Talking Stick - September/October 2018 - 54

CONVERSATIONS

from having you as a mentor or role
model. I would especially encourage
professionals outside of residential
education to consider this opportunity
(as participants AND faculty) because
every knowledge domain is critical for
successful housing operation overall.

Baier: I want to emphasize that it is
not necessary to have been an NHTI
participant to be a successful faculty
member. In my group of faculty, some
had been a participant in NHTI, one
had served as the ACUHO-I intern to
NHTI, one was a repeat NHTI faculty
member, and some were brand new to
the experience. Everyone there had an
NHTI story to share; some stories just
started more recently than others.

Garrett: Serving as an NHTI faculty
member is one of the most transformative professional development
opportunities in our field. At its core,
NHTI is about providing a venue for
advancing professionals to reflect and
consider their career path, and there
are many possible benefits to applying.
The faculty prepare for and execute the
institute in a highly collaborative and
interconnected manner, so you really
get to know the other colleagues on
your faculty team closely, to learn from
them, and to create a sense of community with them. Moreover, there is
opportunity to network with professionals, both across the country and internationally. Serving as a faculty member
also helps to serve the Association and
advance the profession by playing a role
in preparing our future leaders. What is
most important to consider when applying is whether you are able to effectively
guide, mentor, and coach participants
and to share your knowledge, expertise,
skills, and perspective in honest and
thoughtful ways.

Baier: NHTI is an institute with an
intensive focus on a number of competencies important to the advancing
professional. As a faculty member, you
will share your expertise in a certain

TALKING STICK

topic area through a presentation to
the entire participant group. Equally
important is the mentor role. You will
be matched with a cluster of participants, live with that group, discuss
professional growth, and debrief the
content sessions. For many faculty and
participants, NHTI begins careerspanning relationships. I'm having a
GroupMe conversation with my cluster
as I write this.
TS: The knowledge domains are the
framework for the NHTI curriculum.
In what ways do these competencies
inform your daily work as a campus
housing professional?

Baier: I try to anchor my professional development in the knowledge
domains and professional competencies. As a professional, I look for ways
to enhance my own knowledge and
also provide opportunities for my team
to expand their own competency in a
range of areas. I look for interesting
projects and read articles about various
topics. I talk to colleagues to learn
about specialized areas. At conferences, I try to explore areas outside my
expertise.

Mauk: Since the institute, I have
utilized the competencies daily to
create and document processes that
support transparent communication
and also provide a foundation for how
I work with my team at the University
of Houston. Recently, while working to
revamp a housing contract process, I
utilized key components of the evaluation and planning competency to
better research and assess our existing
process.

Garrett: The competencies are primarily a professional development
tool for me. The competencies keep
me grounded in understanding the
needs of my current position and the
skills and abilities that are needed to
navigate the various issues that come
up in my day, and I also use them to

stay current in my professional development for whenever I take the next
step. For our Penn State team, we are
currently exploring incorporating the
competencies into our four-year Residence Life Coordinator Professional
Development Plan.
TS: From your perspective, what is the
role of NHTI in the development of
the campus housing profession? How
do you see the institute furthering the
work between college and university
faculty and housing and res life
professionals on campus?

Lynch: Higher education is exceedingly complex. Institutional culture
and politics, budgetary concerns,
legal considerations, student activism,
and staff management - along with
external pressures through government oversight, parental involvement,
and neighbor relations - all impact
the residential experience. NHTI lays
a foundation of skills, knowledge, and
awareness for navigating and leading
a department through this complex
environment, which is key to a successful career.
Furthering the work means to first
understand that serving the institution's educational mission is primary.
We are first and foremost educators.
Educating students doesn't happen
solely in the traditional classroom
experience, but also through the daily
experience of living on campus. Most
students will live with us at least a year
or two, so we have to know how to
build bridges across multiple systems,
think strategically about residential
space, and create initiatives that are
integrated into the academic mission.

Garrett: I think the institute is extremely important in the development
of our profession. On one hand, for
those who wish to advance and further
their career in campus housing, NHTI
provides a strong foundation for understanding the knowledge, skills, and

Talking Stick - September/October 2018

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