The idea for gathering a few presidential assistants started with one PA, Pamela Transue, from the University of Washington, who began her outreach in 1987 to 24 other presidential assistants all around the country to find out if they had anything in common. Two years later, after several phone calls and conversations, the momentum began to build. Everyone she talked to was delighted to discover others who had many of the same satisfactions and difficulties with their positions as assistants to presidents or chancellors.
In the course of those conversations, considerable enthusiasm was expressed for the notion that they gather, perhaps in connection with a meeting of a national higher education association. A steering committee of five was formed—known as the “Gang of Five” who laid the foundation for the Association’s first annual meeting.
The Presidential Assistants in Higher Education (PAHE) first met in 1988 to discuss and address mutual concerns, common problems, and issues of immediate and long-term professional interest. The experience of the first two meetings of PAHE, under the auspices of the American Council on Education, clearly demonstrated the need for continuing the organization. The goals of NAPAHE today are similar to what they were in 1988.
In 1989, at the request of the Steering Committee for Presidential Assistants in Higher Education, the University of Pittsburgh, undertook a major national study of incumbent assistants to the president and/or chancellor. A survey was sent to 650 institutions, which yielded 414 usable responses.
Significant milestones followed with the adoption of Bylaws and Constitution in 1993, and later the application for tax-exempt status formalizing the status of the National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education. NAPAHE then formalized its association with the American Council on Education. The membership had a voice in electing the Board and its officers. With the adoption of the constitution and bylaws, NAPAHE moved into a new era of existence. However, at the same time it attempted to maintain the informal collegiality that it had characterized in earlier years. NAPAHE was a relative newcomer within the higher education community.
The number of PAs attending the annual meeting grew steadily over the years. For example, in 1993 the number in attendance was approximately 70— today it is over 300.
For a comprehensive understanding of the many dimensions of presidential assistants, and practical advice about several key features of the role, a book titled, Other Duties as Assigned, published in 2009 and edited by Mark P. Curchack, who retired from Arcadia University, is available through a number of online sources.
