Always big on professional development opportunities, Vice President for Student Affairs Lamar Hylton had to get creative when executing those plans during a pandemic.
Enter the Division of Student Affairs Fellows program.
“I have always had a commitment to making sure that division staff takes advantage of as many professional development opportunities as possible,” said Hylton. “With the onset of the pandemic, we knew that funding for more traditional forms of professional development like conferences and institute travel and things like that we were not likely to happen [so] we needed to think of in-house ways of providing professional development experiences in the context of our situation.”
Starting with an application process, those interested could self-apply and, in a few instances, others were nominated by their respective supervisors. Once the process was complete, the historic first cohort consisted of 14 fellows who gained valuable skills over the past academic year.
The inaugural class included:
Carrie Berta – Staff Psychologist, Counseling and Psychological Services
Scott Crawford – Program Coordinator, Center for Adult and Veteran Services
Mike Daniels – Director, Student Multicultural Center
Kristan Dolan – Associate Director, Marketing and Communications for Student Affairs
Stephanie Evans – Special Assistant, Office for Student Conduct
Meghan Factor-Page – Associate Director, Center for Student Involvement
Katie Goldring – Associate Director, Center for Student Involvement
Sharon Jackson – Assistant Director, Residence Services
Chelsea Knarr – Residence Hall Director, Residence Services
Brenton McNulty – Assistant Director, Office of Student Conduct
Valerie Samuel – Associate Director, Assessment for Student Affairs
Barb Spencer – Senior Business Manager, Kent Student Center and Involvement
Billie Vichosky – Residence Hall Director, Residence Services
Kendra Wilson – Director for the Office of Vice President for Student Affairs
The cohort gathered monthly, and, as a part of each session, a member of the President’s cabinet would attend and share some insight into their respective areas and how their work intersects with student affairs. They also discussed some of the critical issues facing higher education through their daily work in their separate areas.
Speakers included Kent State President Todd Diacon, Senior Vice President Mark Polatajko, Provost Melody Tankersley, Vice President Valoree Vargo, Amoaba Gooden, Mary Parker, and Dean Eboni Pringle.
“Being a part of the inaugural cohort for the DSA Fellows was truly an honor,” said Associate Director for Student Involvement, Katie Goldring. “Working alongside my colleagues to develop as professionals and learn from top campus leaders was an invaluable experience.”
Assistant Director for the Office of Student Conduct Brenton McNulty said the experience gave him a better perspective of the inner workings of the college.
“I have gained a new perspective on university leadership and the decisions that come with those roles,” he said. “While I can't say 100% what I want my next step to be professionally, it has left me with a lot to think about and with the tools to start working towards the next step.”
Hylton believed hearing first-hand from those at the cabinet-level shed light on essential topics happening not only at Kent State but around the country.
“It was a good opportunity for the cohort to meet some of the cabinet-level executives at Kent State and pick their brain and to ask questions,” he said. “[Not only] about the current landscape of higher education, the future of higher education, and the work of student affairs in that context,” said Hylton.
The latter part of each session was spent reviewing the professional development action plans that each fellow was responsible for developing. The cohort also discussed a common book they each read, spending time discussing it and reflecting upon its context and how it translates into their day-to-day work.
On May 20 via Microsoft Teams, each of the fellows presented to members of the division as part of a closing ceremony and talked about their career action plan and what they learned from the program.
Staff Psychologist for Counseling and Psychological Services, Carrie Berta, was one of the 14 selected to the DSA Fellows program.
“This program was a unique and exciting opportunity to engage with divisional leadership across the university,” she said. “[It helped] to learn from those experienced leaders, and to clarify my personal and professional goals for the future.”
Despite an unprecedented pandemic and a new normal for communicating, Hylton was excited about the results, saying it exceeded expectations by enabling participants to build collegial relationships with each other and develop professional working relationships.
Berta agreed, adding it was very impactful.
“I am thinking differently about leadership,” she said. “[Also] the changes I need to make to become a more effective leader, the opportunities I will seek out for advancement, and the ways we can more effectively collaborate across departments and divisions within the university.”
As the program develops, health and safety continue to be the key when it comes to thinking about planning out future experiences.
“We are still weighing our options, but certainly, there is a benefit I believe in having colleagues gathered together around these really meaningful discussions,” said Hylton. “We will look to do that accordingly in a manner that is safe and healthy to do.”
The year 2020 brought on a lot of uncertainty, but the DSA Fellows Program sets the tone for extensive professional development for the future at Kent State.
“Now [these cohorts] have a network of colleagues across the division to tap into after the program is over to help further advance their work and professional growth,” he said.
“That was really inspiring for me to see.”
For more on the Division of Student Affairs Fellows program, please visit https://www.kent.edu/studentaffairs/student-affairs-fellows-program