Meet Wes Love

Wes Love joined the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures in August 2021 as the newly minted Student Engagement Coordinator. His previous role was the Director of Campus Life at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). He holds a B.S. in Child, Adult & Family Services and a M Ed. in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from Iowa State University.

Q: What exactly is a Student Engagement Coordinator?

This is a great question! This position was created to focus on recruitment and retention needs for all our language programs among several other high-impact student development and support initiatives. Some of those initiatives include supporting student clubs and organizations related to world languages and the creation of a Division-wide student ambassador program.

Q: Tell us more about the Student Ambassador program.

Being a World Languages Student Ambassador is an exciting volunteer opportunity. Students majoring or minoring in our language programs get to showcase their passion for language learning by sharing their experiences with prospective and current students, Alumni, and Donors while enhancing their leadership skills. This spring 45 students apply we offered and had 26 students accepted World Languages Student Ambassador positions for fall 2022.

Q: How closely do you work with the Admissions office?

I work very closely and collaboratively with many colleagues in the Office of Admission. Since starting in this position last August I prioritizes building strong connections with the Director of Admissions, Sr. Associate Director in Search & Prospect Development, Sr. Director for Outreach & Recruitment, and Director of Communications & Marketing all within the Office of Admissions.

Q: What do you like most about working with students?

As strange as it may sound, what I like most about working with students is when things don’t go right or as planned. I spent a lot of time and money to find out that is when something called “cognitive dissonance” happens. I also learned through supporting students for the past 11 years and from my own experiences too that where there is dissonance there is also really good learning going on albeit messy, scary, and sometimes smelly (I used to work in student housing…and the smelly roommate convo' is timeless let me tell you).

Q: Do other offices have positions like yours?

In a purely academic area like ours, it is less common to have student affairs professionals like myself who facilitate learning and provide services and support to students outside the classroom. However, as our area continues to grow, the need for focused support around our recruitment and retention efforts has also grown; hence, my role was added.

If you have questions or would like to connect with Wes, he would love that! His email is wes-love@uiowa.edu, and his office number is (319) 467-4431.

Q:How can alumni get involved with the work you are doing?

I created and launched a Division-wide World Languages Student Ambassador program this spring semester. This program is an opportunity for language majors and minors in our Division to showcase their passion for language learning and share their experiences and knowledge of their programs while enhancing their leadership skills. One project our Ambassadors will be taking on this fall will be restructuring our social media efforts to optimize its impact. One aspect they would like to improve is showcasing the work and achievements of Alumni from our programs. If you would like your story spotlighted on our social media, CLICK HERE to fill out a short questionnaire.