Advisor of the Year

Award:

GLACURH Regional Leadership

Conference 2017

University of Wisconsin -La Crosse

Melinda Daniels

University of Evansville

Table of Contents:A Ticket to

Ride:

A Ticket to Ride (Conference Experience)……………….…1

Diplomacy (Job Description)………………………..…...….1

More Than 7 Wonders (Past Involvement)………………….2

A Pandemic of Leadership (Current Involvement)………….3

Master Mind of Residence Life (Current Involvement)….....4

The Summit of Greatness (Student Notes)………………….5

Not Just a Small World Impact (Letter from Advisee)…...…6

It’s No Trivial Pursuit (Letter from Colleague)………….….7

Support from the Dominion (Letter from Supervisor)……...8

1

Diplomacy:

Conferences Served

NACURH 2017 (UE Delegation Advisor)

GLACURH 2016 (UE Delegation

Advisor)

Fall Leadership Conference 2014, 2015,

2016: Advisor

Dealing With Differences Institute 2015:

Practicum Student Coordinator

National Association of College and

University Residence Halls (NACURH)

2014: Conference Co-Chair

NACURH Semi-Annual Business

Conference 2014: Conference Co-Chair

We Lead 2013 and 2014: Conference

Student Co-Coordinator

U Lead 2013 and 2014: Conference

Student Coordinator

Fall Leadership Retreat (FLR) 2011, 2012,

and 2013: Conference Planning

Committee

Student Leadership Expo for Development

(SLED) 2012, 2013, and 2014: Conference

Planning Committee

Conferences Presented at

Illinois Student Affairs 101 2015

NACURH 2014, 2017

Wisconsin Honorary of Involved Leaders

(WHIL) 2014

Wisconsin United Residence Hall

Association (WURHA) 2013, 2014

Great Lakes Affiliate of College and

University Residence Halls (GLACURH)

2013

GLACURH No Frills 2013

We Lead 2013

FLR 2011, 2012, 2013

SLED 2012, 2013, 2014

Melinda is the assistant director of Leadership Development as

well as the Residential Coordinator (RC) of Moore Residence

Hall since June 2016. In addition to being the pinnacle of

positive change on the UE campus, she is a stellar example of

student mentor-ship and leadership development. She advises

the campus Leadership Academy advisory council, directly

overseeing the overhaul of the curriculum, overseeing

academic components and the mentor-ship program as well as

assisting with the planning of the student leadership

conference. She works hard to structure most of the leadership

components of the curriculum for the Catalysts for Change, an

8-week leadership workshop series, as well as the Lunch and

Lead Series, a 1 hour weekly lunchtime program with talks

about leadership related topics. She also acts as an advisor for,

and facilitator to National Society of Leadership and Success.

Each of these organizations analyzes a different aspect of how

one can be a leader on campus, something that Melinda is

passionate to get across. In her role as RC, she supervises six

Moore Hall resident assistants, manages and facilitates

concerns, and advises the hall programming and involvement

committees for her building. Melinda oversees Spring RA, Fall

RA, and new RC training. On top of that, she makes sure

everyone feels supported and cared for. She works directly

with the Resident Students Association as the advisor, helping

with the organization of the meeting, the advising of

conferences, and the training of new members. She is also

responsible for coordinating housing for summer conferences

and supervising thirteen student staff members to look after the

residence halls over the summer.

2

More Than 7 Wonders:What stands out the most about Melinda is her

dedication to what she does. Even though Melinda

has not lived in Wisconsin since 2014, she still

serves as a Future Problem Solvers Scenario Judge

where she critiques and provides constructive

feedback for competitive scenario submissions of

middle and high school students involved in

Wisconsin Problem Solvers. Melinda’s past is

exemplary and her future is sure to be bright.

From August 2015 to May 2016 Melinda worked

as a graduate assistant to oversee and lead various

leadership programs. These included Rocky

Unleashed, an 8-week, non-credit leadership

course for 5-20 emerging leaders each semester;

Camp Leatherneck, a first-year, overnight

orientation/leadership program; Fall Leadership

Conference 2014/2015, a one-day conference for

150 student leaders featuring three sessions of

programming, a keynote speech, and networking

activities; Blue Key, a leadership honorary

serving students with a 3.3 or higher GPA and

extensive campus involvement; and served as a

leadership programs representative for the Office

of Student Activities.

In the summer of 2015, Melinda served as a

summer camp and conference intern at Webster

University. There she supervised a staff of 8

Summer Assistants and had to prepare for

incoming camps and conferences, complete

inventories, among other tasks. She also provided

on-call assistance, crisis management, and

presented sessions for Resident Assistant training.

Furthermore, Melinda created a strategic plan to

revive Webster’s National Residence Hall

Honorary within the next academic year. Melinda had a passion for student leadership early

in her undergraduate career. She served as a

student leadership intern at The University of

Wisconsin Eau Claire in the Activities,

Involvement, and Leadership Office. In that

position, she coordinated We Lead 2012, 2013 and

U-Lead 2013, 2014 conferences. Additionally,

Melinda was involved with NACURH where she

served as a 2014 NACURH Conference Co-Chair

where she oversaw the activities of 10 committees,

served on the NACURH board of directors,

evaluated emergency protocols for a conference

serving 2,400 participants, and administered

tactics to promote cohesion and motivation for a

23 person staff. Melinda clearly had an above

average undergraduate experience, all while

maintaining a competitive GPA.

After graduation, Melinda sought to continue her

leadership and educational experience at Western

Illinois University. During her year at Western

Illinois (August 2014-May 2015), Melinda

exceeded expectations and has an impressive list

of achievements: some of which are given below.

Melinda advised the executive board for Western’s

All Volunteer Effort (WAVE), which provides 8

service opportunities weekly and one all-campus

initiative each semester. Melinda also planned an

alternative spring break in 2015 to Memphis,

Tennessee where she and 9 student volunteers

served Memphis in a different way each day; these

activities included visiting a rehabilitation center

for veterans, cleaning 10,000 pounds of garbage

from lakes with other institutions in one day, and

volunteering at the zoo.

A Pandemic of Leadership:

3

Melinda established a new leadership organization on campus termed Catalysts for Change (2017). This

organization undergoes an eight week long program with an eight hour retreat. It focuses on providing basic

leadership skills, service experiences, and inclusivity. Melinda saw a need to develop this organization

because she saw that many students lacked some of the basic leadership skills and knowing how to deal with

people of diverse background. As a result, she instructs many on defining leadership, servant leadership,

goal-setting, and navigating team dynamics. As a result, there is a lot less conflict between organizations,

more up-and-coming leaders, and more inclusivity within organizations and on campus.

Think Tank is a new weekend-long conference that Melinda created and

facilitated over the summer of 2017. This conference helped students figure

out their leadership style, review current residential experience, and begin

making plans for the upcoming year. Throughout the conference, Melinda

would ask what they could do better at the university, letting the students be

a part of the decision making process for residential themes and community

improvements. She also taught the students about topics such as

followership, marketing, restructure, and residential programming.

Melinda initiated a new position on campus called a student leadership

intern in the 2016-2017 school year. Melinda single-handedly hired, trained,

and supervised this individual. This was developed as an opportunity for a

student to help collaborate with various leaders on campus and expand their

experience as a leader. Lunch and Leads 2016-2017 is a series of talks given

by various leaders on campus that Melinda organizes.

She actively reaches out to various leaders on campus,

schedules the talks, and helps the speaker prepare.

This allows for students to hear about leadership from

different perspectives close by.

Melinda is the first advisor of Game Players Society.

This organization was founded in the 2016-2017

academic year. Melinda helped the organization gain

recognition and membership. Here she helped initiate

a board game library available for all of campus.

University of Evansville Leadership Academy (UELA) and National Society of Leadership and Success

(NSLS) are two leadership focused organizations that Melinda advised in the 2016-2017 academic year. In

UELA, Melinda emphasizes the social change model, servant leadership, strengths, and the student

leadership challenge. This challenges students to be the best leaders they can be and know how to adapt

leadership styles for differing situations. Melinda advises an advisory council with group and one-on-one

meetings, overhauls curriculum to include current practices and theories and create another opportunity to

learn. She oversaw the mentor program, annual summit, induction, and banquet for UELA. A student

leadership conference was also coordinated, advised, scheduled, and supported by Melinda. She opened it

up to the entire campus and other universities, a thing that hasn’t been done in the past. Melinda made sure

that the curriculum of the conference would be beneficial to a diverse audience. In NSLS, Melinda advises

the executive board and facilitates activities such as the induction, the broadcasts, and service projects.

Melinda has also assessed the cost and benefits of the program. She is now planning to renovate the

program so that it will be more beneficial to its members.

Master Mind of Residence Life:

4

Resident Student Association (RSA) is a student

organization that Melinda serves as head advisor for. This

organization focuses on improving the residential

experience through programs, improvements, networking,

and providing leadership opportunities. Melinda aided the

students in restructuring the organization (Spring 2017) in

order to better meet student needs. This process took the

entire semester. Now RSA provides a more flexible structure

within each independent residential areas and offers more

leadership opportunities within RSA. Another major impact

is Melinda’s introduction of “Of the Month Awards”

(OTMs) to campus. Prior to 2017, OTMs did not exist, and

as of now we have a submission total of around fifty. The

conference experience on campus was increased as Melinda

more actively sought a delegation and the number of

applicants and program submissions from the university has

risen. Bid writing is also a new concept that Melinda

introduced. She jumpstarted this initiative with one student

in Spring of 2017, training them on how to write bids and

being there to offer assistance if any questions arose

throughout the process. Now that student is training a

committee on how to write bids and, with Melinda’s active

support, is submitting four bids for this conference. Melinda

directly advises the president and national communications

coordinator through weekly one-on-ones and serves as a

liaison between the RSA general assembly and professional

staff. She also oversees the entire executive board,

mediating conflict, supporting the board, and challenging

the students to go above and beyond.

As the RC of Moore Hall (2016-2017) Melinda

directly supervises six undergraduate RAs via

weekly staff meetings, biweekly one-on-ones,

additional group cohesion activities, and

personal support. She facilitates concerns in

the building including flooding, infestations,

key core changes, and work orders. She also

coordinated move-in, move-out, and room

changes for the building of about two-hundred

residents. Melinda advises the hall’s

programming and improvement committees

during their weekly meetings and ten yearly

programs. Melinda is known to say “what can I

do to better help you” and is actively engaged

with her RAs and the building as a whole.

Melinda tackled the training of residential coordinators (RCs) and residential assistants (RAs). She trained

two new RCs over the summer (2017), developing a schedule set to meet each of the RCs’ needs based on

previous experience, coordinated training from other departments, and provided an assessment of team

dynamics for the professional staff. Melinda presented on advising, supervising, and staff communication as

well. For the RAs, Melinda scheduled and prepared sessions for Fall 2-week and Spring 1-week training

(2017), along with monthly in-service training for the thirty-five student staff members. Melinda coordinated

communication with counseling, security, title IX, cultural engagement, diversity services, and student

orientation leaders in order to provide multiple resources for the RAs and make their relationship with these

services more comfortable. She provided a discussion outline for individual staffs at the end of the day, and

coordinated and assisted with food preparation throughout training. Melinda facilitated a low-ropes team-

building course for two staffs simultaneously, helping the staffs bond. She wrote and coordinated twelve

behind-closed-doors scenarios to give the RAs practice in dealing with policy violations, mediation,

emergency situations, and potential title IX or counseling situations. Melinda also presented to the RAs on

mediation, advanced community building, recognition, leadership, strengths, inclusion, and social justice. For

any RA that was a midyear hire or missed parts of training, Melinda individually trained them.

“Melinda is a fantastic supervisor and

confidant! She is always looking for ways to

improve not only herself, but any organization

she is involved in, and she is not afraid to fail

before succeeding. Melinda is a woman full of

ambition and zeal is never okay with settling for

less than what can be accomplished.”

Lilee Robinson

Residential Assistant 2017

“Melinda is a very active

advisor and is always around

when you need her. Melinda is

a very personable person,

involved, and welcoming.

Melinda has been an amazing

advisor in every club and

organization she has led and is

very good at giving solid

advice when needed.”

Lydia Skaggs

Residential Assistant 2017

RSA Secretary 2017

“Melinda puts the needs of her students before

herself. She will do everything in her power to

reach out and make sure everyone is having a

good day. She is one of the most genuine people

I know and always willing to help.”

Alexa Hunter

Residential Assistant 2017

“From day one, Melinda has always been there

for her students. She always encourages them to

follow their passions and get involved. Working

with Melinda, her selflessness and her general

dedication to growth and inclusiveness really

show. She always makes sure everyone is well-

cared for and knows they are appreciated.

Melinda’s enthusiasm for leadership and

development motivates not only her students, but

the rest of campus as well. Melinda is an integral

part of the university’s community and is one

you know you can always count on to be there.”

Maegen Kincanon

Moore Hall Council Secretary 2016-2017

Residential Assistant 2017

RSA Recognition Chair 2017

“As an RA, she helped me to navigate sticky situations,

advised me, provided a friendship, and has taught me

more about leadership than anyone else ever has. She

continues to do this throughout my term as NCC-

parliamentarian as well. I’m truly lucky to have someone

as passionate about leadership as Melinda in my life.”

Josh Baty

Residential Assistant 2016-2017

RSA NCC-Parliamentarian 2017

The Summit of Greatness:

“Melinda is quite possibly the most

impactful person I've even worked

for in my entire life. Often times,

people just don't have time to

consider everyone's feelings and

opinions. However, Melinda always

takes the time to make sure everyone

feels heard and welcome.”

Keelan Coker

Residential Assistant 2017

“Melinda is an inspiration to all around her. Her constant

positivity and empowerment of students both in and out of

leadership roles is amazing, and in the past year RSA has

benefited and grown exponentially from the support that she

has given us. This organization, and campus as a whole,

would be a very different place without her, and it is

impossible to thank her enough.”

Tyler Wintermute

RSA NCC-Parliamentarian 2016-2017

Residential Assistant 2017

RSA President 2017

5

6

Not Just a Small World Impact:

It’s No Trivial Pursuit:

7

Support from The Dominion:

8