Belanger · Belanger 5 My leadership philosophy is inspired by: Astin (1984), Greenleaf (1977),...

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Table of Contents

Section I. Leadership Philosophy ............................................................................................. 4

Leadership Philosophy ................................................................................................................ 5

Section II. Personal Goals and Achievements ........................................................................ 11

Field Knowledge ............................................................................................................... 12

Time Management ............................................................................................................ 13

Networking ........................................................................................................................ 13

Section III. Learning Experiences .......................................................................................... 15

Student Development Theory: SAHE 7860 ....................................................................... 16

Knowledge Gained from the course .............................................................................. 16

Applying Theory to Practice .......................................................................................... 17

Career Impacts and Implications .................................................................................... 17

Assessment & Evaluation: LEAD 7820 ............................................................................. 18




Leadership Issues in Higher Ed: LEAD: 7650 .................................................................... 20




Counseling in Student Affairs – SAHE: 7880 ..................................................................... 21



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Internship: Ball State University ........................................................................................ 23




Graduate Assistantship: Valdosta State University ............................................................ 26




Section IV. Appendices ........................................................................................................... 29

A. Student Development Theory Poster .................................................................. 30

B. Culture of Assessment Video ............................................................................. 31

C-1. SMART GOAL................................................................................................ 32

C-2. Fitness Video ................................................................................................... 33

D. Counseling Demonstration ................................................................................. 34

E-1. Trip Itinerary ................................................................................................... 35

E-2. Trip Packing List .............................................................................................. 37

E-3. Trip Participant Comments ............................................................................... 39

F. Meeting Agenda .................................................................................................. 40

Section V. Resume ................................................................................................................... 41

Resume.......................................................................................................................... 40

Section VI. References ............................................................................................................ 44

References ..................................................................................................................... 45

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Section I: Leadership Philosophy

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My leadership philosophy is inspired by: Astin (1984), Greenleaf (1977), Hersey &

Blanchard (1977), and Kouzes and Posner (2014). My professional goal is to lead students in

higher education, and to succeed, it is important that I consider the needs and development of

college students. According to Astin (1984), the greater the student’s involvement in college,

the greater the amount of student learning and personal development. In my experience as a

Graduate Assistant in our Center for Outdoor Recreational Experiences (CORE), I have led

diverse groups of students as they experience kayaking, hiking and even backpacking the Grand

Canyon. For some students, these experiences are the first time they ever experience the great

outdoors, and it is often the first time they have slept in a tent. As these students immerse

themselves in the experience, I notice a difference in their self-confidence, feeling of well-

being, sense of adventure, and their sense of belonging. As a leader on these trips, I have to be

consciously aware of the students well-being, listen to them, pay attention to their

actions, and let them know that I am here if they have any questions. As a leader, I also teach

the students and reflect on my personal experiences and explain what it was like the first time I

ever slept in a tent. The outdoors is very intimidating to many people, and I try my best to be as

welcoming as possible. It was not long ago when I was a young college freshman feeling

nervous on foreign trails with a new group of people.

Situational leadership (Hersey and Blanchard, 1977) requires a leader to hone their

awareness and adapt to a situation. The main attributes that make a good situational leader

are goal-oriented, responsible, trained, and experienced. For example, outdoors professionals

have their own language when it comes to technical maneuvering and strategizing during trips.

When leading a trip, it is very important that we do not talk in our own complex language – this

helps first time participants feel more welcome, and it makes the experience more accessible for

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everyone. Recognizing the group’s collective knowledge and explaining things in a way that

everyone can understand is a leadership skill that requires patience and awareness. All the trips

at CORE have learning objectives and goals. For backpacking trips, our learning objective is

that by the end of the trip students feel comfortable using the gear and understand the basics of

backpacking (packing their pack, water filtration, cooking on tiny stoves, hanging bear bags,

and setting up a tent). To reach these learning objectives and not make it feel overwhelming, we

have pre-trip meetings where students learn the skills before we go on the trip. This plays into

the responsibility component of situational leadership. On outdoor trips the group is as strong as

its weakest link. Preparing students ahead of time allows the group to be high functioning and

ensures a great experience.

In addition to situational leadership, I also use servant leadership. One of the principles

of servant leadership (Greenleaf, 1977) is building community. When I lead CORE trips, I strive

to give students a truly memorable experience rather than something forgettable. I want students

to look at CORE trips and programs as an experience where we can grow together rather than a

transactional experience that they can check off a list. I want the students to feel comfortable

coming to the office and asking questions about a trip or experience for which they are

interested. To achieve this, I apply some of the principles of servant leadership (Greenleaf,

1977), such as listening, empathy, and commitment to the growth of students on the trips I lead.

Listening to students on trips is more than hearing the words that come out of their

mouths. To be effective, I also actively pay attention to body language. This is something

leaders must do to keep the individuals and the group safe. If I feel like something is wrong with

someone, I will find the right moment and ask if they are okay and really listen to what they

say. Many times they are just out of their comfort zone, and if I listen to them, it makes them

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feel better. Recognition of their discomfort coupled with empathy and willingness to help often

make significant impacts on the students’ disposition.

Showing empathy as a trip leader is something that I focus on as well. As mentioned

previously, when students attend trips, many times it is the first time they have attempted an

activity in the outdoors. I always try to remember what it feels like to do something for the first

time so that I can stay grounded as a leader and teacher. The nervousness that comes

with meeting new people, not knowing how to do an activity, and being a complete novice can

be scary and at times cause people to feel uncomfortable. Understanding these emotions and the

feelings the students have is showing empathy for them. I constantly tell participants that it is

okay to fail: The skills take practice.

The reason I am passionate about my role at CORE is because I get to help people grow.

I help my student staff members grow as CORE employees but also help them grow into great

leaders in other areas of their lives. My passion behind the outdoor program is growing the staff

because without an amazing student staff we would not be able to lead amazing trips. The skills

they learn at CORE help them in many other areas of life as well. They constantly deal with

problem-solving and decision-making. Their decision-making includes decisions not only for

their lives but also the lives of their participants. I challenge the individuals to try new things

and grow through experience – it is very rewarding to see the progress that the team makes over

the course of a year.

Kouzes & Posner (2014) state that “When you have clarified your values and found your

voice, you will also find the inner confidence necessary to express ideas, choose a direction,

make tough decisions, act with determination, support others, and be able to take charge of your

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life-rather than copying others” ( p.27). Balance and collaboration are two values that

consistently guide my leadership decisions.

Balance is a value that I continue to appreciate more. I believe balance is something that

is both hard to define and hard to achieve, and different for every person (Marrock, 2015).

Students are involved with many things in higher education. The students that I work with every

day are leaders in other areas on campus. Whether it is serving as the president of the

anthropology club, volunteering at the local fire station, or serving as a leader in Greek Life, the

students that work with me are doing much more than just working at CORE. Thus, it is

important for them to find balance in their lives. I do my best to enable the students to find this

balance and constantly try to set a positive example. I understand that they have more going on

than just work and I want to honor that. I set an example by living a life with as much balance as

I can. I don’t always succeed, but I am always working toward balance. The students see me

working for CORE during my office hours and see me studying when my office hours are over.

They see me after my work out every day. These things do not happen every week but if they do

that makes for balance in my life. Like I mentioned earlier, balance is different for everyone. A

way that I foster the value of balance is allowing them to request when they want to work. I

have some students that do not care when they work and others that only like to work at night.

Although there are times we have events and I need the entire staff to help, giving flexibility

when I can is greatly appreciated by the staff. When things like this happen they get to work on

their time management and carve out time for work and school. I value balance because I think

that it fosters a good working environment. If the students feel comfortable they are more likely

to perform better at work and grow as student leaders.

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Collaboration is another key value for me. Campus recreation has many functions, and

we often do a really great job combining forces and putting on wonderful events for students.

An example of this is Rock the Rec. Each year during the first week of classes all functions of

campus recreation get together and host an event for the freshmen. This event has the pool open

for open swim and lessons on kayaking, the basketball courts have dodgeball, there are staff

talking about intramural sports, the rock wall is open with CORE employees explaining what

CORE is, and the fitness department teaches group fitness classes throughout the night and

sharing the schedule for the semester. This event evolves collaboration and leadership from our

director and communication throughout the department as a whole. Working and collaborating,

as a department to share what we do at campus recreation with our new students is not only

rewarding but also exciting – seeing the eyes light up on new students’ faces when they find out

what we do at campus recreation never gets old. It is also fun to see all the student staff

members and graduate assistants working towards one goal.

I also value collaboration within CORE. My undergraduate staff is full of high

performers and motivated students, and we can help with a lot of different initiatives. When we

plan bigger trips, or come up with new trip ideas, I make an effort to delegate certain

components and plan the trip alongside them instead of dictating. This allows for their ideas to

come to life, and I consistently find that two minds are better than one. This way of

collaborating also helps the students learn import aspects of trip planning.

My leadership philosophy is guided by my values. It includes balance and collaboration.

With these two values, I am able to foster a working environment that promotes learning, is

open to new ideas, and encourages collaboration with other departments. The values in my

leadership philosophy stem from all the people I have considered to be mentors. I have been

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very fortunate to learn from great leaders, and I have taken many of their lessons and applied

them to my leadership philosophy.

Focusing on student involvement, valuing balance and collaboration thorough a

combination of both situational and servant leadership styles allow me to be an effective leader

in higher education. To have a successful program; collaboration is required within the

department but also campus wide. I believe that we need to take time to develop our students.

The students are the glue to all of our programs. They are the ones greeting our guests and

helping new students find their place on campus. By fostering the growth of students in higher

education and using situational and servant leadership styles, campus leaders will find great

success.

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Section II: Personal Goals and Achievements

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Field Knowledge

During my internship at Ball State, I had the opportunity to help plan their trip leader-

training program for student leaders that lead students on extended trips. I enjoyed helping with

the development, planning, and organizational components of the program. The implementation

phase was completed without me because my internship ended before the program officially

started, but I was thrilled when I hear that it went well. I learned a lot of valuable lessons

through the planning process.

Upon returning to Valdosta State, my goal was to take what I learned over the summer

at Ball State and implement it in a way that would benefit our team at CORE outdoors. I was

able to do this in the spring semester of 2017. I took a group of nine CORE outdoors employees

backpacking in South Carolina on the foothills trail. Weeks before the trip began, I sent them

information about the trail and what would be expected of them. Each student was responsible

for leading part of each day. This meant that each student would have the opportunity to read

the map and have us hike the correct direction, help plan part of a meal, and each student would

teach us a wilderness skill. This gave the students an opportunity to grow and do some research

about the area before they showed up on the trip. We measured success not only by student

satisfaction, but also by the skills that the team was able to bring back to VSU. I believed that

we achieved our goal because the reviews of the trip were very positive and almost every

student posted on social media about how much fun they had backpacking the foothills trail.

The knowledge that they came back with from the trip has been shared with other students, and

I am confident that we developed each other as leaders throughout the trip.

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Time Management

During our Leadership Issues in Higher Education course, I learned that I was very

disorganized. It took me a few class periods to figure this out. I was someone that never wrote

anything down, I just simply remembered things really well. That is how I’ve always operated

for everything – even a doctor’s appointment that is 3 months out. During this course, the

busyness of everything and added responsibility became too much to remember and I started to

get behind on my schoolwork. I knew that I needed to make a change.

My goal was to buy a planner and start using it to become more organized and structured.

I knew that this was going to be a challenge because it involved changing a habit. I started off

with making small goals. My first goal was to write down all my assignments and due date for

leadership class and counseling. Once I did that I wanted to start using it every day with making

myself a daily to-do list. This would help me stay on top of my workload. Now I write in my

planner every day. It involves everything from my personal plans, schoolwork, and work

activities. It has turned into my life. I feel more organized and less stressed than I did throughout

my first year of graduate school. This small change has made a lasting impact, and I am proud

that I achieved my goal.

Networking

The Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) is the professional

organization that I have joined as a member. Each year, they have a national conference where

members can learn practical and theoretical skills, network, and reconnect with old colleagues.

My first AORE experience was during my senior year of college, and I was so impressed with

the organization. I wanted to get more involved with AORE and learn from their leadership

team.

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My goal was to be more involved with AORE and to give a presentation at their annual

conference. During my first year of graduate school, I applied to present at the conference, but

my proposal was turned down. When they turned down my proposal, they asked if I would help

with a pre-conference workshop and help the host schools with the logistics of the pre-

conference canoe trip. I said yes to the opportunity, and I am very thankful for that decision.

During this event I met and talked with outdoor leaders from all over the country. This past year

at the conference, I had a chance to re-connect with many of those leaders and learn from their

experiences. I am happy to share that I also achieved my original goal – my second attempt with

a presentation proposal was accepted, and I presented a research project on perceived benefits of

outdoor programs to my peers and leaders in the field. My ongoing involvement with AORE has

been incredibly valuable.

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Section III: Learning Experiences

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Student Development Theory- SAHE 7860

Knowledge gained from the course

Student Development Theory was a course that taught me how to perform and use

research. I had previous experience learning about the process of research in my RSCH 7100

course. However, student development theory taught me to apply what I learned. During this

class I had many “light bulb” moments. One of these light bulb moments was the moment I

truly understood the research I was studying. Dr. Hull had us go through the process of creating

our own research. During this process, I realized how I should be reading research articles and

how to effectively find what I needed in each of them. I did this by focusing on the structural

elements of research publications. I also improved my article searching techniques by using the

library resources. When I arrived at the library, I explained what I was looking for and our

librarian helped me narrow my search. In addition, I learned how to perform academic research.

I transcribed interviews for the first time in this class and looked for common themes in the

interviews I had with students. I learned how to write effective open-ended questions. Finding

the themes was definitely the skill that challenged me the most. When finding themes in the

research we performed, I had to use the data I collected in my interviews as well as the

knowledge I had on the topic to come up with the appropriate themes (Grey, 2016, p.88).

In addition to learning how to read and perform research, I learned a lot about Astin,

Tinto, and Chickering. Learning about these theorists was fun and because we could relate their

theories to real experiences. For example, when we studied Chickering’s Theories of Identity

Development (Chickering, 1993) I could analyze the stage I was in and reflect on the stages I

had passed. I looked specifically into Astin’s student involvement theory (Astin, 1999) when I

was constructing my research paper. This theory was one that I could relate to, and it has helped

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me understand the importance of student involvement in my job as a graduate assistant at CORE

outdoors.

Applying theory to practice

This course required us to perform our own research and then relate it to a theory. Dr.

Hull put us into groups; I was in the recreation group. We interviewed students that worked at

the recreation center and asked them questions like; “describe the kinds of activities you were

involved in during high school and college. Explain to what extant you noticed any changing

interest since arriving at college? When looking for jobs on campus, why did you decide to

work in campus recreation?” The purpose of our study was to examine student worker

perceptions of their experiences related to development within campus recreation. We related

what we found back to Vincent Tinto (Tinto, 1975) and Alexander Astin (Astin, 1999). Going

through this research process was extremely beneficial. To reference the poster that my group

developed to showcase our research findings, please refer to Appendix A.

Career impacts and implications

This course impacted my career in ways I never thought possible. Through the research I

performed, I realized how important my job is and the impact that I can create. Some of the

NASPA competencies I improved upon during this course are assessment, evaluation, and

research. I am now more confident in the process of assessment, evaluation, and research and

how they each relate to higher education. My student employees really look up to me as their

leader, and in several instances, they are following my footsteps. This course also taught me

how to make a presentation poster that looks professional, and I was able to learn how to

effectively present our results.

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Assessment & Evaluation: LEAD 7820

Knowledge Gained from the course

The assessment and evaluation course taught me many things for which I had no prior

knowledge. We learned about institutional research as well as creating a culture of assessment.

Each week we also had to turn in a 4-page paper of what was going on in higher education.

These assignments really helped me understand all the components and complexity of Higher

Education. I still have much to learn, but these assignments helped me realize how many outside

factors affect higher education and student affairs.

Institutional research is one of the topics I found the most interesting. When Dr. Black

spoke to our class, I was intrigued by his career and professional experience. In his professional

role, he is responsible for informing the campus on decision making and planning. He is

involved with the entire campus to some degree. Dr. Black provides the data to help the rest of

campus make informed decisions. He helps areas like admissions, financial aid, student affairs,

athletics, and alumni relations.

When we use the word assessment, it does not necessarily make people excited. Creating

a culture of assessment is something that can change that. Assessing programs, classes, and

performance is extremely important, but it is rarely an activity that people enjoy and look

forward to. It is important to make the act of assessment an expectation, not a chore. Creating a

culture of assessment is not the responsibility of one individual; everyone has to take part for it

to be a success. One of the ways to encourage assessment is to explain how it is drives results

and is a collective learning tool to improve operations from within (Livingston & Wells, 2016).

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Applying Theory to Practice

During this course, we were required to make our own culture of assessment video. In the

video, we chose to address the staff on our respective teams. We had to explain that the

government slashed our budgets. While this scenario was hypothetical, it is a very practical

example, and I am thankful that we discussed it. Before I started the assignment, I reviewed the 4

keys to fostering a culture of assessment according to Suskie (2009) 1) Value campus culture and

history 2) respect and empower people 3) value innovation and risk taking 4) value assessment

efforts. For the sake of the assignment, I decided to be the Director of Campus Recreation. In my

address to the staff, it was important that I stayed positive and explained that assessment is only

as good as the people doing the assessment. I focused on each department to embrace their

creativity in the use of their budgets and look at the strengths and weakness of each program

area. I also focused on getting everyone’s help, including the student workers. The example of

culture of assessment can be found in appendix B.

Career Impacts and Implications

Throughout this course, I learned about resources on campus like institutional research

and I kept up to date on what was going on in higher education. These learning outcomes have

impacted my career by expanding my breadth of knowledge and improving my ability to use the

resources at our disposal. Before this class I was unaware of what institutional research was and

now that I know this resource is available on college campuses, it is important to consider what

information IR can provide in all sorts of decision making processes. In addition to IR, I learned

how to create a culture of assessment related to technology; a NASPA Competency. Having the

knowledge to support, promote and lead a culture where information is valued is a great skill

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that I was able to develop (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). This is something that will help me as I

start my career in student affairs.

Leadership Issues in Higher Ed – LEAD: 7650


I often considered myself a leader, and before taking this course I was familiar with

different types of leadership styles – servant and situation leadership, for example. When I

reflect on this course, I think of the first day of class. Our first day of class involved Dr. Hull

creating a lot of chaos. She split us into groups and told us to make a health and wellness plan

for a group of freshmen. This was all the information she gave my group. Looking back on this

day I felt so defeated, confused, and angry. Instead of asking questions, doing research, and

problem solving, I sat there and sulked. I did everything a leader is not supposed to do. During

the course, I learned what I did the first day was wrong. Now I know what a leader should do in

those situations. If I were to re-do the first day of class I would have approached it much

differently. I would become the person in the group that motivated the team to figure out and

research the issues at hand so that we could effectively problem-solve. This class did not just

prepare me for difficult situations like the one described above. It also taught me how to make

S.M.A.R.T. goals and how to give feedback to my peers.


In the fitness and wellness group described above, we found ways to motivate freshmen

to become healthy and live healthier lives. We made a packet of information for them, set up a

“myfitnesspal” group, assigned accountability partners, set up challenges, posted on social

media and made a motivational video. In appendix C-2 is the motivational video we made.

Through our efforts, failures, and successes, I learned a lot. But what I learned about myself in

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this project was the most important. I learned that I was very disorganized. Dr. Hull had us

make smart goals and in the appendix C-1, I have one of my personal smart goals. Smart goals

are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound (Posthuma & Al-Riyami, 2012).

My smart goal was to become more organized through using a planner and writing structured to-

do lists. I have been able to succeed with this habit, and it has made a huge difference in my

productivity level and overall satisfaction.


This class has impacted my career in many ways. I successfully fine-tuned my

leadership style and exposed a weakness that I am now working to overcome with the skills that

I learned. Through becoming more organized, I have increased my productivity level, which

directly correlates to being a better leader for the students that look up to me. Now I use a

planner and write things down. My favorite examples maintaining organization are marking

reminders to text my staff on their birthdays or remind the team of a work event coming up.

Good leaders have the best interests of others in their hearts (Kouzes & Posner, 2014). The

NASPA Leadership competencies require leaders to identify strengths and challenges (ACPA &

NASPA, 2015), and staying organized has helped me do that and more. This course has helped

me to expose weaknesses, and I will continue to look for my strengths and challenges as I

continue my career in higher education.

Counseling in Student Affairs: SAHE 7880


The counseling course opened my eyes to the practical application and value of

counseling. I had very little prior knowledge related to counseling, and my perceptions proved

to be quite inaccurate. The counseling course taught me more than what the DSM is. It taught

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me a lot about myself as well. We learned about defense mechanisms, the counseling process,

multicultural counseling, group counseling, and we did a counseling demonstration where we

applied the teachings. During each class, we also referred to our class motto “through the

looking glass”. Although I did not always “open up” in the group assignments, I learned a great

deal about myself though the process of this class.


The best example of applying theory to practice would be my counseling demonstration.

In the course, we learned the 5 stages of the counseling process described by Cormier and

Hackney (1993): relationship building, assessment and diagnosis, formulation of counseling

goals, intervention and problem solving, termination and follow up. Throughout the class, we

learned each component of the process and then were able to show what we learned in practice.

The video located in the appendix D is 15 minutes, and it illustrates the practical knowledge that

I learned. I focus on stage one of the counseling process during the video. I was able to

demonstrate eye contact, attentive body language, ask open ended questions, closed ended

questions, nonverbal behavior, reflection of feeling, encouragers, paraphrasing, summarizing,

silence and listening skills. All of these skills and behaviors are important when counseling.

These skills are skills that I have used every day since learning about them. The requirement to

demonstrate these skills made me proficient in each of them. For example, in the video in the

appendix, I was able to paraphrase what was going on in Jordan’s life and have her reflect on it.

I believe all successful leaders have an ability to effectively counsel their team.


The way I interact and listen to students has forever changed because of this course.

When I listen to students I make sure that I fully listen to them so I can fully understand what is

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going on. I am able to more effectively identify underlying issues. For example, I had a student

come to me with a request to work fewer hours. He is a great worker and giving him fewer

hours to accommodate his studies was no problem, but he was not working many hours to begin

with. I asked him how he was using his free time, and if he was using a planner and making

goals for each day. He was not doing either of those things. I encouraged him to become a little

bit more organized and overall, he said it has helped him. This relates to the NASPA

competencies, Student Learning and Development. I could identify and take advantage of an

opportunity to help a student develop organizational skill (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). Being able

to help my students succeed is the most important part of my job. Even if it is not related to

CORE and the primary functions of their role, I want them to do well in every aspect of their

life. Overall, this course has helped me become a much better listener and overall better higher

education professional.

Internship- Ball State University

Knowledge Gained from Internship

I completed my graduate internship at Ball State University. I was responsible for

assisting in all areas of campus recreation, although I spent most of my time helping the outdoor

program. I worked at Outdoor Pursuits as an undergraduate student, and I was very familiar with

their operations. When I came back to intern over the summer, they did not need to spend as

much time training me than the other interns. This was certainly an advantage and it allowed me

to work more closely with the Director of Campus Recreation on special projects. While

interning, I was asked to lead the outdoor program for three weeks. The assistant director of the

program was on maternity leave and the coordinator went on vacation. This allowed me to step

up and show my leadership skills. My primary roles for the summer were to teach an outdoor

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skill each week to the kids’ camp, ensure the rental center was running smoothly, and plan two

trips for incoming freshmen. I was able to succeed with each of these responsibilities while

learning about Ball State governance and operations.

Ball State Campus Recreation reports to the department of Business Affairs. The

freshmen bridge trips I was planning were through Student Affairs. This allowed me to see how

the two departments worked together. The governance structure was very different from what I

was accustomed to at Valdosta State. In organization and government, we talked about

governance structure and how they differ from each organization to fit the needs of the

university (Bolman & Deal, 2013)

I went to weekly meetings about the bridge trips with the student affairs team. Together

we worked on pre and post surveys for the bridge participants as well as the creation of

marketing material. One of my favorite experiences was learning how to formulate and run

freshmen bridge programs. This was fun to learn firsthand because much of the research related

to outdoor recreation is linked to retention and pre-college programs like the one I helped lead

over the summer. In my research class, I wrote my literature review on this topic. During each

week of the internship, we gave updates on our program registrations. I ended up have 20

students on each trip I led, and I hope they learned as much from me as I did from them.


In student development theory we talked about Astin and his theory of involvement. His

theory suggested that the more students become involved in the college experience, the more

likely they will experience gains in personal development and learning, as well as satisfaction

with college (Astin, 1999). I knew how important it was for these students to have a great first

experience with Ball State. An example of this first experience was a trip that I briefly

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mentioned in a prior passage; leading students through the Smokey Mountains. This trip

challenged my outdoor skills as well as my leadership skills. In the appendix E1 and E2, I have

included the itinerary and packing list for this trip. This was one of the projects I completed this

summer that required a lot of thoughtful planning. Usually when I lead trips, I have pre-trip

meetings where I meet everyone and answer any questions they may have. This was not

possible for the freshmen trips. The day they showed up on campus was the day I took them to

the Smokey Mountains. To ensure they had a positive experience, they needed to pack the

correct things and know the details of the trip so they could be prepared. When typing up the

packing list and pre-trip email I wanted all the questions they might have to already be answered

in the email. Overall, I think that the way I prepared for the trip really played into its success. In

appendix E3, I have a list of comments from the trip participants. Here is one of my favorites:

“The leaders really went out of their way to make us happy and have the best experience we

could. It would be great if we could stay longer next time lol. Overall though it was a beautiful

and really fun location with great leaders and opportunities.”


Working at Ball State over the summer impacted my career more than any opportunity to

date. While I was working there throughout the summer, I fell in love with my job again –

especially serving students and teaching them about the outdoors. My bosses encouraged me

and instilled confidence in my abilities both in the work place and in my schoolwork. They

would ask my opinion on things and they trusted my judgment. I felt very empowered. This is

something I really needed after not having a manager or someone to look up to in the prior

spring semester. I strongly considered not coming back to graduate school, but my internship

really turned things around for me. The internship experience allowed me to reflect on why I

Belanger 26

pursued graduate school in the first place, and I started my second year with a much more

positive mindset compared to when I finished my first year at VSU.

Graduate Assistantship – Valdosta State University

Knowledge Gained from Graduate Assistantship

Just like many other Student Affairs professionals, I found my career path by working at

the recreation center at my undergraduate university. I worked in the outdoor program for two

years before going to graduate school. I understood the basics of how an outdoor program

worked. These basics included the operations of a rental center, trips programs, rock wall, and

information center.

Although I had a strong knowledge base regarding how an outdoor program operated, I

lacked a lot of other skills. These skill deficiencies included not knowing how to manage

people, no experience with a challenge course, and not knowing how to handle change in the

workplace. I am not perfect at any of these skills, but my understanding and knowledge of them

have grown tremendously in the past two years.

I now feel confident that I can lead a group of people not only on a trail, but also as their

manager. This is a skill I am constantly refining, and I continue to learn lessons from former

managers and mentors as I discover my own leadership style.

The challenge course has challenged me as an outdoor professional as well as a leader.

The ability to get a group of people together to achieve a common goal is an amazing thing!

There is often a struggle with groups when they begin the challenge course, but there is always a

break-through when everyone is working together to accomplish a task. I have learned physical

and emotional skills as well. I now know how to climb telephone poles safely, and I learned

how to debrief and talk about different elements of the challenges. Many of the skills in

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debriefing relate back to our counseling course. To effectively debrief with a group, I need to be

comfortable with awkward silence and listen carefully so I can formulate the correct questions

for the benefit of the group.

While being the graduate assistant for CORE outdoors I have been a part of a lot of

change in the program. There has been change in leadership at many levels including the Vice

President of Student Affairs, the Director of the Recreation Center, as well as the Assistant

Director of CORE Outdoors. The outdoor program itself has also physically moved locations

during my time here. When people move in and out of leadership positions, there are adjustment

periods and I feel like I have been in a constant adjustment phase while working at Valdosta

State. Although there has been a lot of change, learning how to overcome the challenges that

accompany it is one of the more important things I have learned since being here.


Through all the change over the past two years, I have been able to accomplish many

things and have been given leadership roles that I otherwise would not have had a chance to

experience. During my first year of graduate school, I was paired with a second-year Graduate

Assistant to split the workload. During my second year, I have been the only Graduate Assistant

for the program, and I have been trusted with a lot more responsibility as a result. With the extra

responsibility, I quickly learned that I needed to delegate many of my tasks to team leaders. I

quickly learned that the process of delegation is more difficult than I anticipated. When

delegating, I learned that I need to begin with the end in mind (Whetten & Cameron, 2016).

This helped me communicate a lot more effectively. It also helps me get my thoughts out clearly

and give the students an understanding of the importance of a task. It is also important to

provide adequate support for the delegated tasks (Whetten & Cameron, 2016). Learning how to

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delegate effectively has been key to my accomplishments this year. An example of my

delegation is in appendix F. It is a meeting agenda that has what each person is going to talk

about and address. In addition to giving my team leaders more responsibility, I created a new

team leader position. I added a marketing/social media team leader to the staff. This person

oversees all of CORE social media and also plans and schedules our promo days. Delegating

this task to someone else was a huge help to me. I invested time in the creation of this position,

but the success of the role saved me significant time throughout the year. To set the person up

for success, I took time to train them and show them how we have used social media and

marketing tables in the past, and then I gave them the opportunity to run with new ideas. Since I

have delegated this role, we have increased our social media pages tremendously. We now use

our marketing tables to come up with a new marking strategy each week and give feedback on

how to improve. Delegating my marketing task has allowed me to focus on student development

and creating a trip leader program. This relates to the NASPA competencies Leadership.

Through my delegation process I was able to create a culture of feedback to improve individual

and team leadership (ACPA & NASPA, 2015).


Leading teams, taking on responsibility, managing through change, and effectively

delegating are skills that I intend to foster throughout my career as a leader in higher education.

Whether it is on a trail, in a classroom, or in a boardroom, these skills will serve me very well.

Although not always easy, my experiences as a Graduate Assistant at CORE Outdoors have

been hugely valuable in my personal and professional development. I am extremely thankful for

opportunities I have been given, and I am excited to pay it forward throughout my career.

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Section IV: Appendix

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A. Student Development Theory Poster

Conclusion

The voice of the student volunteer participants

validated theories of renown student

development theorists. Campus recreation

appears to contribute to identity development in

student workers. It should be noted that student

comments validated cautionary literature

regarding over-involvement (Gayles, 2015),

particularly navigating the first semester of

college. One student commented:

I never made a C in high school, ever. I got here

and made three C’s and a D. And it made me

change my whole perspective.

Intro

The majority of campus recreation programs

operate via student employees (McFadden &

Carr, 2015). The purpose of this study was to

examine student worker perceptions of their

experiences related to development within

campus recreation. Student development

should be maximized on college campuses by

understanding prominent student development

theories, such as those put forward by Vincent

Tinto (1993) and Alexander Astin (1984).

Methods

A purposeful sample of four undergraduate

student workers were identified in each of the

following areas within campus recreation;

fitness, outdoor recreation, and intramural

sports. A basic interpretive qualitative design

was utilized. Four semi structured interviews

were conducted asking the following

questions:

• Describe the kinds of activities you were

involved in during high school and college.

• Explain to what extent has your family and

friends outside of college noticed any

changing interests since arriving at college?

• Explain to what extant you noticed any

changing interest since arriving at college?

• When looking for jobs on campus, why did

you decide to work in campus recreation.

I never really had any experience being over

anybody so that was definitely a shock. Just

learning how to be a good leader. I mean, yeah

I would say I have had traits of being a leader

but you don’t really know until you’re actually in

that spot.

Interpersonal Development

A consistent theme emerged centering on

student development of communication and

social skills. Those interviewed stated they

were aware of their development relative to

these interpersonal skills. One student worker

mentioned:

I mean when I first got to college I really didn’t

talk to anybody. But now that I’m doing this I

make friends easier. You can see how in a job

setting that you have to work with other people.

Now I can get that here. We have to work as a

team to accomplish our goals.

Retention

The majority of the participants interviewed

suggested their experiences contributed to

there decision to remain at their institution:

If I did not get hired at CORE I was going to

transfer to a school in Brazil to be close to my

family .

Campus Recreation Student Workers: A Study of Student Development

Meghan E. Belanger, Greg W. Knaus, & Alan M. Kramer

Astin, A, W. (1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher

education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 25, 297-308

Gayles, J. G. (2015). Engaging student athletes. In Quaye, S. J., & Harper, S. R.

(Eds.), Student engagement in higher education: Theoretical perspectives and

practical approaches for diverse population, (2nd ed.). (pp. 209-220). New York,

NY: Routledge.

McFadden, C. W., & Carr, J. W. (2015, Fall). Collegiate recreation student

employee as student leader. New Directions for Student Leadership, 147, 65-76.

doi:10.1002/yd.20144

Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and causes and cures of

student attrition. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Karla Hull

• Since working in campus recreation in what

ways, if any, has your job influenced your

future plans?

Data was collected through transcription of audio

taped interviews. Transcribed data was

categorized and themes were identified.

Participants

The participants were 12 campus recreation

student workers. All participants not only worked

as student workers within campus recreation, but

also participated.

Results

Four principle themes emerged as the result of the

transcription of data collected during semi-

structured interviews.

Transitional Change

An underlying theme throughout each interview

was recognition by students of the difficulty

transitioning from high school to college. An

example from one student interviewed in this

study stressed the seriousness of the high school

to college transition stating:

Well, high school I graduated with a 3.8, never

studied at all, but now that I’m in college I have to

study. I have to look over my work and

everything. It is much more difficult than high

school was.

Skill Development

Another theme to emerge was that skill

development serves as motivation. Students

realized the intellectual experiences and

leadership benefits gained from working in

campus recreation. One student worker

commented:

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B. Culture of Assessment Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OKPtTe204M&t=182s

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C 1. Smart Goal

NAME: Meghan Belanger

Personal GOAL 2: Organization: I need to use my planner and make daily to-do list to make

sure my work gets done on time.

EVALUATION: I need to do this so that I am on top of my schoolwork and my graduate

assistantship. I can no longer relay on remembering everything I need to do. I need to write it

down.

HOW WILL YOU KNOW YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL?

I will be successful if I make a to-do list 5 out of the 7 days of the week. I will be even more

successful if I complete the items I have on the to –do list do 90% of the time.

TASKS THAT WILL INCREASE MY ABILITY TO BE SUCCESSFUL: I will set

reminders on my phone and in Outlook.

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C 2. Fitness Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S2hzWEhewI

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D. Counseling Demonstration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp2s4qgdtq8&t=5s

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E 1. Trip Itinerary

Great Smoky Mountain National Park and Rafting Itinerary

Your adventure will begin with a meet and greet at the Outdoor Pursuits Climbing Wall,

followed by climbing and group activities. After a night in a Ball State residence hall, you will

head to North Carolina for three nights in a beautiful cabin, prepare meals around a campfire,

and explore the natural wonders of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Participants will

hike a short portion of the Appalachian Trail to Charlie’s Bunion, known for its panoramic

views. The week will conclude an introductory whitewater rafting trip down one of America's

most popular whitewater runs: the Nantahala River.

*Participants in all outdoor adventure programs are responsible for meals and snacks

during travel to and from the sites and any souvenirs.

Itinerary

Monday, July 25

5 p.m. Arrive at Ball State Outdoor Pursuits Office/meet and greet

6 p.m. Pizza and trip orientation

8 p.m. Climbing social and games

Tuesday, July 26

8 a.m. Breakfast

9 a.m. Travel to Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC), North Carolina

Noon Lunch

5 p.m. Arrive at NOC

6 p.m. Settle into cabin and dinner

8 p.m. Campfire and evening activities

Wednesday, July 27

9 a.m. Breakfast

10 a.m. Group hike in the Great Smoky National Park

Noon Lunch

1 p.m. Explore Great Smoky National Park

6 p.m. Dinner


Thursday, July 28

8 a.m. Breakfast

8:45 a.m. Nantahala whitewater rafting

1 p.m. Lunch

2 p.m. Explore Great Smoky National Park

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6 p.m. Dinner


Friday, July 29

8 a.m. Breakfast

9 a.m. Travel to Ball State

Noon Lunch

6 p.m. Arrive at Ball State

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E 2. Trip Packing List

Great Smoky Mountain National Park and Rafting

Packing List

The following items will be provided by Ball State Outdoor Pursuits:

Sleeping bag and pad

Camping pillow

Cooking and eating utensils

Meals while on site

Headlamp

Students will need to bring the following items:

Rain jacket/poncho

Fleece jacket for the evenings

Hiking boots or shoes. Please make sure

they are broken in.

Swimsuit

Tennis/athletic shoes or river-type sandals

for rafting. Sandals must have a retention

strap.

3 Synthetic tops and bottoms – any

lightweight and fast drying material will do.

Cotton should not be used during this

trip. When it gets wet, it stays wet for a long

time, and can contribute to hypothermia,

even in summer.

Wool or Synthetic Socks - Wool and

synthetic fabrics will keep your feet

comfortable and blister-free. Cotton socks

are not appropriate for hiking or rafting.

Bug spray— 30% DEET will work best.

2 Water bottles with lids—e.g. Nalgene

Bottles, Gatorade squeeze bottles (must have

a lid).

Toiletries

o Contact solution/Glasses

o Toothbrush/toothpaste

o Personal medications

o Bath towel

Money for snacks/souvenirs during travel

Hat/visor/bandana—Helpful for keeping

hair and sweat out of your eyes.

Sunscreen

Sunglasses with a retention strap to ensure

they are not lost on the river.

Camera

Belanger

38

***DRUGS, ALCOHOL, AND TOBACCO ARE NOT PERMITTED ON ANY OUTDOOR PURSUITS TRIP.

BRINGING SUCH ITEMS WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISMISSAL FROM OUR TRIP.***

***Any items you bring run the risk of being lost, broken, or stolen. Please leave valuables behind, and

limit the number of items you bring to keep your pack weight to a minimum. Be sure that if you do

purchase any items for this trip that they fit properly (especially footwear) and meet the specifications

provided above. Keep in mind that you may already have many items in your closet that will meet your

needs for this trip, and the items that you don’t have can be found at a reasonable price at your local

sporting goods or department store.***

If you have questions about the packing list or equipment, please contact us to ask. We are happy to

help.

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E 3. Trip Participant Comments

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F. Meeting Agenda

All Staff Meeting 8/22 8am

Good Morning!

Scheduling (Meghan, Dom, Davy, Tiffany)

- Homework/Studying is not an excuse to not come to work

- Please build this time in and work on Time management

- Please block all times off in whentowork when you cannot work. This includes time

you would need to study.

Rental Center (Tiffany)

- If there is nothing to do please come find me or Davy! I am sure we could use help

with something!

- In-service date?

- We will start inventory soon

- New reserved bin

- No homework

- No phones

Rockwall (Dominic)

- We will be scheduling an in-service soon. How does the 28th at 8pm-10pm ?

- Thank you new staff who have stepped up at the wall

- Halloween event ideas?

- No phones

- Only STAFF Route Set

- We will be changing the overlap on shifts

Trips (Meghan)

- We need help filling our trips. Please tell all of your friends!

- Spring trip Ideas are due for Spring on SEPTEMBER 30th

- The Deep sea fishing and Wakulla are this weekend

- Driver training

- Campus Camp out

- In-service date in October?

Challenge Course (Davy)

- How is everything going?

- We need to schedule another in-service soon

- Fall Break

- Haunted Trail- the course will be closed but we will need volunteers to help with this.

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Section V: Resume

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Meghan E. Belanger

907 Pine Cone Circle Valdosta, Georgia

920.447.2738 [email protected] meghanbelanger.wordpress.com

EDUCATION

Ball State University School of Applied Science and Technology, Muncie, IN August 2015

Major, Sports Administration

Minor, Marketing

EXPERIENCE

Valdosta State University Recreation Services, Valdosta, GA May 2015-present

Graduate Assistant of Challenge Course, Rock wall, Trips, and Rental Center

• Plan trips to destination like the Grand Canyon, Angel Fire New Mexico, and local areas in

Georgia

• Assist undergrads in developing to become great outdoor leaders

• Make schedule, do payroll, and manage 20 students per semester

• Manage a rock wall, challenge course, trips program, and rental center

• Assist with gear maintenance, inspections, and repairs.

Ball State University Recreation Services, Muncie, IN August 2013 – May 2015

Trip Leader and Outdoor Pursuits Rental Center Employee

• Selected to lead groups of up to twenty undergraduate students on several adventure trips

across the United States.

• Teach outdoor skills, safety, and etiquette to program participants while leading trips.

• Manage inventory for over 2,000 outdoor equipment rental items estimated at over $300,000.

Knowledge on each piece of equipment allows me to educate students and patrons on proper

use.

• Assist with gear maintenance, inspections, and repairs.

• Employee of the Month, September 2013.

Camp Birchwood, Laport, MN May 2014 – August 2014

Wilderness Camp Counselor

• Led three separate week-long trips into the Boundary Water Canoe Area for groups of 13-

year-old girls

• Taught canoeing, climbing, kayaking, wilderness skills, camp cooking and biking to girls

ages 7-17

• Coordinated arrival and departure for campers throughout the summer. Was responsible for

managing large groups of campers at camp and in metropolitan areas such as Minneapolis-

St. Paul International Airport

Ball State University Athletics, Muncie, IN January 2013 – April 2014

Women’s Soccer Manager

• Attended all practices and ensured the equipment was ready before each practice and game.

• Communicated effectively and met the needs of the coaches and players.

• Traveled with the team and videotaped away games for the coaching staff.

• Took photos that were used for the Ball State website and end of the year banquet.

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Building Better Communities Fellow, Muncie, IN August 2012-May

2013

Student Group Project

• Researched small business needs and the economic climate of Delaware County.

• Worked with teammates to create the program “L-Inc.”. It is a mentorship program for small

businesses in northern Indiana.

Innovation Connector, Muncie, IN August 2012-May

2013

Ambassador

• Worked with the CEO of Innovation Connector to help small business in Delaware County.

• Discussed different strategies to promote collaboration between small businesses. Organized

meetings, focus groups and interviews.

Photography Portfolio June 2012 -

Present

Blog Designer

• Collection of personal projects and independent artwork. meghanbelanger.wordpress.com

• Provide a medium for others to view my work and provide critical feedback.

CERTIFICATIONS AND ACTIVITIES

• Wilderness First Responder, Certified May 2016

• American Red Cross Lifeguard, Certified January 2017

• American Red Cross First Aid, CPR/AED, Certified January 2017

• Summer 2014 Superior National Forest Outfitter Guide

• President of Ball State Water Polo Club 2013-2015

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• Camp counselor at Whiz Kids Basketball School and Crusader Basketball Camp

• Special Olympics volunteer, Basketball Official

• Mission trip to Pittsburgh, PA through Catholic Heart Work Camp

• Volunteer for Ball State University Sports Administration Association

• Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity

• Active member of Saint Francis of Assisi University Parish, Muncie, IN

PROGRAMS AND SOFTWARE SKILLS

• Microsoft Word and Excel

• Fusion

• Certain

• Photoshop

• Google Docs

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Section VI: References

Belanger

45

References

American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and National Association of Student

Personnel Administrators (NASPA), 2015. Professional Competencies Rubric. Retrieved

from:

https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/ACPA_NASPA_Professional_Competency

_Rubrics_Full.pdf

Astin, A. W. (1999). Student Involvement: A Developmental Theory for Higher

Education. Journal of College Student Development. 40 (5), 518-529.

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. (2013). Reframing Organizations: Artisty, Choice, and

Leadership. (5th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Chickering, A. W., & Reisser, L. (1993). Education and identity (2nd ed.). San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass.

Cormier, L. S., & Hackney, H. (1993). The professional counselor: A process guide to

helping (2nd ed). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Greenleaf, Robert K. 1977. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate

Power and Greatness. New York: Paulist Press.

Gery,W., Ryan, H., &Russell, B. (2016) Techniques to Identify Themes. Field Methods,

Vol 15, Issue 1, p.85-109.

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1525822X02239569

Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. H. Management of organization behavior: Utilizing human

resources. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice Hall, Inc. 1977.

Kouzes, James M., Barry Z. Posner, Beth High, and Gary M. Morgan. The Student Leadership

Challenge. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Print.

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Livingston, V. , & Wells, J. (2016) Creating a Culture of Assessment. ACPA College

Student Educators International. Retrieved from: http://videos.myacpa.org/creating-a-

culture-of-assessment

Mattock, Sarah L. "Leadership and Workâ Life Balance." Journal of Trauma Nursing

22.6 (2015): 306-07. Web.

Posthuma, R., & Al-Riami, S. (2012). Leading Teams of Higher Education

Administrators: Integrating Goal Setting, Team Role, and Team Life Cycle Theories.

Higher Education Studies. 2 (3), 44-54. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1081542.pdf

Suskie, L. (2009). Assessing Student Learning: a common sense guide. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass.

Tinto,V. (1975). Dropout from Higher Education: A Theoretical Synthesis of Recent

Research. Review of Educational Research vol.45, pp.89-125.

Whetten, D. & Cameron, K. (2016). Developing Management Skills, 9th edition, New

York: Pearson Publishing Company.

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