Please Tell AACS How We Can Bring You Value — 5 Minute Survey
AACS is committed to continuous improvement and serving our members as an indispensable resource. Please take a few minutes to fill out a short survey and provide your feedback. We will use this information to evaluate and improve our member benefit offerings and guide decision making. Please ensure your voice is heard and complete this survey by August 13. Responses will remain anonymous.

Mark Your Calendar! AACS Annual Convention & Expo 2015
AACS school owners, directors, admissions and compliance professionals, please mark your calendar to join us October 23-26 for the AACS Annual Convention & Expo in Phoenix! Register before September 25 to receive the early bird special rate. Hotel reservations for the Hyatt Regency Phoenix can be booked online or by phone at (888) 421-1442. Let’s gather together with other professionals and experts in the beauty and wellness education industry to learn:

Take the AACS 2015 HEA Re-authorization August Recess Challenge & Earn Points
Attention AACS Members, here's your chance to once again show people in Washington, D.C. just how responsive our community can be when called upon to assist in getting the message out to Members of Congress! And this time, your GRC is going to try something new, hopefully fun, and yes, even a bit competitive as we call upon you to take the AACS 2015 HEA Reauthorization August Recess Challenge. Find out how at aacsaction.org.

BCL Nail and Massage Therapy Scholarship Deadlines Aug. 17 & 24
The application window will soon close or two BCL scholarships. The BCL|CND|Tippi Hedren Scholarship application deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 17. The application deadline for the BCL – Massage Envy Spa scholarship is 11:59 on Monday, August 24. Both scholarships are available exclusively to AACS member school students. Application information and scholarship details are available at beautychangeslives.org.

Lessons to Learn from #BlackTwitter
If you hadn’t heard, the Los Angeles Times recently added a reporter to cover #BlackTwitter. The hashtag #BlackTwitter has grown as one of the most popular colloquialisms associated with African-Americans who use Twitter, many of whom are tastemakers, public figures and intellectuals collectively setting the tone for daily dialogue related to real-world issues that would have been seen as rather taboo or sensitive for mainstream media. There’s a hint of consumer insight to be gained from #BlackTwitter. African Americans use social media more than any other ethnic group and access Twitter by roughly 22 percent as compared with 16 percent of whites, according to a study from the Pew Research Center. The study also revealed that 73 percent of all African-Americans using the Internet are on Twitter. Brands and organizations can build and benefit from access to this population and the dynamics of engagement that await discovery.

How to Approach the Generation Gap in the Workplace
A generation gap is widening in the workplace. As baby boomers (ages 51 to 69 or so) express reluctance about retiring, so-called millennials (roughly ages 18 to 34) have become the single largest demographic in the American labor force. Because of this, more older workers have found themselves being hired and managed by people much younger than they are. For tips to approach the generation gap, check out this recent New York Times article. To learn how to capture Baby Boomer brain-power and wisdom, tap into Gen Xers’ self-reliant attitudes and learn motivational tools that will engage Gen Y, attend the 2015 Annual Convention & Expo in Phoenix. Generation Expert Meagan Johnson will present, "Engage Employees by Zapping the Generation Gap," sponsored by Wella.

Upcoming Title IX/Clery Act/VAWA Training September 15
This online training format will evidence participants' achievement of specific learning objectives related to the new law and provide a permanent record of the completion of training. This service is designed to provide added depth that goes beyond general training webinars. The online format will enable on-demand access, modules that can be completed according to individual schedules and continual updates to content to reflect the latest compliance information and interpretations. It will enable the critical incorporation of state law and your own institution's written policies into the training. Please be aware that no training can meet the requirements of the law without incorporating training on your OWN institution's policies and procedures. More details and registration information for this training and the in-person training during the Annual Convention & Expo, will be communicated within an upcoming WINK. Please stay tuned.