Today, we discussed and learned a lot about the large picture of higher education and student affairs. Dr. David Nestor began by asking each about our own institutions. We discussed the California Master Plan.

Basically California has three different kinds of institutions each designed for different kinds of students and the idea is to make education accessible to all students. The University of California is designed for the top 12% and is the main producer of research. State colleges allows for 33% of students to attend and is more directed toward vocational training: becoming a teacher, a nurse, etc. Lastly, the junior colleges were supposed to create a free education that was accessible to all people. However, these institution’s goals have changed which have been primarily due to funding. Funding is something that I had never thought about, but after our discussion with Dr. Nestor, it really opened my eyes to the issues that higher education faces when it comes to funding.

We then moved on to discuss the formation of Student Affairs. Basically, Student Affairs was created because of the need to support students when faculty were being moved more to research and the number of students increased dramatically after World War II. So all of that was interesting to see the need that students had to for support and how for one Dean of Students it was too much work which is where we got all the departments of student affairs.

Dr. Nestor ended the conversation by giving us tips on graduate school. He told us his top picks and not to accept a graduate school where we have to pay. His final words were very inspiring because he told us to dream as high as we possibly could, even if that meant President of an institution. Basically he said not to limit ourselves. I really enjoyed the conversation we had because we were able to learn about the profession and hear professional advice about graduate school. It was both informative in general, but a nice way to connect with Dr. Nestor.

Jump to: Assessment & Marketing in Student Affairs 

Today we learned all about assessment. Dr. Whitworth shared with us her excitement towards assessment. She was able to translate that into something very practical for us and that connects to our everyday lives. She began by sharing the following theory with us. 

The this theory is based on the idea that we each have a core and that our identities orbit around that core. However, what identities are salient to us are all based on context.Dr. Whitworth gave the example of being in a room full of men, as someone who identifies as female, her gender identity is most prevalent to her in that setting. This would differ if it was a room full of women, then maybe something like race or sexual orientation would be most prevalent.Dr. Whitworth mentioned that when she does assessment she likes to keep this theory in mind and bases her observations of students on it.

Furthermore,Dr. Whitworth gave us a look at the assessment continuum, which increases complexity and integration as it narrows down. As we went through each part of the continuum, I was able to see the variety of ways that assessment is not only done in student affairs, but is really crucial to a lot of the work. Assessment not only allows for data, but if analyzed correctly can bring positive and more concrete change to the division.

At the end of the workshop,Dr. Whitworth gave us the opportunity to do some examples based on some programs we have worked on. I looked at an outreach program that I oversee. In my assessment, I would try to find the # of students that attend college after attending the outreach program.Dr. Whitworth also said that with some data you can get more creative, for example how many more of the students applied to college, went on college visits, felt an easier transition and many more! Overall, I learned the value of assessment and how it really helps concentrate the efforts of the division. Plus, it allows for a stronger presentation when asking for funding or that a new program be created.

Jump to: HESA & NUFP

Dr. Kanagala shared with us some great insight into graduate schools. He began by asking us why we chose student affairs. After giving him answers, he proposed some questions for us to think about when responding. He wanted us to dig deeper and give him more specific answers. He mades us think about

• What makes us different?
• What experiences have led us to who we are today?
• How do those experiences influence what we want to do? Why we want to do it?
• What drives us to go to graduate school?

These are things that he told us would be crucial when thinking about graduate school. He wanted us to think about what story make would be authentic to us but still make us stand out.

After personal statements we talked about letters of recommendation. One of the big points that Dr. Kanagala brought up was giving our personal statements and resumes to the people we choose as recommenders. He advised that we do thins os that when the person writes our letter we can all share the same message with the admissions committee. He gave us the example of the power of the letters and our essay all talking about our passion for students of color versus passion for students of color + LGBTQ community + women. Where all of those are great, a unified message = a stronger application.

Lastly, we talked about email etiquette. This was a big eye opener, because he mentioned how just a simple email can automatically exclude you from the process if written incorrectly. Overall, this workshop was great because Dr. Kanagala was an open book and kept asking what questions we had. As scared as I feel for graduate school I truly believe that it was such a privilege to have this session. I was exposed to areas of graduate school that had not even crossed my mind. So it really was an incredibly informative session. So UVM Class of 2019?

Jump to: Projects