Talking Stick - November/December 2008 - 52

Conversations Small Colleges Equal Big Opportunities Members discuss how they tackle issues like campus safety and security and crisis management. Participating in this conversation are Carol Casey, dean of students at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee; Joanne Goldwater, associate dean of students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland; Chip Thomas, director of housing and residence life at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado; Mark Center, director of residence life at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas; Jim Wiltgen, dean of students at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas; Michelle Ballew Safewright, associate dean of students for campus life at Maryville College in Tennessee; and Larry Christenson, executive director of university housing at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville. Carol Casey: One of the reasons I chose to work at a small college is that I have an opportunity to be involved in many areas of student life – to be a generalist. When I served as director of residence life, I enjoyed the fact that my primary role was housing but that I had significant involvement in so many related areas. Admittedly, there are moments when focus is difficult. But, in tightly connected areas, interventions and programs are much more successful. While it’s not easy (and not everything is well-integrated), we all have examples of those successes on our campuses. Joanne Goldwater: I love working at a small college! I think I have the best job on our campus. I get to work closely with students on a daily basis, in and outside the classroom; I work with dynamic faculty and staff; I get to educate and partner with parents (although sometimes some of them can be a little 52 Talking Stick challenging ); and no two days are alike. I do some of my best work at 3 a.m. when students are truly in need. I get the opportunity to work in many different areas. (My latest responsibility is coordinating international student support services. I’ve traveled to Easter Island and Gambia, West Africa, in the last nine months.) And I work with a wide variety of people on my campus. Most importantly, I get to educate those with whom I have contact (students, faculty, staff, parents, visitors, vendors, background investigators, etc.). This is an exciting job to have. One success that we have is our agreement and working relationship with our city police department. Grand Junction Police serve as our campus police, have a substation on campus, and meet bi-monthly with a group of us to talk about campus safety, conduct issues, and any other item that may arise. Most officers are involved in some other way on campus during their off hours, which allows our students and staff to see them in a different light. Chip Thomas: I agree, we choose to work at small colleges because of the hands-on work and interaction you get. A smaller campus also allows us to interact with other departments, department chairs, or support staff. This creates, at least on our campus, open conversations which always lead to more meetings. Mark Center: Speaking of successes, I have enjoyed the opportunity to contribute a number of ideas, most recently in our institution’s discussions with regard to building on campus, beyond simply just residence halls. Having the opportunity to recently contribute to our 21st Century Project application was invigorating and not only motivated me to seek out the best opportunities for the residents and the

Talking Stick - November/December 2008

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