Student Housing Matters

How can we be elite without being elitist? Dr. Eileen Strempel contends that for an institution of higher learning to be truly great in the 21st century, it must adapt to the changing nature of the student body and support what she calls the neotraditional student, marrying the ideas of access and excellence.

Eileen is the inaugural dean of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Prior to UCLA, she spent three years as Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Cincinnati and 16 years in various roles at Syracuse University. Eileen is also a former ACE fellow-in-residence and the coeditor of Transition and Transformation: Fostering Transfer Student Success and Transition and Transformation: New Research Fostering Transfer Student Success. An opera singer turned academic leader, Eileen is committed to higher education as the social justice issue of our time.

Today, Eileen joins me from ACE2019 to discuss the role of higher education in promoting artists who represent a diverse global community. She shares her commitment to being an unabashed champion of transfer students and describes how she benefited from the ACE Fellows Program with a lifelong network of support. Eileen also explains the shift in demographics of the students we serve and higher education’s responsibility to be responsive and welcoming. Listen in for Eileen’s insight on listening to learn, empathize and respect—and learn how student housing can build a sense of community that fosters compassion and creativity.

Topics Covered

Eileen’s belief in the transformative power of music

The role of higher ed in promoting diverse artists

Why Eileen is an unabashed champion of transfer students

How Eileen benefitted from the ACE Fellows Program

Addressing similar issues in different contexts in higher ed

How the demographics of students we serve are changing

Eileen’s key takeaways from ACE2019 in Philadelphia

  • Social inequality vs. social mobility
  • Listen (learn, empathize + respect)

What Eileen is looking forward to in her new role at UCLA

How student housing can forge a sense of community

Connect with Eileen

The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

Eileen on LinkedIn

Connect with Leigh Anne

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Capstone On-Campus Management

Leigh Anne on LinkedIn

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How do you find your unicorn job? Heather O’Leary-Agosta argues that rather than getting caught up in titles, it’s more important to consider what you love about your current role and make decisions that facilitate more of THAT. Though she was hesitant to make a career move that seemed like a step back, Heather focused on the quality of her work and the impact she made on the students she served, and that led to an ideal role that fits her passion and education.

Heather found her unicorn job as Resident Services Manager at Showa Boston Institute for Language and Culture, a study abroad campus for a university based in Tokyo. In her role, Heather supports the international students who comprise 100% of the student population, familiarizing them with American culture, creating a culturally-sensitive environment, and working with facilities and food services to meet student expectations. Prior to Showa, Heather served as Property Manager for the YWCA in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and General Manager of two residence halls at MassArt for COCM.

Today, Heather joins Tara to reminisce about their time together at MassArt, sharing her responsibilities with COCM and the value in helping plan new construction on campus. Heather describes the deep support and diverse perspectives she valued at COCM and explains how she fostered lasting connections with colleagues who continue to be resources. Listen in for Heather’s advice around making strategic career moves and learn how her passion for supporting international students led to her current role at Showa.

Topics Covered

Heather’s responsibilities working for COCM at MassArt

The value in being involved in planning new construction

The support + diverse perspectives Heather valued at COCM

Heather’s career transition to property managing a YWCA

How working with international students led Heather to Showa

Heather’s role as Resident Services Manager at Showa Boston

Heather’s advice around making strategic career moves

Heather’s appreciation for lasting connections from COCM

Connect with Heather

Showa Boston

Heather on LinkedIn

Connect with Tara

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Tara on LinkedIn


 

Every year COCM hosts an Annual Meeting in Birmingham, Alabama. In February, COCM’s Assistant Directors fly in from over 40 different sites for a week of learning, listening, sharing, and building community amongst fellow student housing professionals.

 

Being an Assistant Director of Housing can mean many things. Depending on the particular site, AD’s have a variety of roles, responsibilities, and challenges in facilities, maintenance, operations and res life. During one session at the 2019 Annual Meeting we sat down with four of our assistant directors to discuss their experiences and perspective from what they have learned at their own site.

 

Our panelists are from very different sites with different students – and with that we get some great insight from their unique perspectives. Learn about all that goes into running on-campus housing and the creative ways these individuals have approached their everyday work to create an environment for student success.

 

The Panel Participants:

 

Omar Mahmoud, Assistant Director for Operations at The Heights at Montclair State University

Chris Adams, Associate Director of Maintenance Operations at South Campus Commons at Univ. of Maryland

Lupita “Pete” Morales, Assistant Director for Housing Business Operations at Green River College

Ryan Rosevelt, Assistant Director of Residence Life, First Year Residence Halls at Marshall University

 

Topics Covered

How you explain what you do in your role as an assistant director to your friends and family

Perspectives on both operations responsibilities as well as facilities responsibilities

What issues they see most often in their site-specific role, and how they manage that issue

The importance of walking alongside students on their individual journey

Working with international students who are adapting to being away from home

Educating residence on how to use appliances as well as how to deal with maintenance issues

Looking at new things like technology that student are interested in having in their residence hall

Lessons learned through their years of experience

How to grow in your career through these lessons learned

How being valued as an employee changed perspective on worth

How student housing is so much more than just putting students in rooms

 

Connect with Leigh Anne and COCM

 

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Leigh Anne on LinkedIn


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