2025 SCCPA Drive In Conference
2025 Drive-In Conference
Theme: Navigating Political Discourse and Free Speech in Higher Education
Date/Time: Friday, June 13, 2025
Location: Columbia College, 1301 Columbia College Drive, Columbia, SC 29203
Contact Info: For more information, visit the SCCPA website or email southcarlina@acpa.nche.edu.
The South Personnel College Personnel Association (SCCPA) is excited to announce its 202 SCCPA Drive-In Conference. The conference will be held on Friday, June 13, 2025 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern at Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina. This year’s conference theme will be “Navigating Political Discourse and Free Speech in Higher Education,” which involves higher education professionals balancing the rights of individuals to express their views with the need to maintain a respectful and inclusive academic environment. This includes but is not limited to campus protests, challenges and tensions from open dialogue, and how higher education professionals can navigate this terrain. This is an excellent opportunity for professionals from across the state and surrounding region to come together, share best practices, and engage in meaningful discussions about this current issue in our field.
ACPA/NASPA Professional Competencies
Conference participants will develop professional competencies in the areas of: Advising and Supporting; Law, Policy, and Governance; Leadership; Organizational and Human Resource; Personal and Ethical Foundations; Social Justice and Inclusion; Values, Philosophy, and History.
Registration Fees
| Member Category | Early Bird Rate | Regular Rate |
| Professional Member | N/A | $30 |
| Graduate Student Member | N/A | $15 |
| Undergraduate Student Member | N/A | $10 |
| Any Non-Member (Professional, Student) | N/A | $40 |
Keynote Speakers
We are honored to host Dr. Kelvin Rutledge, ACPA’s current Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and incoming President-Elect as our keynote speaker for this year’s institute. He is a higher education practitioner-scholar with over 15 years of professional experience in customer service management, higher education leadership, and DEI education and strategy development. He currently serves as the Interim Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Southern Connecticut State University. Within his role, he oversees and provides vision and guidance for three student-facing cultural centers, faculty and staff diversity recruitment and retention initiatives, DEI education and restorative practices, and university compliance regarding affirmative action, Title IX and ADA compliance, and nondiscrimination policy. As a goal-oriented, results-driven professional within the New England region of the United States, he centers and values equity, innovation, and collaboration to meet the needs of individuals and organizations. He earned his masters and doctoral degrees in higher education from Florida State University.
Emily Gaspar, Ph.D., currently serves as Interim Assistant Vice President for University Belonging and Student Affairs at Coastal Carolina University (CCU). Gaspar joined the CCU community in August 2017 as the Director of Accessibility and Disability Services and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance Officer. Prior to joining the University, she served as Assistant Dean of Students at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and supported students experiencing unanticipated life events and personal crises. She fulfilled a similar role at the University of Arizona in the Dean of Students office. Gaspar began her career in higher education at Colorado State University (CSU) working in residence life.
Gaspar earned her Master of Science in student affairs in higher education from CSU and a Bachelor of Arts in communication from Arizona State University. In May 2023, she earned her doctorate in education sciences with a specialization in higher education administration from CCU. Gaspar was recently selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2024-2025 at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.