Talking Stick - November/December 2014 - 64

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What's the biggest issue for the students on your campus right now?
I work at an urban/research/access institution, so we have a diverse set of
students with individualized needs. Like many institutions, I think the biggest
issue is resiliency. When we are working with students targeted through our
MAP-Works survey, regardless of year/class standing, we are really working
with students who struggled to bounce back after something did not go a
particular way (failed test, roommate conflict, struggling relationship, etc.).

What's the biggest issue you see facing the profession right now?
I think I am most worried about two things related to human resources. First,
I am most worried about Millennial staff members (those that are inhabiting
our live-in positions) burning out too quickly because of a new definition of
work-life balance and resiliency related to irregular hours. Second, I think
we are starting to see a wave of retirements in the facilities area across the
nation. I'm not sure we have prepared as many folks as we need to step into
these vital roles.

What makes your campus unique?
We are still making up our campus traditions as we go. It means that my
talented new professionals in residence life and my colleagues within student
affairs get to start some events and activities that we can say we helped
found. I would also say our interest in becoming the premier urban/research/
access institution would be something that is unique to UW Milwaukee.

What resource can't you live without?

MATT CROUSE is the
assistant director of
residence life at the
University of Wisconsin
Milwaukee.
What are you doing when
you're not on the job?
My wife would tell you I watch
way too many movies. If your job
is constantly full of drama, would
it not follow that your escape
would be to go see better dramas
on the big screen? I also love
reading fiction and getting lost
watching the seasons of Walking
Dead, Orphan Black, and House
of Cards.

I think having a great set of colleagues in the housing leadership team
is - without a doubt - the most important resource I have for my success.
Having hard-working and talented individuals who can help me process
ideas or provide suggestions is one of the reasons I continue to work at UW
Milwaukee and especially in university housing.

What's your biggest challenge on campus?
Enrollment! We are trying to stabilize our enrollment in our first-year and
transfer cohorts from year to year. Housing is very dependent on admissions
to have good yields.

Best session/book you've been impressed by?
I used Patrick Lencioni's The Three Signs of a Miserable Job (2007) with my
staff recently. I wanted to try to get them to think about how to incorporate
metrics of success into supervisory conversations. Lencioni's books are all
fables - short stories that demonstrate a major point or points. A few years
ago ACUHO-I used The Five Dysfunctions of a Team as a common read. This
is a follow-up book to help managers help supervisees get greater satisfaction
out of a job. I think it's a great read for new professionals and mid-level
managers.

Favorite campus traditions?
Our students pass by the fountain and drop in a coin to make a wish or goal
for their time at UW Milwaukee. The union staff then take that coin four years
later and put it on the student's seat at graduation. It is a nice reminder of
the college journey that each one of our students takes at UWM.
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Talking Stick - November/December 2014

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