The Student Personnel Association on the UW-Madison campus, established in 1956, exists to create cross-campus connections among people who work with students to support, enhance and reinforce the learning mission of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in their lives. As both a State institution and a huge, decentralized educational organization, the UW-Madison must function with a strictly defined structure. SPA works informally, alongside that structure, to bring people across campus who work with students together socially, intellectually, for campus-wide affirmation and recognition, for personal professional development, for development of our profession and to support the learning mission of UW-Madison.

There are approximately 275 members of SPA from all functional areas of student affairs (e.g., advising, counseling, housing/residence life, student organizations, union, multicultural and international services, and other areas) at UW-Madison and surrounding campuses. SPA is governed by an executive board elected by the membership. The board is presided by the SPA president, who serves a three year term as president-elect, president, and past-president. The board consists of a membership coordinator/treasurer, publicist, general board members, and a graduate student and undergraduate student representative. Terms are staggered to ensure an equal percentage of outgoing and incoming board members over any given period of time.