Student Affairs Dean’s Update Winter Quarter 2015
Table of Contents 02 | Message from Student Affairs Vice President Patricia Telles-Irvin 04 | Student Enrichment Services Welcomes New Director 04 | Northwestern Career Advancement 06 | Did You Know?
DIVISION OF
STUDENTAFFAIRS Dean’s Update WINTER QUARTER 2015
Dear Colleagues, I am excited to share with you some new information about the Division of Student Affairs in this winter quarter update. In accordance with our strategic theme of “Advancing Social Justice” and in alignment with the university’s mission, we have formed a new department called Student Enrichment Services (SES), aimed at providing services and support for first-generation and low income students. In this update, you will learn more about SES, and about our new director, Kourtney Cockrell.
Message from Student Affairs Vice President Patricia Telles-Irvin
Northwestern Career Advancement (formerly University Career Services) has developed and instituted strategic steps to strengthen its career advising model. In addition to a more robust communication plan, these improvements will allow students to more thoughtfully approach their long-term career success goals. Finally, in the Did You Know? Section, I am proud to share some assessment information specific to our students’ experiences both in a classroom environment and within their student organizations. It is evident that the work we do in both academics and student affairs are making positive differences for our students. Many thanks for your continued support, and have a successful winter quarter. Warm regards,
Patricia Telles-Irvin Vice President for Student Affairs
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Vision We will be full partners in the student learning experience. The Division of Student Affairs partners with the academic schools/colleges and other University Divisions in allegiance with the University’s vision and mission to advance student learning and success.
Mission The mission of the Northwestern University Division of Student Affairs is to educate students, engage the community, and enrich the Northwestern experience. We pursue our mission through providing learning programs, services, and mentoring to maximize students’ potential, removing barriers to learning, strengthening readiness to learn, and sustaining a safe and healthy Northwestern community.
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STUDENT ENRICHMENT SERVICES WELCOMES DIRECTOR KOURTNEY COCKRELL Fall Quarter 2014 saw the launch of Student Enrichment Services, a new department in place to help address the needs of lowincome students. Kourtney Cockrell was selected to serve as the director for this department and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role. For close to 15 years, she has collaborated with organizations to increase access and opportunity for young people from traditionally overlooked backgrounds. She is passionate about diversity and began her racial justice work with the Intergroup Dialogue (IGR) program at the University of Michigan. Kourtney has expertise in college and career advising, diversity facilitation, nonprofit management, talent management, alumni relations, and organizational change. In addition to her work with the IGR, Kourtney spent more than seven years with The Posse Foundation working in both the Chicago and national offices, and directed and executed the first National Posse Alumni Leadership Conference in New York City during the summer of 2010.
and has advised a number of companies and organizations on best practices in the world of diversity recruitment and inclusion. In October 2014, Kourtney was presented with the Young Woman of Promise award at the annual YWCA YWomen Leadership Benefit. She was one of a select group to receive this recognition for social change.
Kourtney also worked with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business to recruit diverse talent to their full-time MBA program,
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NORTHWESTERN CAREER ADVANCEMENT On November 3, 2014, University Career Services was officially renamed Northwestern Career Advancement (NCA). The new name reflects a recent move toward more specialized career advising and counseling services designed to help students translate their academic and co-curricular experiences into professional opportunities. In the last year, NCA welcomed a new school-based advising model, a more robust employer-recruiting outreach team and a remodeled building, among other improvements. This month, along with the new name, NCA will unveil their redesigned website with improved functionality and fresh, industry and school-specific content. NCA is excited to continue to enhance services which will advance the career paths of NU students and strengthen partnerships with alumni, employers, and the Northwestern community under the new name. You can learn more about NCA at www.northwestern.edu/careers.
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DID YOU KNOW? The Associated Student Government (ASG) surveyed all undergraduate students in December 2013. They took some of the Senior Survey questions about learning and asked students the following questions: 1. How much do you feel that your experiences in student organizations and involvement on campus contributed to your knowledge, skills, and personal development in the following areas? 2. How much have your class experiences contributed to your knowledge, skills, and personal development in the following areas? The results provide evidence that the work we do in Student Affairs, especially when it comes to advising student groups, creates powerful learning experiences (see Figures 1 and 2).
Figure 1 Influence of Experiences in Classroom vs. Extracurricular Activities on Following Learning Outcomes (Response options: 1 = none, 2 = little, 3 = some, 4 = substantially)
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