I base my professional philosophy and values around the statement, “speak little; do much.” I believe the education system should focus on the retention and graduation of students rather than politics and appearances. I believe higher education should be a direct pathway to employment. That is not to say that we should “guarantee” employment. Instead, everything from our programs to our advising strategy should be focused on the development of skills that will help students to succeed in the modern global economy.

Potential stakeholders complain that the higher education system is flawed because we have drifted from our purpose. Rather than student-oriented centers of meaningful knowledge, we have become politicized corporations content with mediocre success rates. To remedy this, colleges and universities must truly serve their students. If we do not make students the center of our short and long term plans, then we are not living up to the standards we should be measured by.

My definition of student affairs has been shaped by my experiences. For generations, colleges and universities have sat on a pedestal and expected students to rise to meet predetermined demands. These demands were not purely academic, but instead focused on strict adherence to a social hierarchy and observance of tradition. I believe student affairs divisions are the means by which universities connect with the students that fill their classrooms. If a painting represented higher education, it would be Michaelangelo’s The Creation of Adam. For the purposes of this metaphor Adam represents the student body, God represents the university, and the point at which their fingers touch represents student affairs.