Professional Philosophy and Personal Goals Statement
Professional Philosophy
As a higher education professional, I strive to create environments where students and staff can thrive, leveraging cross-campus relationships and technology. I believe that incorporating the knowledge and experiences of a diverse community enables each of us to make decisions that encourage our growth and success, as individuals and as an institution. I value continuous improvement, both in myself and in my work. I seek to enhance systems and remove barriers to create a more accessible, just organization.
Personal Goals
- Higher education in the United States and in Oklahoma faces many challenges, but I want to be part of the solution. There are many avenues for advocacy, including through my specific position, my relationships on campus and locally, institutional governing bodies, professional organizations, and our state and federal legislatures.
- I acknowledge the responsibility of a modern, progressive society to support students directly and indirectly in order to promote equity, wellness, economic prosperity, and advancement in a wide variety of fields.
- I believe in providing and supporting access for all learners to attain the education that they need to further their personal goals. I look for innovative ways to address policy and procedures, as well as implementing training and resources, to ensure that all students are able to make the most of the educational opportunities offered.
- In particular, as an adult learner and student-caregiver myself, I am interested in finding ways to make higher education more accessible for these populations. As we face the enrollment cliff and a changing economy, I believe providing appropriate support and flexibility for all students will help us meet the needs of our students and society in the future.
- As a life-long learner and generally curious person, I seek to grow and improve every day. I want to identify good practices that I can implement for myself and share with my colleagues. I rely on broad and consistent reading of research and industry publications for me to keep current with the increasing knowledge of the field and to explore new questions as they arise.
- I feel that establishing local connections between institutions can create avenues to work together to serve our community. By sharing data, knowledge, successes and failures, I believe we can make better informed decisions together.
5-Year Professional plan (2023-2028)
With over 14 years of experience in higher education, obtaining my master’s degree was an important step for me in advancing my career. After several years in both Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, I have moved into a new domain by accepting a position in the department of Institutional Research and Analytics at OSU. This role allows me to explore my interest in the systems that govern the experiences of students and staff at the university. I plan to continue to nurture and expand my network of campus contacts and lead collaborative teams across departments to implement change. I have already begun to apply the knowledge and skills I gained from my master’s work to ensure equitable and impactful practices are supported in a data-rich environment. I will continue to serve on the Staff Advisory Council in a new three-year term and advocate for staff specifically as it relates to policy. In the next five years, I hope to work with my colleagues to serve all divisions of campus, as well as the OSU system. I hope to return to a supervisory position after I gain more experience in this subject area.
Self-Assessment of ACPA/NASPA Competencies
- Advising and Supporting
Intermediate: I understand the foundational knowledge, and I am able to perform some of the intermediate practices. I have not specialized in this area in my coursework or practice. - Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
Intermediate to Advanced: I am able to work confidently with AER in a variety of contexts and can explain these concepts to others. This is an area of active growth. - Law, Policy, and Governance
Foundational: While I am able to engage in critical analysis of law and policy, I feel that I have gaps in my knowledge regarding existing law that relates to higher education. This is an area of growth. I stay informed about new legislation. - Leadership
Advanced: I have spent a considerable amount of time learning about this topic and implementing it in my professional practice. - Organizational and Human Resources
Advanced: I have several years of experience working as the HR liaison for my previous department, and I have worked to expand my skills in this area. I also supervised staff and helped my employees to develop their own skills. - Personal and Ethical Foundations
Advanced: I hold high ethical standards for myself and consider multiple sides of each issue. Ine potential scenarios and the effects of decisions on others. I hold colleagues to professional ethical standards. - Social Justice and Inclusion
Intermediate to Advanced: I incorporate social justice principles in my practice and daily life. While my authority is limited, I advocate where I can. I actively serve on the Staff Advisory Council’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. - Student Learning and Development
Foundational to Intermediate: I feel knowledgeable about student development and learning theories, but I have little experience implementing them in programming. - Technology
Intermediate: I work closely with technology, but I do not have experience with student learning tools. I am focused on training faculty and staff in using technology to efficiently and meaningfully connect with their students. - Values, Philosophy, and History
Intermediate: I understand the history of higher education and student affairs and incorporate the values into my practice. I do not teach or research in this area at this time.