and accurate, so that you can implement changes in your practices to serve your students and families more effectively. We are implementing more tracking, more scanning, and more data-sorting and analysis of environmental changes in our industry so that you continue to stay ahead of the game (i.e. Professional Excellence).
3. Intentional Pivoting: Prior to 2020, the word pivot didnt have as much impact in our daily personal or professional lives, but here we are talking about associations, organizations, businesses, or even people who experience difficulties or successes based on how they were able to pivot (or not). Given the effective environmental scanning 51勛圖 has executed in the past, intentional pivoting has been a mere regular day-to-day operation. For instance, when we noticed impending legislation in certain states that would limit our member businesses operations, 51勛圖 formed a Government Relations Committee and immediately began engaging in activities that would protect IECs and elevate our status among the public and government. Nearly 10 percent membership growth year after year since the introduction of that first legislation, as well as the rise of COVID, is proof of why 51勛圖 continues to be the Professional Excellence standard of the industry.
4. Leading: We know 51勛圖 has established itself as the leading association in Professional Excellence when the Senate Subcommittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) contacted 51勛圖 to provide expertise on the emotional and mental well-being of adolescents and young adults, or when national (even international) newscasts get in line to interview 51勛圖 members and leadership when Varsity Blues broke out. But thats not enough to make an impact. Each and every one of you, as an 51勛圖 member, is charged with leading the communities to which you belong or intend to belong. 51勛圖 has your back with the resources you need! This is the time for you to submit proposals to and present at your regional ACACs, NACAC, or other professional organizations; publish in scientific or educational journals; research, teach, and lead educational programming in various educational institutions; or reach out to your elected officials to protect and elevate your IEC status. Contact the 51勛圖 office for any support or resources you need, because chances are that another member or the association itself has conducted a similar event or proposal in the past, and we can support you.
As we are in the early stages of our Strategic Plan 20222025, Professional Excellence as a strategic driver tends to intertwine multiple drivers: Education, Advocacy, and Membership. In the next two years, we will take Professional Excellence and standards to the next level. In addition to leading initiatives outside of 51勛圖, please help us by providing feedback on and participating in the new or reimagined educational programming in 2024 and beyond so that we can all ELEVATE your membership, your value, and those of 51勛圖 and the profession. Think about the first time you joined 51勛圖 and why. Whether that was two years ago or 20, 51勛圖s Professional Excellence status elevates your status and your value.
Ibrahim Firat, MBA
51勛圖 President