LifeNet Higher Education

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY APRIL 2007

By E. Elizabeth Flash On Friday, February 9, 2007, after a celebration of the Higher Education Program’s golden anniversary, current students and other participants at the Institute on College Student Values enjoyed pizza and conversation with Dr. Arthur Chickering, author of Edu-cation and Identity. In a comfortable and relaxed setting, Dr. Chickering, showing off his garnet and gold Flor-ida State sweatshirt, discussed the basis for his work and answered questions from students about his seven vector theory on identity devel-opment. When Dr. Chickering began his study on identity development he did not intend for it to be used so widely by student affairs professionals. At the time his study was conducted, stu-dent development was not a widely developed idea. Student services were more focused on providing the service than the development or in-teractions with the student. First year master’s students in the program have been reading and dis-cussing Education and Identity in our Student Development Theory class to

help us explain, relate to, and encour-age development in the students we come in contact with. Many student affairs professionals have often wondered why Dr. Chick-ering chose the word vector to de-scribe the stages in his theory and why seven was chosen as the magic number. Master’s student, James Hunt, was brave enough to pose the question. As mentioned in his book, the word vector has been used be-cause it implies force and direction, but more importantly, in the words of Dr. Chickering, it “has some bite to it.” To answer why there are seven vectors rather than three or eight Dr. Chickering felt that seven vectors would be memorable and manage-able. Furthermore, after reevaluating his theory he saw that the seven vec-tors had been validated. First-year doctoral student Aurelio Valente questioned whether or not the results of the study would have been different had the study been conducted at a large public institu-tion, rather than a small private college. Dr. Chickering’s response was that the outcome would

Arthur Chickering meets with Higher Ed. students

See Chickering page 8

by Jon C. Dalton We are pleased to announce a new partnership with the National Associa-tion of Student Personnel Administra-tors (NASPA) for publication of the on-line Journal of College and Charac-ter. Beginning in September, 2007, the Journal will be provided to all NASPA members as a regular member service. The Journal of College and Character is a refereed journal that publishes schol-arly articles and applied research on issues related to ethics, values and character development in the higher education setting. The Journal is published seven times a year at www.collegevalues.org and is co-edited by Jon C. Dalton and Pam Crosby of the Hardee Center for Leader-ship and Ethics at Florida State Univer-sity. The Journal was created in 2000 with a grant from the John Templeton Foundation and currently has a monthly readership of more than 17,000 indi-viduals. The partnership with NASPA will greatly expand the readership of the Journal. There is much interest today in moral and civic learning in college and how colleges and universities can be more effective in promoting the ethical devel-opment of students. We believe the Journal of College and Character will be a valuable resource for NASPA mem-bers as they work with these issues on campus.

NASPA to provide Journal of College and Character as a member service

Christine Mechanik, Bre Skwira, Elizabeth Flash, Jessica Harpole, Dr. Arthur Chickering and Stephanie Knight (L to R)

Words from the Director

The FSU Higher Education/Student Affairs reception at the NASPA-ACPA annual conference in Orlando was a large gathering of enthusiastic stu-dents, faculty, student affairs staff, alumni, and friends. They were brought together not only by the opportunity to renew old friendships and to make new friends but also by the special occasion of the 50th an-niversary of FSU's Higher Education program.

Aurélio Manuel Valente Editor of The LifeNet email: avalente@fsu.edu

Editorial Team Nate Crayton Pamela C. Crosby Chrystal George Doris Gilliam

E. Elizabeth Flash Mandy Hambleton Jill Peerenboom Renee Rambeau

Bre Skwira, Photo Editor

More than 300 persons gathered to remember the good times they en-joyed during their graduate study and work at FSU and to celebrate the growing personal and profes-sional network of the Higher Educa-tion Lifenet. Throughout 2007 the Higher Educa-tion program will be hosting recep-tions and sponsoring special activi-ties to commemorate this special birthday. We hope you will enjoy this issue of the LifeNet that in-cludes many pictures and articles about the current activities of the Higher Education program, the Har-dee Center, and information about the special events of the 50th anni-versary celebration. Regards,

Jon C. Dalton Hardee Center for Leadership and Ethics in Higher Education

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Art Chickering meets with students 1

From the Director 2

Almuni Profile: Dr. Leas, Ph.D., 1989 3

Dr. Shouping Hu is awarded tenure 4

Student Spotlight: Jennifer Duke 5

Noteworthy Accomplishments 6-7

Call for Nominations for Alumni Awards 9

FSU hosts 17th Annual ICSV 10

Reflections from NASPA/ACPA 10-11

FSU hosts SROW 12

LifeNet 101: Conf. prep workshop 13

FSU Reception at Joint Meeting 15

An experience “Beyond Borders” 16

Visiting Days 2007 18

HARDEE CENTER for Leadership & Ethics in Higher Education 113 Stone Building P.O. Box 3064452 Tallahassee, FL 32306-4452 Phone: (850) 644-5867 Fax: (850) 644-1258 email: HardeeC@coe.fsu.edu www.fsu.edu/~elps/hardee

Many higher education professionals throughout the country remember Dr. Hardee for her estab-lishment of the FSU Higher Education "LifeNet," a support sys-tem that continues throughout graduates' professional years. It is

with this guidance that the Hardee Center quarterly Newsletter promotes the "LifeNet" of students, alumni, faculty, and friends of the Florida State University Higher Educa-tion Program, as well as seek support for future endeavors.

Higher Education LifeNet 2

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Nina J. Shuman (1950) and Cynthia J. Schumacher (1950)

Holly Radford, a first year master’s student, and Doris Gilliam, a first year doctoral student, both received $185 Professional Development Grants at the recent LifeNet101 Workshop. These grants are available from the "Adopt-A-Higher Ed Graduate Stu-dent" fundraising program with thanks to the generous donations from Nina J. Shuman (1950) and Cynthia J. Schumacher (1950).

We continue to receive donations throughout the year. Please support Dr. Hardee’s LifeNet Legacy, gifts from alumni and friends are essential to the operation of the Hardee Center and can be made online at:

www.fsu.edu/~elps/hardee/support.html

Holly Radford Doris Gilliam

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Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Terrence Leas (Ph.D., 1989)

By Mandy Hambleton Dr. Terry Leas, President of River-land Community College in Minne-sota, began the Higher Education doctoral program as a part-time stu-dent in 1982. As many of us do, Terry found the field of Higher Edu-cation by chance and remained in the field through encouragement. As luck would have it, Dr. Leas’s first course was taught by Dr. Har-dee. At that time, Dr. Leas was working at Thomas College (now Thomas University) in Thomasville, Georgia. He entered Dr. Hardee’s classroom only to find that the ma-jority of his classmates were near the end of their coursework and had clear ideas about what they wanted to do in the future. Terry, however, was just beginning his program with no ideas about what he wanted to do in the future. “I was intimidated by the knowledge of the others in the classroom and by Dr. Hardee. She was bouncing off the walls with energy,” Leas said. He left class that day and thought he’d never go back, but thankfully, he changed his mind. Knowing that Dr. Hardee was a stickler for writing, Terry was very apprehensive about getting his first graded assignment returned from her. He was shocked when he re-ceived his paper and she had writ-ten how much she loved the way he wrote. Dr. Leas recalled, “That sim-ple gesture powerfully conveyed that I did belong in the higher edu-cation program and that there was hope.” One of the most striking aspects that Dr. Leas remembers about Dr. Hardee was her passion for students and higher education. It was evi-dent in every interaction he had with her that she absolutely loved what she was doing. Dr. Leas also found two of his passions through the Florida State Higher Education Program—working with community college students and higher educa-tion law.

As our second-year master’s stu-dents and several doctoral students prepare to venture out into the pro-fessional world again, or for the first time, they are encouraged to seek out mentors and advice from mem-bers of the Florida State University Higher Education LifeNet. When asked what advice he would give to professionals looking for positions in the field of higher education, Dr. Leas offers three important guiding principles: 1) know yourself, 2) pursue your passion, and 3) look for institutions that have educational philosophies that complement your own. First, know yourself. What is your educational philosophy? What types of things do you like to do? Do you have a type of work environment that is more beneficial to your pro-ductivity than others? Knowing yourself will enable you to seek out institutions and positions that will be the best fit for your professional life and can help prevent rifts with fu-ture employers based on aspects of your position or environment that you can avoid during your job search. His next piece of advice reminds me of a presentation motivational speaker and Jamaican slam poet Kirk Nugent presented several times during my undergraduate career: no matter what happens, you will be happier if you pursue your pas-sion. Dr. Leas’s passion is working with community college students. He finds the democratic nature and open-door policy of the community college system in the United States very appealing. Being able to meet students where they are and watch them move forward is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding as-pects of his job. Dr. Leas has also been afforded the opportunity to pursue his passion for higher education law by working on several projects with Dr. Joseph

Beckham. In fact, Dr. Beckham was Dr. Leas’s major professor for his legal-historical dissertation that won a national dissertation award from the Education Law Association. For those doctoral candidates who have yet to choose their dissertation top-ics, Dr. Leas encourages them to “find a topic that you are really pas-sionate about; you’re going to spend a lot of time with it, and it will be more enjoyable if your topic is also your passion.” Dr. Leas’s final piece of advice, and perhaps the most important, is to seek out educational institutions that have similar educational philosophies and missions to your own personal philosophy on

See ALUMNI page 14

Dr. Leas has served as President of Riverland Community College since 2003. Prior to his current position he served as District Dean of Student Services and Dean of Yakima Valley Community College in Yakima, Washington after nearly a decade at Thomas University in several capacities. Dr. Leas is a member of numerous community organizations including serving on the Board of Owatonna Chamber of Commerce and Tour-ism, and serving as President of the Rotary Club of Austin, Minne-sota.

“Know yourself and pursue your passion!”

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Shouping Hu receives tenure.

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By Nate Crayton Who can tell the story of the Ameri-can Dream better than Dr. Shouping Hu, Associate Professor in the Higher Education Program at FSU? At the beginning of this year, Dr. Hu was granted tenure status as an Associate Professor. After years of humble beginnings studying and living in the United States from his native country of China, Dr. Hu be-lieved with confidence that FSU was the right place for him to continue his career path. “I came to the Higher Education Program because of its strong reputation and long tradition of academic excellence,” he explained. ”My experience in the past two and a half years just con-firmed that it was a wise decision on my part. I found that the students in the program were very actively engaged in their educational experi-ences, academically and socially. Faculty colleagues were supportive and collegial, and FSU as a whole is a strong and rising research univer-sity.” Dr. Hu is the proud husband of Dr. Sunny Li and the father of two lovely boys, Alex (4 years old) and Aaron (10 months old). “The boys are our pride and joy,” he said. “Whenever I have spare time out of my work, I play with my boys. Alex

is trying to keep me exercising regularly by ‘forcing’ me to jump and run with him every day. He acts more authoritative than the NCAA basketball team coaches. Aaron is always trying to cheer everybody up with his charming smiles.” Dr. Hu and his wife came to the United States from China on schol-arships in August of 1995 and be-came doctoral students in the School of Education at Indiana Uni-versity (IU), where they first met. Dr. Sunny Li eventually received an M.S. in Computer Science and her Ph.D. in the Instructional Systems Technology from IU. As for Dr. Shouping Hu, he earned a B.S. de-gree in Geography (1992) from Pe-king University, received his M.S. degree in Economics (1998) and his Ph.D. in Higher Education (2000) from Indiana University. “While completing my Ph.D., I served as a research analyst in the Indiana Edu-cation Policy Center and Center for Postsecondary Research on numer-ous research projects including the College Student Experiences Ques-tionnaire (CSEQ) and National Sur-vey of Student Engagement (NSSE),” he mentioned. “I was an assistant professor at Seton Hall University from 2000 to 2004.” As an associate professor, the focus of Dr. Hu’s research and scholarship is student success in higher educa-tion. According to Dr. Hu, his re-search program addresses two re-lated themes. The first is student decisions about higher education participation (e.g., college access, choice, and persistence). The sec-ond theme is student engagement in educationally purposeful activities in college. “Ensuring that students have the opportunity to participate in and develop at optimal levels from their higher education experi-ence is one of the ways to maintain the high quality of American higher education,” Dr. Hu explained. He has published articles related to these topics in the Journal of Higher Education, Research in Higher Edu-cation, Review of Higher Education,

See FACULTY page 8

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and Journal of College Stu-dent Development. One of his recent publications is an ASHE higher edu-cation report titled, “Beyond Grade Inflation: Grading Problems in Higher Education” published by Jossey-Bass. Dr. Hu was also a recipient of the Emerging Scholar award from the American College Personnel As-sociation (ACPA) in 2004, and cur-rently serves as an editorial board member of the Journal of College Student Development. Currently, Dr. Hu is working on two book projects. “In collaboration with one of my doctoral students and other colleagues in the FSU higher education program,” he explained, “I am developing an ASHE monograph under the contract with Jossey-Bass with a tentative title of “Reinventing Undergraduate Education: Engaging Students in Research and Creative Activities.” Teaming up with re-searchers at University of Michigan, Dr. Hu is working on another book summarizing results from two pro-jects funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with a working title of “Scholarships, Engaged Learning, and Social Justice: Aca-demic Pathways of Low-Income, High-Achieving Students of Color.” In addition, he is working on an AIR/NPEC funded project on Florida’s Bright Futures program and an FSU funded project on the effects of “dual enrollment” and “delayed enroll-ment” on college student educational progression and eventual labor mar-ket outcomes. Describing his tenure process, Dr. Hu received a lot of good advice and assistance from many people for which he is grateful. “Dr. Beckham, interim department chair at that time, was always there to make sure things were moving along smoothly”, he said. “Drs. Schwartz and Bower offered many good suggestions. My ‘life-time’ advisors at Indiana Univer-sity offered insights about do’s and don’ts —that is LifeNet in action!”

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Student Spotlight: Jennifer Duke Living with a Sense of Urgency into his eyes, and for the first time in her life she felt that she “had come face to face with real evil.” She was confronted with a question she had never asked herself before: What did this young man live for? With no one to care for him and nothing to live for, she argued, he could not have a life with deep meaning, purpose, or value. As a result of the horror of the school shooting and her reliving the trauma in its aftermath, Jenn’s life was changed forever. Turning in-ward, she began to assess the value of her own life. An outlook of a na-ive adolescent was transformed into one with a sense of urgency—an urgency to create meaning and pur-pose in a world of both good and evil. Jenn underscores this urgency with a repeated emphasis: “We are not promised another second to live. We have a responsibility to do what we can while we can. It is not all about me—the car I drive, the house I live in, but it is about truly serving others.” As a result, when asked what she wants to do with her life, Jenn responds with answers

By Pamela C. Crosby Jennifer Duke is not a young woman who sits around, waiting for some-thing to happen: she makes things happen. She grew up in a middle-class, close-knit Southern commu-nity, surrounded by caring friends and family. Most people would de-scribe such a childhood as providen-tial. For example, leaders in the First Baptist Church which she attended and mentors in the Methodist youth group in which she participated dur-ing college offered her moral guid-ance and grounding; her parents were loving and caring; and she was a student leader and cheerleader in her high school. However, Jenn’s adolescent idyllic life in Pearl, Missis-sippi, was suddenly disrupted by a violent crime in her own school. On October 1, 1997, when Jenn was fifteen and a sophomore, she watched a schoolmate open fire on nine students in the school’s com-mons. Two of the nine students died—Jenn had also known them through her youth group. Witnessing the shootings traumatized Jenn, and for a year after, she could not talk or let herself think about the murders. In June 1998, during the assailant’s trial, Jenn, the only bystander testi-fying not hit by the gunman, was ordered to identify the attacker. Asked to point to the killer in the courtroom, she was forced to look

crammed with action verbs like “helping,” building,” “supporting,” “creating,” and “guiding.” Her focus is not on titles themselves, such as “director of . . .” or “dean of. . . ,” but instead her focus is on the doing itself; for example, she wants to cre-ate programs that offer guidance and support for emerging young women leaders—to help to empower them and inspire them to high levels of excellence. One of the most rewarding experi-ences at FSU for Jenn has been par-ticipating in FSUnited. Its purpose is to pull together student groups with different backgrounds, values, and beliefs for cross-perspective experi-ences. Students naturally migrate to groups of their own kind, Jenn ex-plained; fraternity and sorority stu-dents tend to stick with only their fellow Greek students, etc. At Unity Day 2006, an event sponsored by FSUnited, Jenn organized a panel of seven speakers who each repre-sented a unique perspective, ranging from differences in geographical

See STUDENT SPOTLIGHT page 11

Jennifer Duke (rear center) with FSUnited Planning Team

Alumni Highlight

If you recently began a new job, earned a degree, married, celebrated the birth of a child, or have any news to share with your fellow alumni and friends, please fill out our alumni update form available online at:

www.fsu.edu/~elps/hardee/update.html We'll include your news and photos in this section of the next issue of the LifeNet.

Higher Education LifeNet 6

Dr. James Kerley (Ph.D., 1982) is leaving his post as president of Bluegrass Community and Technical College to become president of Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Florida. Kerley served as president of Lexington Community College (LCC) between 1998 - 2004. In July 2004, LCC transitioned from the University of Kentucky to the Kentucky Commu-nity and Technical College System, where Kerley lead the consolidation of LCC and Central Kentucky Techni-

cal College. Kerley served as president of both institutions until the final consolidation and name change to Bluegrass Community and Technical College. Kerley was named Presi-dent and CEO of the consolidated Bluegrass Community and Technical College in 2005. Prior to coming to LCC, he was president of Hopkinsville Community College in Hopkinsville, Ky. for nine years. Source: Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Office of Communication and Marketing, March 12, 2007.

from our Alumni

Noteworthy Accomplishments

Mike Schopieray (M.S., 1994) currently serves as a Housing Coordinator at The Ohio State University at Mans-field and attended the 2007 Donna M. Bourassa Mid-Level Management Institute sponsored by ACPA in Charleston, SC this past January. Tracy L. Skipper (M.S., 1993) recently authored a book entitled Student Development in the First College Year: A primer for college educators, South Carolina: National Re-source Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition.

Ana Cuba de la Fe (M.S., 2001) is happy to announce the birth of her son, Miguel Antonio de la Fe. Miguel was born on Sept. 25, 2006 and weighed 9lbs, 13oz and was 22 1/2" long. Tony and Ana are thrilled about the new-est edition to their family. James Dabney (M.S., 2002) is a doctoral candidate at The Ohio State University and is serving as an editorial assistant for the American Educational Research Asso-ciation (AERA) Review of Educational Research Journal. Dr. Juan R. Guardia (M.S., 2001) has been selected as a 2007 Annuit Coeptis Emerging Professional by the American College Personnel Association (ACPA). Three senior professionals and five emerging professionals are hon-ored with the award each year. The Annuit Coeptis award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Philip Tripp. The Latin phrase annuit coeptis reflects Professor Tripp’s optimism for the fu-ture of the profession by suggesting that the gods have smiled upon that which we have be-gun. Juan currently serves as Director of Multicultural Affairs at Florida State. Prior to returning to Tallahas-see, he worked for George Mason University in Virginia and completed his Ph.D. at Iowa State University. Drs. Patrick (1966) and Artis Gray (1965) have relocated to Tallahassee where they met in class at FSU in 1964. Their children earned their undergraduate de-grees at FSU, and their residence in Miami compelled graduate and doctoral degrees (Boca Raton, Gainesville, Miami) everywhere except FSU. Both are very glad to be back in Tallahassee. Dr. Rosa Cintrón (Ph.D., 1992) served as editor with Erin Taylor Weathers and Katherine Garlough for ACPA’s newest publication entitled College Student Death: Guidance for a Caring Campus. This book provides sup-port to university staff after the death of a student, sug-gests policy considerations before faced with such crisis, and provides exercises for in-service training. Dr. Grahaeme A. Hesp (Ed.D., 2006) was selected to

receive both the ACPA Standing Committee for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Awareness Research Recognition Award and the NASPA GLBT Issues Knowledge Commu-nity Research Award for his dissertation, Out on fraternity row: An ethnographic study of heterosexism and homophobia in a college fraternity community. These awards were presented at the ACPA/NASPA Joint Meeting in Orlando.

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Meet the Class of 2007 cohort! The Student Advisory Council (SAC) and the Hardee Center have produced an online database, which highlights the cohort that we will be welcoming into the LifeNet with the up-coming graduation, can be viewed online at:

www.fsu.edu/~elps/hardee/2007cohort Thank you in advance for your continued support. The strength of our program is, in large part, due to the traditions upheld by our value in Dr. Hardee's LifeNet. Please feel free to contact any student for further information about his or her resume, experiences, or interests. Student information is available alphabetically and by interest area.

from our students

Higher Education LifeNet 7

Noteworthy Accomplishments ... continued

Jillian Bracken, M.S., 2007 (anticipated), Anna Hobby, M.S., 2007 (anticipated) & Bryan Schlein, M.S., 2007 (anticipated) received 1st place honors in the 6th Annual StudentAffairs.com Virtual Case Study Competition. In addition to the honor they will receive a monetary award and their case study will be published in the StudentAffairs.com April 2007 e-journal. Katie Lane, M.S., 2007 (anticipated) accepted a posi-tion as the Coordinator of New Student Programs in the Office of Orientation at Florida International University. In this position, Katie will assist with the development of the goals and objectives to enhance all phases of the of-fice’s new student programs, events, activities and ser-vices. Mandy Hambleton, master’s student, with James Beach and Michelle Wolf of Winthrop University won “Best in SROW” Graduate/Professional program at the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop for their presentation Be-yond Bubblegum, Hula Hoops, and Roller Skates: Making Orientation Leader Training Memorable. This award quali-fies them to present at the National Orientation Directors Association Conference in Dallas, TX next October. Martina Perry, M.S., 2007 (anticipated) accepted a position at the University of North Florida in the Academic Affairs department as the Coordinator for Undergraduate Initiatives. She will be working with their Transforma-tional Learning Opportunities Program, which involves students working with faculty members on research, ser-vice learning projects, or study abroad. Nick Zapetelli, masters student, along with Alex San-chez, also from FSU, received 2nd place overall program at the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop for their presentation The Formula for a Fantastic & Fulfilling Freshmen Foundation (with Funyuns).

VÉÇÜtzàâÄtà|ÉÇá AAA 2007-08 Student Advisory Council

Outgoing Masters Chair, Jenn Duke (L) and Incoming Masters Chair, Rachel Navarre (R)

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2006-07 Student Advisory Council

Masters Chair – Rachel Navarre Doctoral Chair – David Eberhardt Secretary – Jessica Harpole Treasurer – Elizabeth Flash Publicity – Aurelio Valente COGS Rep – Holly Radford Athletics – James Hunt Visiting Days – Chrystal George Doctoral at Large - Doris Gilliam Masters at Large - Mandy Hambleton

Masters Chair- Jennifer Duke Doc Chair- Justin Low Secretary- Maria Allen Treasurer- Ryan O’Connell Publicity- Deborah Hood COGS- Yarbrah Peeples Athletics- Keith Echols Visiting Days- Dani Su Armstrong Master’s At Large- Katie Lane Doc at Large- David Eberhardt

NOTE: Bold font signifies graduating student.

Higher Education LifeNet 8

Dr. Arthur Chickering

Late in the Spring semester of 2006, the ELPS department sent out solici-tation letters, with his vita and rep-resentative publications, to outside reviewers. Meanwhile, Dr. Hu started to prepare for his state-ments on teaching, research, and service, as well as collecting materi-als for the tenure binders. At the beginning of the fall semester, his tenure application binders were sent to the ELPS Promotion and Tenure (P&T) committee for review and feedbacks. After some minor modifi-cation, the binders were forwarded to the college P&T committee for review and vote, then up onto the university P&T committee. In Janu-ary 2007, Dr. Hu received an official letter from the university president, T. K. Whetherell, granting him ten-ure. In offering his advice to future scholars about the tenure process, Dr. Hu said, “My suggestion for fu-ture scholars would be ‘do good work’ and ‘know good people.’ To some extent, these two aspects are related.” He continued, “The role of tenure in higher education? As the old saying goes, there are some as-pects of ‘good’, ‘bad,’ and ‘ugly,’ but I think overall it is a very positive feature for higher education.” With that said we, the Higher Edu-cation faculty, staff, alumni and stu-dents send our congratulations to Dr. Hu and his family for a job well done and wish them the best in their future endeavors.

Faculty Spotlight Continued from page 4.

remain the same across various in-stitutional settings because we the theory demonstrates the students’ interaction with the campus. As mentioned before Dr. Chickering’s work has been validated and contin-ues to be fairly consistent. When questioned as to whether or not he would reframe his approach to identity development, Dr. Chick-ering stated that he would consider including an additional vector ad-dressing spiritual growth. He also considered more purposefully ad-dressing this topic within the sixth vector, “developing purpose.” In addition to spiritual growth, Dr. Chickering saw a need to explore civic engagement more deeply. Dr. Chickering admits to being a little out of practice on student in-teractions, but he was able to offer the following advice in using his identity development theory: “To make the theory work, we must be intentional about the activities and programs we plan as well as the desired outcomes of those activities. We should look at our own areas of responsibility and identify what ar-

eas of development we can have the greatest affect on.” As student affairs professional, we are now working with students that are fundamentally different from the students observed for Chickering’s study. First year master’s student Barbre Skwira wanted to know from the professional himself how his theory would apply to these millen-nial students. In his response, Dr. Chickering noted that fundamental developmental challenges would not change. However, with the in-creased use of technology, the ways in which we resolve the tension be-tween individuals and the commu-nity as well as independence and autonomy may differ.

After answering our questions Dr. Arthur Chickering signed several books and took pictures with the students. Over the past four years, Dinner and conversation with Arthur Chickering has become an integral part of the Institute that students in the Higher Ed program have the opportunity to experience, and is one of the many unique features that benefit FSU students.

Continued from page 1.

Dr. Chickering with his wife enjoying a piece of his 80th birthday cake.

Call for Nominations: 50th Anniversary Alumni Awards

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As part of the 50th Anniversary celebration of the program in higher educa-tion, outstanding alumni may be nominated for recognition based on career accomplishments. Any person may nominate a candidate for the awards listed below. A review panel of alumni and leaders in higher education will select the award recipients from the list of nominees. The award winners will be announced at the FSU Homecoming Breakfast and awards and will be presented at the Stryker Lecture to be held on October 25, 2007. Those receiving awards will be featured in the 50th Anniversary publication of the program, which will be available in the fall of 2007. The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2007. Awards will be made in each of the following three categories. Outstanding Graduates: Exemplary Careers Graduates of the program in Higher Education at Florida State University whose professional service to the higher education profession or related education fields spans a lifetime of achievement and whose career accom-plishments include a history of organizational leadership and creative activ-ity of distinction. Outstanding Graduates: Outstanding Leaders Graduates of the program in Higher Education who are currently in leader-ship positions within the profession or related education fields and whose status is that of a senior leader. Outstanding Graduates: Accomplished Professionals Graduates of the program in Higher Education who are young professionals with outstanding track records of professional achievement that may in-clude teaching, research, service and administration in higher education or related education fields. To prepare a nomination, identify the specific award and the person you wish to nominate, listing his/her contact information as well as your own. Provide a statement of approximately one-hundred words explaining the rationale for your nomination. The nomination can be submitted in writing or via email to: Leah Ewing Ross ELPS Department Florida State University 113 Stone Building Tallahassee, FL 32306-4452 leahross@mindspring.com

Commemorative lapel pins have been designed to recognize alumni and friends who make donations to the Higher Education Program in celebration of its 50th anniversary. The pins will be given to current stu-dents who donate $5 or more, and to alumni and friends who donate $15 or more. Donations will be ac-cepted at the FSU reception at ACPA/NASPA and can also be mailed to: Leah Ewing Ross ELPS Department Florida State University 113 Stone Building Tallahassee, FL 32306-4452 Checks should be made out to “FSU Foundation” with “Higher Education Program” in the memo line. If you have questions, please contact Leah at leahross@mindspring.com. Pins will be mailed to donors begin-ning in May.

Design for Higher Education 50th Anniversary Commemorative Pin

FSU hosts 17th annual Institute on College Student Values ers included Dr. Elizabeth Kiss, President of Agnes Scott College, who discussed her position as one in “applied ethics,” she took the audi-ence through a day in her life and how the varied and complex issues she deals with regularly boil down to ethics. Dr. Sylvia Hurtado, Director of the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles presented research results from HERI report The First in My Fam-ily, First generation report in spring in her discussion of Teaching and Learn-ing for a Just Society. She discussed the need and impact of diversity edu-cation in the classroom and its posi-tive effect on college student behav-ior. Dr. Larry Roper, Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Professor of Ethnic Studies at Oregon State

Higher Education LifeNet 10

photos from the lnstitute See INSTITUTE page 11

By Aurélio Manuel Valente The Office of the Vice President of Stu-dent Affairs, in partnership with the Hardee Center for Leadership and Eth-ics in Higher Education, hosted 221 students, scholars and administrators at Florida State University's 17th An-nual Institute on College Student Val-ues Feb. 8-10 at the Turnbull Confer-ence Center. Of the participants, 113 were first time attendees, indicating that the Institute is garnering the at-tention of more professionals every year. This year’s participants repre-sented over 24 states, and three countries (US, China, and Honduras). Additionally, attendees reflected an increasingly diverse group of profes-sionals, as we had faculty members, researchers, campus chaplains, uni-versity administrators and students who were interested in gathering to discuss college student values. Jennifer Duke, Program Coordinator for the Institute on College Student

Values commented “For me person-ally, it was very rewarding to see the number of first time attendees in-crease. We worked very hard all year to spread the word about the Institute and to market the event to new groups of higher education profession-als. The longevity and growth of the Institute is dependant upon its reputa-tion in the educational community, and I feel that the positive experience that these attendees had will increase our visibility and participation for years to come.” This year's theme is "College Student Conduct: Is Higher Education Doing Enough to Teach, Model and Monitor Student Ethical Behavior on Campus?" focused on how colleges and universi-ties can assist students in the devel-opment of values-based decision mak-ing. The conference featured speak-ers, workshops, roundtable discus-sions, exhibits, a resource library and special presentations by top research-ers and scholars. The featured speak-

purposes, but students must also be highly encouraged to cross un-comfortable borders. Instead of just educating students to go abroad, she argued, we must “tear down the walls between students with different perspectives in our own country and make a global perspec-tive a priority for staff and faculty, encouraging them to engage stu-dents with eye-opening projects both inside and outside their classes, helping them to learn from new programs each other.” The idea for celebrating and ad-vancing an understanding of diver-sity underlies Jenn’s philosophy of education. For her, a truly educated person is one “who can walk into any room right now and relate on some level to every person there. If you go into sales, medicine, busi-ness, or the academic world, you must be able to relate to the people with whom you communicate before you can influence others.” Thus be-ing able to relate, communicate, and motivate are three crucial skills of any educated person. Jenn’s astute insights on education may be surprising to those who stereotype beauty contest winners (I found out by means of my own sleuthing that she was once “Miss Mississippi Teen USA”). But listen-ing to her give advice to those in Higher Education at FSU who plan “Visiting Days” rids one of the temptation to pigeon-hole her as just another pretty face. Someone should stand up at the beginning of orientation for the masters program, she argues, and say forcefully to the students: “In the next two years, you’ve got the opportunity to have the most amaz-ing experience of your life. You can choose to have the guts to create your own life changing experience and create it for those around you, or you can waste the time you have here. . . . Which will you choose?” If Jennifer Duke had been asked that question when she first began her studies at FSU, it would have been an easy question for her to answer.

backgrounds, sexual orientation, ethnic cultures, etc., to help others relate to different viewpoints about the world. Another rewarding ex-perience for her has been taking a course in human resources that helped her to relate to non-Western perspectives. “In the United States we expect people to live according to our own biased beliefs, but edu-cation means living in the world of now, and this is a global commu-nity. We must learn to see the world as others see it.” She realized that her undergraduate experience was mostly restricted to her being with students who looked just like her, and she feels that this was an ob-stacle to a deeply valuable educa-tion. “Millennials are the most di-verse group ever to enter college and we must teach them to be sen-sitive to diversity. ‘Diversity’ means more than black, white or Hispanic.” Sometime in her future as a campus leader, she would like to establish a global interaction center at a college or university. The big difference, she noted, between her vision of a global center and the existing inter-national centers is that international centers continue to allow students to group themselves according to their particular backgrounds: “It is as if you are just still putting them in a separate box,” she added. Self-selected groups are good for some

Higher Education LifeNet 11

Student Spotlight

Institute on College Student Values Continued from page 10.

“We are not promised another second to live. We have a responsibility to do what we can while we can.”

Jennifer Duke

University presented a talk entitled Con-troversy and Community: The Effect and Affect of Student Values Expression and discussed the growing trend among col-lege student behavior can disrupt com-munity and individual lives. Dr. Larry Moneta, Vice President for Student Affairs at Duke University spoke candidly about his experiences at Duke over the last year in his presentation ti-tled The Clash of Cultures. Talking about the challenges associated with dealing with vocal extremists on campus, in the community, and in the media, Dr. Moneta provided real life answers and sugges-tions for addressing the campus and com-munity crisis that can arise from student behavior. Finally, Dr. Arthur W. Chickering, au-thor of the best selling book "Education and Identity," provided closing remarks and also met privately with students in the higher education program. Of Dr. Chickerings’ contribution, Jenn said “We felt it was very important to have Drs. Chickering and Dalton reflect on the pro-ceedings of the Institute and to challenge attendees to use the information pre-sented at the conference at their own in-stitutions.” In addition to the notable invited speak-ers, Jenn commented “From the presen-tations describing the unique program-ming which has been developed to foster positive ethical behavior among students, to the opportunity to discuss the confer-ence’s theme with current college stu-dents at the student panel, all of our ses-sions prompted discussion and reflection about college student behavior and what professionals can do to positively effect the decision-making process of students.” Early feedback has been positive with evaluations noting the balance between powerful keynote speakers and educa-tional sessions. Jenn indicated that “we have already begun planning the 2008 conference and are definitely using the suggestions and feedback from our par-ticipants to enhance our current structure and educational offerings.” Every friend and alumni is invited to attend the next Institute scheduled for Jan. 31 – Feb. 2, 2008. Since the usual home of the Insti-tute, the Turnbull Conference Center will be under construction, the 2008 Institute will be held at the heart of campus at the Oglesby Union.

Continued from page 5.

Higher Education LifeNet 12

Two FSU Alumni host S.R.O.W. in Tallahassee, FL

By Mandy Hambleton The campuses of Florida State Uni-versity and Tallahassee Community College played host to over 1500 orientation leaders and professional staff members from 72 colleges and universities in nine states for the annual Southern Regional Orienta-tion Workshop (SROW). SROW is the National Orientation Directors Association’s (NODA) conference for Region VI, which includes colleges and universities from Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. It is the largest NODA regional conference in the United States, due in part to the inclusion of undergraduate students. SROW conference traditions include sticker and t-shirt swaps; skit, song, and dance competition; case study, t-shirt, and banner competitions; a service project; and much more. 2007 was the first time in the his-tory of the conference that SROW was hosted on two separate cam-puses. Patrick Heaton, current doc-toral student and Assistant Dean/Director of Orientation at Florida State and Cathy Cuevas, Director of Orientation at Tallahassee Commu-nity College thought of the idea at the 2005 SROW conference held at Clemson University in South Caro-lina. Shortly after attending “Oh, the Places You’ll SROW!” at Clem-son, Patrick and Cathy submitted a proposal and bid to host the 2007 conference.

Hosting a conference takes a tre-mendous amount of time and effort, in addition to fulfilling one’s current professional responsibilities. Thank-fully, the staffs of Florida State and Tallahassee Community College were eager to assume the responsi-bilities associated with planning and hosting a conference. Katie Lane, Graduate Assistant for Orientation stated, “[Planning SROW] was defi-nitely a learning experience on bal-ancing workloads, and I got to see first-hand how much planning, time, and resources go into planning a mid-scaled conference.” This year’s SROW allowed current Higher Education students to partici-pate in all aspects of conference planning, execution, and evaluation. Heaton was very appreciative of the help he and Cuevas received from current students and professional staff members, as the conference reached record registration numbers and eventually had to close registra-tion due to facility capacity limits. When asked what he was most proud of about this year’s confer-ence, Heaton stated, “I’m most proud of the FSU campus. Everyone was willing to help and we didn’t

have problems securing facilities and resources that could have been big challenges if the staff across campus wasn’t committed to making the conference a success.” After nearly two years of planning and preparation, “Shake, Rattle, and SROW!” came to life on the cam-puses of FSU and TCC March 2-4, 2007. The conference featured 98 educational sessions for undergradu-ate students, graduate students, and professionals. Presentation topics included icebreakers, family orienta-tion programs, training programs, communication and facilitation skills, student decision making, and many more. The 2007 SROW Planning Committee was the largest ever in the history of the conference thanks in large part to current FSU Higher Education students. For those stu-dents and professionals that may be involved in planning a conference in the future, Katie Lane offers this ad-vice: “Take on the challenge, but stay organized and select a couple of people that you can trust and rely on to be on your committee.”

See SROW page 18

photo from S.R.O.W. 2007

Patrick Heaton, B. S. (1999) and doctoral student with

Cathy Cuevas, M.S. (1997)

Higher Education LifeNet 13

Reflections from LifeNet 101 Conference Workshop

By Aurélio Manuel Valente With over 9,000 student affairs profes-sionals registered, a national conference can be overwhelming for anyone, never mind a first-time participant. As such, this year’s LifeNet 101 Conference Prepa-ration Workshop focused on successfully navigating the ACPA/NASPA Joint Meet-ing. To help address any questions stu-dents had about attending this once in a decade event, Kim Lovelace McMahon, M.S. (1997), Associate Director of the Oglesby Union, and conference planning committee member, served as our open-ing speaker. The opening was followed by two break-out sessions. Adrienne Frame and Aurélio Valente led a workshop entitled Job Search: Opening the doors to a whole new world! while Dr. Laura Osteen and David Eberhardt led a workshop entitled Attending National Conference and Estab-lishing Professional Networks designed for students who are not participating in con-ference placement services.

Alumni Update: Dr. Betty Siegel visits South Africa to promote education and global ethics.

Betty L. Siegel‚ (Ph.D., 1961) presi-dent emeritus of Kennesaw State University and Distinguished Chair in the Siegel Institute for Leader-ship‚ Ethics & Character‚ recently left on a three month trip to some of South Africa’s top universities‚ where she will meet educational leaders in the country. She has been invited to Stellenbosch Univer-sity‚ located just east of Cape Town‚ South Africa‚ to assist faculty‚ staff and administrators with help-ing to improve first−year student retention and success. She will also speak about extending international student networks‚ focusing particu-larly on global ethical leadership‚ and is expected to serve as the key-note speaker for the university’s Autumn Academy on Teaching and Learning.

Siegel is also expected to meet with Naledi Pandor‚ South Africa’s minis-ter of education‚ and she anticipates visiting other universities across the country‚ including those in Johannes-burg‚ Cape Town‚ Pretoria and Dur-ban. This trip marks Siegel’s second visit to South Africa. In 2006‚ she trav-eled to the African nation with fellow college and university presidents in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities‚ on a mis-sion to forge ties between educa-tional communities in the United States and South Africa. The visit to Stellenbosch is part of Siegel’s responsibilities as the Distin-guished Chair in the Siegel Institute for Leadership‚ Ethics & Character‚ where she has convened an interna-tional network of university‚ busi-ness‚ philanthropy‚ and government leaders for Global Ethical Leadership and Social Responsibility through the Institute’s signature program The Oxford Conclave on Global Ethics. Kennesaw State’s second president, Dr. Betty Lentz Siegel, the first woman to head an institution in the 35-unit University System of Geor-gia, and one of the longest serving woman presidents of a public univer-sity in the nation, was president of

Kennesaw State from 1981 until July of 2006. Under her leadership, the univer-sity evolved from a four-year college with an enroll-ment of 4,000 students

and 15 baccalaureate-degree pro-grams to its current university status, with enrollment exceeding 18,000 students and 55 undergradu-ate and graduate degree programs. Source: Kennesaw State University, Press Room, March 2, 2007.

Although retired, "I'm busier than I've ever been." says Dr. Siegel

Dr. Siegel at KSU’s Remembrance Rock — paralleling her upcoming

visit to South Africa and Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain

Read about Dr. Siegel’s experiences “listening in” to Dr. Hardee’s lectures in the Feb. 2006 LifeNet. You can access past issues located on our online archive at:

www.fsu.edu/~elps/hardee/newsletters.html

Adrienne Otto Frame, Associate Director of University Housing discusses the intricacies of the job search process.

Dr. Dalton opens the workshop by reflecting on what it means to enter a profession, and not simply a career.

Higher Education LifeNet 14

Student Reflections from the 2007 Joint Meeting

By Cam Armstrong Attending the joint NASPA/ACPA conference was a great way to conclude my graduate studies in higher education. With less than a month to go in my two year master’s program but no fulltime experience under my belt, the conference was a mix of professional development, exploration, networking, and fun. This was my first student affairs conference, and I was very impressed, especially given the magnitude of the event: nearly 10,000 attendees, massive resort hotels, and hundreds of sessions to choose from. After arriving in Orlando, I quickly realized that the conference would be whatever I chose to make of it. I could attend sessions about service learning, judicial, international programs, or other topics that I have limited knowledge of as a way to explore the field even more than was possible through my course work and internships. Or, I could focus on sessions about small colleges, faith development, and residence life, areas of particular interest to me, to hear about current research and gain some fresh ideas to share when interviewing for positions in the coming weeks. “Networking” may be the most frequently used word when professionals speak of conferences, and I found just how integral this is to the conference experience. Conversation with other

professionals came naturally everywhere I went. Because of the outgoing nature of the stereotypical student affairs professional and the abnormally large nametags that hung around everyone’s neck, it was rare to sit down on the shuttle bus, in a session, or stand in line for a $3 soft drink without meeting someone new and learning a little bit about what they do, their institution, or when they were planning to visit Mickey Mouse. Although, I was not involved in the placement process, I still had ample opportunities to meet professionals from institutions that I am interested in and pass along my resume or card. Although days of sessions, conversations, and boarding and reboarding the shuttles were exhausting, we still found the energy to have some fun. Our evenings were spent attending receptions, checking out local restaurants, and even cheering on our professor, Dr. Dalton, at the talent show. With just weeks before we part ways to start our new lives as professionals around the country, we had to take advantage of our time together. Overall, the conference was four days of opportunities to grow. Most importantly, the conference energized me and heightened my anticipation for what is ahead of me: a career with amazing potential to impact students’ lives and make a difference.

education. “The biggest mistake job seek-ers make is not looking at themselves and the positions they are applying for to see if they align. If they don’t align, it’s not go-ing to work out,” Dr. Leas states. Looking at institutional philosophies led him to pur-sue a career in community college admini-stration. “My philosophy fit best with the mission of the community college, and that’s how I knew where I was supposed to be,” he recalls. Obviously Dr. Leas was correct when he decided where he belonged. He has en-joyed a great deal of success as a commu-nity college administrator in Georgia, Washington state, and Minnesota. Dr. Leas describes the role of President as “the person who gets a lot of credit and a lot of blame for things.” As president, he is most proud of the people he has been able to bring into the institutions he has worked at and the collaborative efforts of the staff at Riverland Community College. In fact, Dr. Leas is fulfilling Dr. Hardee’s dream for the LifeNet, in hiring another Florida State alum, Dr. Ron Langrell (Ph.D. ’90), to serve as Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at Riverland Community College. He states, “I remembered Ron from the program at FSU, and I knew he would be a great fit for the community here.” Dr. Leas would not have been able to en-joy so much success as a community col-lege president if it weren’t for his mentors, teachers, and support system. He remains close with Dr. Beckham, and is quick to point out that his wife is always supportive of his career and willing to participate in his work functions. Dr. Leas remains in contact with students he taught as an ad-junct instructor at Florida State many years ago. He makes a concerted effort to maintain contact with past and current students, because that’s what education is all about. There is always a risk involved in finding the right fit for you, especially when you have family or other elements to consider when job searching. The only way to find the best fit is to take risks, and understand when it’s time to move on from one posi-tion to another. “Find those things that you have a passion for, and you will be happy. Don’t chase the dollars.”

Alumni Spotlight Continued from page 3.

Martina Perry, Stephanie Bent, Dr. Joy Gaston-Gayles, Joe Gullo, Jennifer Landers and Bre Skwira (L to R) at FSU Reception for Friends and Alumni

Higher Education LifeNet 15

Job Searching at ACPA/NASPA their place. You walked into the interview area and it looked like tables went on for miles, but you sat down with the institution, made eye contact and suddenly it was just you and the interviewer. 30 minutes quickly passed and suddenly you were brought back to reality as the shuffling and good-byes began. Then you realized, I’m saying good-bye to this employer, but my next interview is just a row away. What will they think? How do I get past this awkwardness? Fortu-nately everyone around you is thinking the same thing and it’s just the way the process works, so you smile and you go to the next interview. Emotions are all over the place; you’re excited, disap-pointed, eager to talk to more schools, but hoping that the one you really liked will want to talk to you again. At the end of each day you are exhausted, but there isn’t time for exhaustion because the next day you do it all over again. By Tuesday, first interviews have come and gone, second interviews are wrapping up and you are real-izing, this is it, your fate feels sealed. You’ve put your best foot forward, spouted theory, philoso-phies and examples till your brain is mush, and now you will attend a few socials, go home and wait. As relieved as you are that this part is over, you realize it’s only the be-ginning, now you have to wait for the on-campus invites, and the offers! Placement was an experience like no other, an experience only those in our profession will ever under-stand, and you definitely have to experience it to appreciate it. Now all those candidates out there sit and wait to see if it was worth all the emotions, aching feet, resume paper and exposure to fluorescent light instead of sunshine at Walt Disney World. Somehow I feel it will be worth all the emotions as I anxiously await the job of my dreams.

By Anna Hobby and Bryan Schlein With 18,000 interviews, 1,500 can-didates, 1,300 positions, 4 candi-date waiting areas, 4 days, and more energy than anyone has ever witnessed, that was the scene at the 2007 NASPA/ACPA Joint Meeting Placement Area. Walking into the placement your eyes adjust to the fluorescent light, blue tarps and di-viders, and more tables and chairs than you have ever seen. However, as soon as your eyes see those candidate mailboxes every-thing in your environment disap-pears as you are filled with excite-ment. Has someone asked you for an interview? Do you have a fun surprise from a colleague or a friend? A thank you card from your previous interview? Watching things go into your mailbox quickly be-comes an obsession. You tell your-self you will only check it a few times a day, which quickly turns into every time you walk by. Every time there is something in your mailbox your heart beats a little faster about the possibilities for your future. Possibilities and opportunities were plentiful in placement. Everywhere you looked people were fervently writing notes to employers, schedul-ing interviews and doing their re-search. However, despite the 1,500 candidates, not to mention double that in employers and volunteers, the flow of traffic was smooth and the ease with which things hap-pened was remarkable. Employers would come to greet you with school colors and signs and despite the momentary chaos everyone found

By Stephanie Bent It will be impossible for me to talk about my trip to the Joint Meeting without talk-ing about Placement. As I was frantically printing and stapling resumes, printing job descriptions and doing some last minute packing, I thought “I can’t believe it is here, I can’t believe I am actually going to placement.” Since we came to FSU, we have always heard “At placement…” It felt like the first day of school, with ex-citement and butterflies in my stomach. Once I got to placement, I had such a great time, I did not want to leave. I wish I could go to placement every year, it was so much fun. Once I finally made it out of placement, I went to sessions. Student Affairs con-ferences have always given me the extra push to act, they always remind me of my responsibility to educate and to contribute to society. From the first session I at-tended, which focused on how to create intercultural dialogues and engaging stu-dents in discussions of privilege to the last session I attended, where the presenters shared how they are creating equal access to education through financial aid and academic and social support. During each session I attended, I was reminded of the different students we serve. Each offered an opportunity to reflect on our responsibility to be a voice for student groups, and help each student become a part of the large community. The closing speaker, Dr. Benjamin Carson addressed the importance of students en-tering science and engineering fields, I began feeling guilty about not utilizing my mathematics degree to enter a more technical field. As I sat there listening to him, I realized that I impact society in a different way. Through working with students, particu-larly the work I do with students in the STEM fields, I am able to impact society on a much larger scale. Through support-ing others in their education, I am impact-ing society through the lives of many. Often we take our students on retreats. I have found that these professional con-ferences are our retreats. A time to get away from the emails and the mundane day to day task, to take a moment and reflect on what we do and why we do it. Ultimately, I found that the Joint Meeting reenergized and motivated me. Thank you to the Hardee Center and gifts from Alumni and friends in aiding in my journey in becoming a professional.

More Student Reflections

Higher Education LifeNet 16

Thougths and pictures from the FSU Reception

By Jill Cusack and Katie Lane The NASPA/ACPA Joint Meeting was quite an experience with many familiar faces, as well as many unfamiliar faces. However, one event that every FSU student, alum, or professional looked forward to was the Florida State recep-tion, which was held at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. Not only was it a time to gather with fellow classmates and catch up on the day’s events, it was also a time to celebrate 50 years of the Higher Education program at Florida State University. As second year graduate students about to graduate and embark on our profes-sional careers, this event allowed us the opportunity to experience the FSU LifeNet in action first hand. Being able to talk and meet others who have gone through the program here at FSU, network, and make connections was definitely a conference highlight for us both. The higher education program at Florida State University has many distinguished alumni, many of who are very well known within NASPA and ACPA. It was described perfectly by the NASPA Executive Director, Gwendolyn Jordan Dungy who spoke at the recep-tion when she said, “We would not know what to do without Florida State University and the alumni it produces. We would probably go out of business”. This speaks volumes about our program and the caliber of professionals who work all around the country and the world. We are extremely proud to be able to become part of that network in a few short weeks, and hope we can carry on the program’s great tradition for years to come.

Alise Svihla, Jerrid Kalakay, and Maria Allen; all master’s students ( L to R)

Ana Cuba de la Fe and Dr. Juan R. Guardia; both M.S. (2001)

Bre Skwira and Dr. Jennifer Miles, B.S. (1991)

Demitrius Brown with Julie Gleason, Ryan Mouncey and Jesse Langer; M.S. (2003)

Meghan Haggerty, Lucas Langdon and Roger Montiel; all M.S. (2006) Bre Skwira, masters student and

Brandon Bowden, M.S. (2006)

Program Spotlight: Beyond Borders

strong and successful ever since. “What I enjoy most about this pro-gram is the learning experiences that students gain,” says Dr. Laura Osteen, one of the program’s facili-tators. “It is important to see their learning experience take place.” Dr. Osteen, the Director of the FSU LEAD Center, has traveled to Ja-maica for the fourth time and en-joyed every moment of it. The other facilitator is Mr. Roy Braine, one of the advisors at the FSU Interna-tional Center. Students spent the entire week at-tending lectures on Caribbean his-tory, geography, political and edu-cational systems, and culture. They also had many opportunities to at-tend several activities, including a theater performance, visits to local museums, historical sites, tours of the campus and the surrounding community. One great aspect of the tours was the visit to the office of the Student Guilds, the Student Government of the Mona Campus. It was interesting to observe an on-going discussion between UWI stu-dents and members of the Guild about whether or not student pro-tests should exist on campus. “We had to protest against the Univer-

By Nate Crayton As we stepped off the plane onto the island of Jamaica, “Welcome to Ja-maica, mon!” was the famous wel-coming expression we received. Dur-ing Spring Break, students and staff from the FSU Beyond Borders Inter-national Cultural Exchange had the opportunity to spend seven days im-mersed in the country’s rich culture and continuing legacy. The group spent the entire week in the suburb of Kingston, the country’s capital. Our experience could not have been greater; as we received such loyal and loving hospitality from the fac-ulty, staff and students of the Uni-versity of West Indies (UWI) – Mona Campus. Located in the valley of three mountain ranges, UWI consist of a diverse student population from mostly the Caribbean. The Mona Campus is one of the three UWI campuses within the Caribbean. The Beyond Borders program in Ja-maica continues the existing rela-tionship between UWI and FSU. Dr. Jon Dalton, one of the program’s creators, traveled to Jamaica in the mid 1990s and saw the need for a relationship between the schools. The affiliation has remained solid,

Higher Education LifeNet 17

sity Administration in 2004, because we felt like we were being treated unfairly,” Collins, our tour guide and a former Secretary of the Guild, ex-plained. “After weeks of closing down the campus due to a hurricane, students were expected to return to the campus and still pay their educa-tional fees within one week. That was totally unfair. So we had to lock up our facilities and do a shut-in.” In addition, we were privileged to meet with the university’s first female Vice-Chancellor. “It was inspiring to see her as a woman taking on such a key position in her field,” one of the female FSU students stated. In addition to the campus and com-munity tours, an excursion to other regions of the country, such as Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios, was another part of the fun. After hours of driving through Mount Rosser, we stayed in the exclusive Jamaica Grande Resort that was located on the north coast of Ocho Rios. Every-one also enjoyed the week with tra-ditional Jamaican cuisine, including the famous juicy beef patties, jerk and curry chicken, calaloo (like Spin-ach), plaintains, salt-fish, dumplings (for breakfast), rice and peas. On the first night of arrival, I made the mistake of trying Scotch Bonnet Pep-per (extremely spicy!!!! – I warn you, don’t try eating it alone!!!!). There were also the natural fruit drinks and ginger-flavored drinks that students enjoyed. FSU students lived in “Hall Life”, the residence halls on campus, with UWI students. Students from the UWI Quality Leadership Program were our hosts, exhibiting much “Jamaican love and sacrifice.” As for me, I stayed in the Rex Nettleford Hall with an awesome group of guys (We’re number one! Whoooo! Go Rex! Go Rex!). “Hall Life” in Jamaica is slightly different from residence life here at Florida State. The stu-dents in Jamaica treat “Hall Life” as an integral part of their college ex-perience, as FSU students do. How-ever, Hall Life in Jamaica is

See BORDERS page 18

Higher Education LifeNet 18

Florida State Hosts 2007 S.R.O.W.

esteemed as highly as Greek Fraterni-ties and Sororities are here at FSU. “Don’t be surprised to see students walking around on campus in their Hall t-shirts. It is what they represent with fervor and passion,” a Hall Life Advisor explained. Hall Life consists of on-going athletic competitions and other special events between all six residence halls, which includes Rex Nettleford (the new-est), Chancellor, Irvine, Preston, Mary Seacole, and Taylor. UWI is an exceptional campus and con-tinues to be the best university in the Caribbean. What many of us valued most from UWI and the trip as a whole, were the connections and relationships that were formed between both groups of students. In fact, many of the stu-dents are planning to return to UWI at some point in the near future. Many of us can attest that the relationships we built will last a life-time. Even up to the last day of the trip before entering the airport, hugs were given and tears were shed by both groups, as everyone had to separate geographically, but not by love and friendships. That is truly what the Beyond Borders Program is all about.

Beyond Borders

Many of our students also took the opportunity to submit a presentation proposal for the conference, and 15 of those masters and doctoral stu-dents were able to present educa-tional sessions during the confer-ence. Those students were able to draw from past and current experi-ences as student leaders and with student leaders to inform others about topics ranging from choosing a Higher Education graduate pro-gram or being an Orientation Gradu-ate Assistant or NODA intern, to incorporating values clarification and ethics into training programs, to creating change in orientation pro-gram structure to name a few. Two FSU Higher Education students, Nick Zappitelli and Mandy Hambleton, were recognized for their educa-tional sessions with awards during the closing ceremony. In addition to the educational ses-sions and SROW traditions, the con-ference also featured two amazing speakers: Andrea Mosby and Dr. Sally Karioth. Mosby spoke to stu-dents about the factors they must consider when making important personal choices by using the acro-nym DECISIONS. Karioth, an FSU College of Nursing faculty member, reminded the graduate students and professionals that “life is not a dress rehearsal” during her engaging and enlightening presentation about be-ing supportive administrators when students are dealing with hard times and difficult situations.

The 2007 SROW conference will be a hard act to follow, as it moves to Columbus State University in Colum-bus, Georgia where orientation lead-ers and professionals from the southeast will “Roll Out the Red Car-pet…It’s SROW Time” in 2008. For those interested in attending the conference in the future, Heaton of-fers these suggestions: 1) Network, Higher Education is a small world and it’s important to make connec-tions even if you’re not looking for a job; 2) Learn as much as you can about as many programs as you can; 3) Present an educational session; it never hurts to practice your presen-tation skills and we all have great information to share; 4) Attend edu-cational sessions that are on topics that are out of your comfort zone; 5) Have fun! If you are interested in presenting at SROW or any other Orientation con-ference in the future, there are sev-eral topics that are coming to the forefront in orientation discussions and programs. Such topics include personal and community account-ability, team dynamics and peer con-frontation, leading with integrity, integrating service into first-year programs, and focusing on transi-tions and retention rather than solely on registration for classes. For more information about SROW and other Orientation conferences and pro-grams visit the National Orientation Directors Association website at www.nodaweb.org.

Continued from page 17. Continued from page 12.

Nate Crayton (L) with the Deputy Principal.

Dr. Laura Osteen (L) with the Vice Chancellor

Higher Education LifeNet 19

Visiting Days: Prospective students visit F.S.U.

photos from Visiting Days

By Chrystal George Each year, the FSU Higher Education Administration program invites stu-dents from all over the country to Visiting Days. This event allows pro-spective students to come see the campus, interact with the Higher Ed. community and most importantly, to interview for graduate assistantship positions for the following year. Al-though this year, the program chose to invite only accepted students to the event, it still boasted one of the largest Visiting Days to date with close to 50 masters and doctoral candidates in attendance! Visiting Days was held on February 25-27 and the event started with high energy as students attended a reception in which they were wel-comed by Dr Mary Coburn, Vice President of Students Affairs and were able to mingle with faculty, staff and current students who were excited to meet them. Because the event was scheduled from Sunday through Tuesday instead of on the weekend as in previous years, pro-

spective students were able to see the FSU campus in full swing. From campus tours, to assistantship office visits, to social events, to an apart-ment fair, the visitors were able to get a great glimpse of what life could be like as a FSU Higher Ed. graduate student. Preparation for Visiting Days begins as early as the summer; however, the majority of the preparation started in mid-Fall. At FSU, planning Visiting Days is a community event. Current students head committees that do event registration, organize the food, plan social events, etc. The majority of the students visiting wanted to be hosted by a current student for the event and so many of our grads opened their homes, inflated their air mattresses, bought special snacks and took care of the visitors while they were here. Staff interested in hiring graduate assis-tants prepared for the event by pe-rusing through the many resumes of students interested in attending FSU in the fall. Faculty members all took shifts in “hanging out” with prospec-

tive students while they waited in between interviews to talk to them about the program and make them feel welcome. Over 20 offices from FSU, TCC, MGT America, Board of Governors and the Florida Department of Education in-terviewed students and offers were made beginning in early March. As of now, many students are preparing to pack their bags and move to Talla-hassee this summer or fall. I think I speak for everyone here at FSU in stating that we can’t wait to wel-come the new cohort into the FSU Life Net! I would also like to recognize Dr. Beverly Bower, Kim McMahon, Dani Su Armstrong, Elizabeth Flash, the Visiting Day Committee Chairs, and all of the FSU students, faculty and staff that volunteered with the event along with Housing, Orientation, Vice President for Student Affairs, College of Education, the Union, and the Hardee Center for your financial sup-port. Thanks so much for helping to make Visiting Day such a success.

SAVE THE DATE

Fourth Annual Stryker Lecture

Series

The Stryker Lecture Series is made possible by the generous gift of Laurey (Ed.D.,1992)and Charlie Stryker

Thurs., Oct. 25, 2007

Closing Event for Higher Education 50th Anniversary Celebration

Please note, this program is scheduled as part of the 2007

Homecoming Weekend Celebrations to encourage alumni and friends can join us the entire weekend. As such, we encourage you to make hotel reservations, if needed, as early as possible.

2007 Commencement Reception and Hooding Ceremony

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efic exÖâ|Üxw by April 12, 2007 to hardeec@coe.fsu.edu

In the April Issue of the Journal …

"COLLEGE STUDENT CONDUCT IN A CON-SUMER AGE: CAN ETHICAL BEHAVIOR BE TAUGHT IN COLLEGE?"

INVITED PAPERS

“CLASH OF CULTURES” Larry Moneta, Vice President for Student Affairs at Duke University Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta examines the clash of campus cultures at Duke University and re-ports on the efforts of a University Task Force on Campus Culture to understand and address the negative influ-ences of student peer culture. This paper was presented at the 2007 Institute on College Student Values. “CONTROVERSY AND COMMUNITY: THE EFFECT AND AFFECT OF STUDENT VALUES EXPRESSION” Larry D. Roper, Vice Provost for Student Affairs at Oregon State University Larry D. Roper, Oregon State University, presents and discusses three powerful case studies that reveal the dark side of peer culture when it becomes fixated on intolerance, fear, and demeaning behavior. Roper reflects on the surprising vulnerability of colleges and universities to such behaviors and offers advice on how to manage these issues in the higher education setting. This paper was presented at the 2007 Institute on College Student Values.

INTERVIEW “REFLECTIONS ON ETHICAL LEADERSHIP BY A NEW COLLEGE PRESIDENT: INTERVIEW WITH ELIZA-BETH KISS, PRESIDENT OF AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE” Interview by Jon C. Dalton Dr. Elizabeth Kiss became the president of Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Georgia, in the summer of 2006. Dr. Kiss talks about her views on the role of ethics in leader-ship, spirituality in college student learning and develop-ment, and other issues she has confronted as a new president.

FEATURED ARTICLE (PEER REVIEWED)

“THE EFFECTS OF INVOLVEMENT IN CAMPUS RELI-GIOUS COMMUNITIES ON COLLEGE STUDENT AD-JUSTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT” Alyssa N. Bryant, North Carolina State University This study examined the effects of involvement in cam-pus-based religious organizations on first-year students’ adjustment and development.

ALSO IN THE JOURNAL BEST PRACTICES ”STAND UP FOR CHARACTER: CHALK TALK IN THE COMPOSITION CLASSROOM” Robert Gibson, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York NEW SCHOLARS, NEW SCHOLARSHIPS ”SERVICE LEANING AND MORAL JUDGMENT: SPOT-LIGHT ON JAYNE DONAVAN AND PEGGY JENKINS” An Interview with Debora Liddell, University of Iowa WHAT THEY’RE READING THE SKEPTICAL PASSIONATE CHRISTIAN: TOOL FOR LIVING FAITHFULLY IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD BY MICHAEL F. DUFFY Review by Dave McIntire, Azusa Pacific University ETHICAL ISSUES ON CAMPUS RESPECTING RELIGIOUS PLURALISM David Eberhardt, Florida State University Higher Education LifeNet 20