2026 Needs Assessment Overview

Earlier this year, ACUI conducted a member needs assessment to ascertain what resources, events, and services best meet the needs of members and in what areas the Association can grow. The survey is also used to gather data for other Association priorities, such as resource development and educational offerings. The last survey was conducted in 2023.

Professional, graduate, and undergraduate members received the assessment. Overall, 242 individuals completed the survey (3.6% response rate). Of those, 222 were professionals (4.1% response rate), 9 were graduate students (3.1% response rate), and 11 were undergraduate students (1.0% response rate). Also, for the first time, recently lapsed ACUI members were invited to participate; only six responded (less than 1.0%). 

Participation decreased from the 2023 survey, which had an overall completion rate of 7.0%, including nearly 400 professionals. It should be noted without adequate representation from the overall membership, insights from the assessment can shed light on needs, trends, and emerging issues; however, information cannot be used for statistically reliable conclusions. 

Understanding Professional Members  

Professional members who completed the demographic portion of the assessment primarily indicated they were mid-level managers (51.6%), followed by senior-level (37.7%) and entry-level (10.7%). 

The most common length of engagement with ACUI was 10–20 years (28.8%), followed by more than 20 years (18.7%), 1–3 years (17.8%), and 5–10 years (16.9%). Overall, more than 64% of respondents have been engaged with ACUI for at least five years, and only 5.9% reported being new to ACUI (less than one year engagement). 

Nearly 77% of professional respondents indicated that ACUI was their primary association. For those who had another primary association, NASPA: Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education, National Association of College Auxiliary Services, National Association for Campus Activities, Association of Collegiate Conference and Events Directors – International, and NIRSA – Leaders in Collegiate Recreation were the most noted.

Meeting Member Needs 

When asked what they value most about ACUI, 55.2% of professionals indicated  networking. This is consistent with past assessments. Connected, nearly 80% of professionals indicated they use the community platform (ACUI’s online networking offering) often or sometimes. Other themes that emerged from the “most valuable benefit” prompt included professional development (23.8%), conferences (21.4%), and resources/best practices (9.5%).  

To help assess usage of member benefits, respondents were asked to indicate how often they use various ACUI offerings. The top five were:

• Bulletin (86.8%) – Additionally 58% indicated using Bulletin archived issues as well
• Core Competencies (79.5%)
• Community Platform (77.4%)
• Resource Library (72.2%)
• On Demand Webinars (67.8%)

While there were slight variances from the 2023 assessment, generally members remained consistently engaged with networking tools, conferences, Bulletin, and online education.  

This prompt also included the option to indicate that the respondent didn’t know about a benefit. The top five unknown offerings were:

• Buyer’s Guide (40.7%)
• Content Packages (32.5%)
• Educational Plan (21.9%)
• Research Agenda (21.8%)
• Fundraising (13.8%)

When considering how ACUI has helped them in their daily work in the past year, many professionals again went back to networking as a core benefit. Responses ranged from quickly asking colleagues questions through the community platform to growing their professional network to engagement within the region. 

Additional mentions included:

• Education, connection, and renewed passion found when attending conferences
• Robust professional development offerings that help fulfill requirements and lead to career advancement
• Vendor connections and recommendations from peers
• Best practices, resource sharing, and staying informed 
• Growth through volunteer experiences
• Motivation and confidence
• Mentorship and career guidance

The survey also requested feedback on what could use the most improvement. More than 40% of respondents indicated technology improvements were needed. This was also noted the highest in 2023, after which, the Association implemented several changes, including a redesigned website, new community platform, and new Association Management System. 

Specific concerns related to technology included: 

• Communities (using platform, subscribing to updates, lack of activity)
• Website Functionality (searchability, login issues, load issues)
• Online Forms (award and volunteer applications)

Another theme of improvement revolved around conferences and educational offerings. Not all respondents listed a specific concern, but general feedback related to quality of breakout sessions and webinars and increased and better supported regional offerings, alongside several one-off suggestions for ACUI to consider as future programming is developed. 

Other areas for improvement noted by more than one individual included affordability of professional development, data/benchmarking/research related to the field, marketing of programs and services, volunteer support/engagement, and career center. 

Critical Issues & Job Satisfaction  

The needs assessment is a chance for ACUI to understand those issues professionals are facing on campus—and beyond. As such, respondents were asked to rank how various issues, ranging from AI to leadership turnover, impact their work. The full chart of responses may be found on the previous page.

Eight concerns were noted by 50.0% or more of professionals as impacting their work “a lot” or “a great deal”:

• Burnout/professional exhaustion
• Staffing levels
• General financial constraints
• Aging facilities/equipment
• Basic needs of students
• Volatile political landscape
• Revenue generation
• Generational shifts in the workplace

The 2023 assessment posed this question as open-ended. While unable to directly correlate the two studies, it is noted that financial concerns, staffing, burnout, and student needs were all commonly mentioned three years ago as well. 

Other themes in higher education overall were not ranked as highly for those completing the survey, including campus safety, activism, higher education perception, artificial intelligence, enrollment declines, and financial aid. 

When asked what resources were needed to address these issues, the most common response was a connection to peers—to simply talk, to share resources and best practices, to find resolutions. Finances was another common theme, with professionals noting the need for bigger budgets. From ACUI specifically, suggestions in this area included more professional development on topics such as budget management, planning events within smaller budgets, revenue generation, doing more with less, capital projects/renovations, and justifying impact during budget discussions. 

Other themes from this question included institutional support, benchmarking/data, DEI regulatory navigation, artificial intelligence training, and staffing retention and workload balance. 

Additional Insights 

The needs assessment asked other questions to assess future event planning and resource development:  

• Identify the top two forms of preferred learning. From the suggested responses, workshops/hand-on learning (62.5%) and roundtables (51.4%) were the highest rated. This marks a change from 2023, when presentation/lecture was rated the highest; this option came in third with 2026 respondents, indicating a shift in preferences toward more engaging educational experiences. 
• Rank how professional development budget will most likely be spent. Annual Conference and Regional Conference were listed as the highest priorities with in-person seminars and virtual offerings nearly tied for third. Spending priorities have not changed since 2023. 
• Is your campus hiring? Several (47.5%) indicated that their campus is currently hiring or planning to hire soon, with a small portion of those (1.9%) only seeking internal candidates. Others (29.8%) were unsure if the campus intended to hire, and 22.8% indicated there are no plans to hire soon. 
• If you haven’t volunteered in the past two years, what has prevented you from volunteering with ACUI?  The top responses were too many other professional commitments (34.0%), too many other personal commitments (30.0%), and lack of financial resources (16.7%). This mirrors responses from the 2023 assessment. 
• What is your purchasing influence? Most respondents indicated they were either part of the decision-making group (44.4%) or the final decision-maker (27.1%). Only 16 indicated they were not involved at all. The most common type of purchases are related to furniture & fixtures, facility operations, student staffing, event management, and student programming.
• What features would you most use from a job board? Basic functionality (posting jobs, reviewing resumes, searching by location, etc.) were the most common needs mentioned. Other suggestions included salary comparisons, candidate search, role matching, and exposure of job postings. 

Future of the Workforce 

Most professionals (77.0%) indicated that, three years from now, they would still be in the college union and student activities field; this is a 4.0% increase from 2023. Of those, 40.4% hope to be in an elevated role, while the remaining 36.6% would likely be in the same or similar role. Other respondents indicated they were retiring (17), would be moving to another area within higher education (13), or planned on leaving higher education (9). Nine were unsure at this time as many factors, such as campus climate, would impact their final decision. 

And what is keeping professional staff in their roles or within higher education? Students, echoing the sentiment of the 2023 assessment. Other drivers included colleagues/team culture, sense of purpose, and skill development. 

Understanding Graduate Students 

Of the nine graduate students who responded, a majority (62.5%) have been engaged with ACUI for less than one year. The organizations the students were also affiliated with included NASPA, NACA, NODA, and ASPA.

Much like professionals, the most commons mentioned benefit was networking; this aligns with the 2023 assessment. Other top benefits at least half of responding graduate students indicated they used often or sometimes were: 

• Core Competencies
• Career Center
• Communities of Practice 

At least half of respondents indicated they didn’t know the Educational Plan, Bulletin Archive, Content Packages, Buyer’s Guide, or Training Hub existed, indicating some overlap with lack of awareness from the professional survey as well. 

Only four graduate students provided insight on what could be improved. Responses included content specifically tailored to this population, marketing of resources, website, and customer service. 

Additional Insights  

• Identify the top two forms of preferred learning. From the suggested responses, workshops/hand-on learning (6 selections) and presentation/lecture (4 selections) were the highest rated. This marks a change from 2023, when presentation/lecture and roundtables were ranked the highest, reaffirming the shift in preferences toward more engaging educational experiences noted from the professional survey. 
• What type of content would be most beneficial to you? Respondents ranked career development the highest, followed by personal leadership development and professional skill building (tied). The lowest ranked option was campus role best practices. 
• What is your purchasing influence? Three respondents indicated they were not involved in purchasing process, while four are part of the decision-making and one is a final decision-maker. 
• What features would you most use from a job board? Advanced search filters, job alerts, ability to save posts, and resume guidance were among the suggestions.   

Future of the Workforce 

Of the respondents who answered, three indicated they plan to go into the college unions and student activities field, while one plans to pursue a career outside of higher education. This aligns with the reporting from 2023. Mirroring the professional respondents, when asked what is the most appealing about working within the field, graduate students noted the connection to students and making an impact in students’ lives.  

Graduate students are aware of the obstacles ahead as they consider their next steps. A theme of “lack of” was noted in the question regarding critical issues facing graduate students—lack of jobs, lack of funding for positions, lack of financial support, lack of buy-in from administration. Students’ biggest concerns relate to the financial pressures faced (tuition, cost of living, student loans) and entering the job market (experience gap, availability of entry-level jobs). These themes also emerged in 2023, in addition to other ones noted in 2026, including burnout, work-life balance, and belonging.

Understanding Undergraduate Students 

The 11 undergraduate student respondents to the assessment were split between engagement lasting less than one year (6) and up to three years (5). In 2023, most respondents indicated lesser involvement with the organization; the increase in length of engagement is a positive indication that as students returned to campus following the pandemic, sharing ACUI once again became a priority for professionals. 

There was no true theme in what undergraduate students find most valuable through their ACUI membership. Noted benefits included networking/community, leadership experience, and professional development. As for improvement, undergraduate students wanted to see more understanding of what the Association does and how students can benefit. The need to understand their role as students within the organization was also highlighted in the 2023 survey. 

Additional Insights   

• Identify the top two forms of preferred learning. From the suggested responses, workshops/hand-on learning (9 selections) and roundtables (4 selections) were the highest rated. This question was not directly asked to undergraduate students in 2023, but some responses to a similar prompt included having polls/quizzes and more open discussion which correlate with this year’s feedback.
• What type of content would be most beneficial to you? Respondents ranked professional skill building and personal leadership development the highest. Career development and campus role best practices were lower rated, with the latter being indicated as the least beneficial, akin to the graduate student survey. 
• What is your purchasing influence? Not surprisingly, no undergraduate students indicated they were a final decision-maker; however, nine did respond that they are part of a decision-making group or influential in the process. 
• What features would you most use from a job board? Salary transparency, professional/leadership skill building, and resume builder were among the responses.

Future of the Workforce 

When considering the future, undergraduate students were evenly split between options given: moving to a professional role in the field after graduation (3), pursuing a career outside of higher education (3), and attending graduate school (3). 

Like graduate students, the undergraduate respondents felt financial pressure was a key issue, alongside career-readiness and concern about the job market. Additional issues mentioned, included mental health, feelings of uncertainty/lack of clarity on what is next, and artificial intelligence. These reflect many of the sentiments shared in 2023, with artificial intelligence being an emerging topic in 2026.  

Insights from Nonmembers

For the first time, ACUI asked professionals at campuses that had membership lapse in the last three years to complete the Needs Assessment. Only six individuals completed the survey, but it does provide some valuable insights. Three respondents were mid-level professionals, two were senior-level professionals, and one was an entry-level professional. 

Most (5) of the nonmembers indicated that ACUI membership lapsed due to lack of using benefits or perceived value from the membership, while one noted it was due to funding being cut. Half of the individuals indicated their campus does not hold membership with any organization due to budget cuts. The two other organizations to which respondents belong were NASPA and ACEED-I. 

When membership was active, like other groups, the respondents appreciated conferences, community/networking, and free content, such as webinars. As for improvements, responses included lower costs, more webinars, resources for smaller campuses, and a
vendor list. 

General financial constraints, burnout, and aging facilities were the top three critical issues noted by respondents; these also appeared in the top five of the professional member survey. Also echoing the member survey, resources to address those concerns included ways to connect with peers and financial support. 

Half of respondents intend to stay in their current role for at least the next three years, while one was leaving higher education and two were unsure of their next move. Engagement with students remained the primary reason these professionals have remained in the field.  

Overall Takeaways

While much was learned from this year’s Needs Assessment, key takeaways include:

• Networking/community remain the highest rated benefit across all segments of the membership. This is consistent with past assessments. 
• Technology remains a top concern, ranging from actual issues with systems to lack of understanding of or engagement with
  some features.
• Burnout, staffing, financial constraints, and basic student needs again top the list for professionals and correlate to concerns mentioned by graduate and undergraduate students.
• It is apparent there is an awareness gap
  for some ACUI offerings (namely the Buyer’s Guide, Content Packages, Education Plan, Research Agenda). 
• There is a stronger desire for more interactive learning. Workshops/hands-on and roundtables overtook presentation/lecture across segments.
• The future of the workforce slightly improved from 2023 with 77% of professionals planning
  to stay in the field, a 4.0% increase. 

Looking Ahead  

While the Needs Assessment highlights what the Association is doing right, it is important to address the gaps mentioned by members. The ACUI staff, with support from volunteers, will review what steps can be taken in the coming year to address concerns and ensure members continue to get value from the Association’s many benefits. Some initial plans include:

• Developing a plan to create more awareness of and encourage engagement with the communities of practice. 
• Reviewing top critical issues and determining best ways to incorporate into current or new educational offerings. 
• Determining how to revamp some educational offerings to provide a more hands-on learning experience. 
• Examining the organization of resources and which resources are included in the Resource Library to improve the member experience. 
• Using data provided to consider how to better promote the Career Center, Buyer’s Guide, Education Plan, and Research Agenda. 
• Considering how ACUI can recreate the former Salary Survey in a more user-friendly format. 

Additionally, in preparing for the 2028 Needs Assessment, ACUI will evaluate ways to increase engagement with the survey to ensure results are truly reflective of the membership. If you have questions about the Needs Assessment, please email [email protected].