Check out my new article in the May/June issue of About Campus. This one goes out to all of the live-in reslife educators. Residential life, by virtue of spanning the private and public, has the capacity to generate deep feelings of love and connection, creating spaces for staff and students to develop intimate citizenship—to meaningfully… Read More
Productivity, Perseverance and Precarity in a Pandemic: Reflections of a PhD Student
I am a PhD candidate in the middle of a global pandemic. The phrase “global pandemic” seems played out. It’s become a daily word that does not quite have the power that it used to. I am told, also daily, in various emails, video calls, and recorded messages that the university cares deeply about me… Read More
What is Learning and Where Does it Happen?
What is Learning? When we talk about learning, we are talking about an activity and experience that involves the whole student, that leads to significant changes in who we are and how we experience the world, and which happens in numerous different places and times during the college experience. Learning is “a comprehensive, holistic, transformative… Read More
Meaningful Assessment in Student Affairs
“Higher education is in the throes of a major transformation. Forcing the transformation are economic conditions, eroding public confidence, accountability demands, and demographic shifts resulting in increased numbers of people from historically underrepresented groups going to college. More people are participating in higher education than ever before, yet the resources supporting the enterprise are not… Read More
Using the Immunity to Change Framework for Learning-Centered Change in Student Affairs
The Immunity to Change framework is a valuable lens through which to examine the change required to create a culture of evidence and learning-centered organizations in student affairs because it helps illuminate the barriers that prevent adaptive change. Kegan and Lahey’s (2009) book Immunity to Change frames stalled change as an “immunity” that requires individual… Read More
Curriculum Implementation Resources
I think that one of the ways to make curricular implementation successful is to spend a lot of time focusing on your own and your team’s learning. When we are talking about major change, when we are talking about focusing on learning and growth with our students in a structured and intentional way, we must… Read More
The Space Between Scholar and Practitioner
Today, I added the phrases “researcher” and “scholar-practitioner” to my social media profiles. I didn’t do this because I actually believe that anyone actually reads the little blurb below my picture on Twitter, but, on the off-chance that they do…I should really be putting my best foot forward. In all honesty, the foot that I’m putting… Read More
Moving Forward.
America is a broken and divided nation. Trump is a symptom of these conditions. Today I feel a great deal of fear and anger. I recognize that this is a result of the fear and anger of a great many Americans who feel dissatisfied because our economy and government have caused much anxiety over the… Read More
Risk Without Reward
This morning, as I was walking across campus, my mind was racing with the events of the past few days. The murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, now counted among the continued, senseless murders of black and brown people; the swirling anger and vitriol that encompasses our national landscape–the blaming and finger pointing; the… Read More
#SASpeaks: Breaking Up With Busyness
During the NASPA 2016 Annual Conference, I had the wonderful opportunity to give a talk on “Breaking Up With Busyness,” inspired by a post originally published here, as well as my ongoing personal journey and the great work of many writers and researchers. Busyness, which can be described as the constant need in our lives… Read More
