STUDENT
AFFAIRS
QUARTERLY
SPRING 2015 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS Student Affairs Quarterly We welcome your feedback, questions, and submissions.
Message from the Vice President.................................3
Chael Wright-Isak, Editor chael@northwestern.edu
Updates from the Office of Religious Life...................4 PossePlus Retreat.........................................................5 Celebrating Spring at Norris........................................6
Jessica Toro-Pacheco, Graphic Designer
Staff Transitions...........................................................8
Jill Norton, Photographer
Staff Recognition..........................................................9
Patricia Telles-Irvin, Publisher
Career Advancement Updates.....................................10 Higher Ed Live...........................................................11 Green Corner..............................................................11
Volume 14. Spring 2015
New Staff....................................................................12
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MESSAGE THE FROM
VICE PRESIDENT Dear Student Affairs Colleagues,
Spring has finally arrived at Northwestern. The best part of spring for me is seeing the new growth and beauty that surrounds us. It’s also a time for reflecting on our achievements and planning ahead for the division and our university. At the lunch with the Vice President held on April 20th, I was able to share four new primary focus points that were developed at a recent Board of Trustees retreat. These four areas - research, global initiatives, student experience and resources – are vital to the success of our university, our students and our communities. As it is plain to see, Student Affairs will play a crucial part in helping Northwestern advance in these areas given our focus on the student experience. In this edition of the Student Affairs Quarterly, you will find information about progress on many of our current goals, and celebrations of achievements by our team and our students. From Dance Marathon, to This We Believe, to the many activities in Northwestern Career Advancement, we continue to create positive student learning experiences. While we say goodbye to some cherished Student Affairs staff who are moving on to different challenges and new experiences, new staff additions and changes will help us continue to advance on our mission, and their energy and expertise will serve our students and community well. I am excited to see all that will be achieved in the coming months. Thank you as always for your commitment, and most importantly for the difference you make in the daily lives of our students. With gratitude,
Patricia Telles-Irvin
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UPDATES FROM THE OFFICE OF RELIGIOUS LIFE
THIS WE BELIEVE for the Division of Student Affairs (and friends!) to join their annual luncheon on Monday, April 27. During the luncheon, four representatives of all walks of campus life shared a belief statement of what is most important in their life and why. The team looks forward to more participation in TWB and appreciates nominations of students, staff, and faculty for this program. Nominations may be sent to Eric Budzynski: e-budzynski@northwestern.edu
This We Believe (TWB), an award-winning initiative originally developed by the Office of Religious Life, recently rebooted itself during Winter Quarter 2014. This valued program—which brings to light the common experience and values held by our students, staff, and faculty—responded to the need to telescope the program into a smaller time commitment, ultimately allowing more people to participate. The renovation of TWB was also to the fresh contributions of Tiffany Gonzales, Assistant Director of Residential Services, who currently serves as the new co-pilot (with Eric Budzynski, Associate for Religious Life and Chapel Music) of this program.
40 DAYS Nearly all spiritual traditions engage in a yearly observance of soul searching, fasting, and mindfulness. This often engages participants in eating less, praying more, and becoming more mindful of other’s needs in the world around them. Eric Budzynski, Associate for Religious Life and Chapel Music, and Jackie Marquez, Associate Chaplain, dreamed together a new program called 40 Days: An Invitation to Renewal as a way for members of all faith traditions or no faith traditions to set aside a marked time in their calendar for self-reflection, renewal, and ultimately, an awareness of their relation to others.
During Winter Quarter, our current participants joined together on an unusually sunny day to share, listen, laugh, and eat while working through some challenging exercises and conversation to discuss what is most important in their lives. Although TWB experienced a few weather-related setbacks during the harsh winter, they were excited
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but with whom there is hardly ever time or space to discuss something that means a lot to me. I also enjoyed getting to know staff members from other areas of the university and hear their perspectives on these topics.”
It was important for us to create a way in which everyone on campus, and beyond, could participate in the program at their own level of comfort and access,” reported Eric Budzynski. Many opportunities were offered, including a daily calendar filled with spiritual exercises, a weekly time to walk an actual labyrinth, a spirituality reading series, a gratitude and giving program, and the most popular of all, Soup & Substance. During this weekly event, students, staff, and even Evanston community members gathered to ponder a spiritual writing from varied traditions, not to mention the eating of some really delicious soup! One participant wrote, “I was so appreciative for the opportunity to discuss spirituality with colleagues who I know and trust,
Jackie and Eric look forward to creating more opportunities for the Northwestern community to come together in celebration and curiosity of what gives us meaning and life. They invite you all to explore these initiatives and to share them with other members of our Northwestern home. For more information please contact Eric Budzynski at e-budzynski@northwestern.edu or Jacquelina Marquez at jmarquez@northwestern.edu
POSSEPLUS RETREAT The retreat, in its second year, was planned through a collaboration between Northwestern and The Posse Foundation. For the retreat, Posse scholars are asked to invite any friends or faculty members they would like to attend. Elleana Shepperd, a Posse Scholar and Weinberg sophomore, says she invited a few of her friends and was happy with the result. “It was great to find out where they stood on some of the issues we talked about,” Shepperd said. “It’s not something that comes up in casual conversation very often, so it was nice to have an environment to talk about it in.”
From April 10-12, a group of 71 undergraduates, grad students, and faculty and staff participated in Northwestern’s second PossePlus Retreat, held this year at Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan, Wis. This year’s “Crime & Punishment” theme sparked engaging dialogue among attendees about the criminal justice system in the United States through interactive workshops.
Next year’s retreat will take place April 8-10, 2016. For more information, please contact Andrés Carrasquillo at a-carrasquillo@ northwestern.edu or Kourtney Cockrell at k-cockrell@northwestern.edu
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CELEBRATING
CELEBRATING SPRING AT NORRIS CELEBRATING THE GENDER AND SEXUALITY RESOURCE CENTER GRAND RE-OPENING On Friday, February 13 the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center celebrated its grand re-opening on the third floor of the Norris Center. The occasion recognized the expansion and renovation of the space, the addition of two all gender restrooms to the Norris Center, and the renaming of the resource center. The grand re-opening featured poetry performances, participatory artwork, and heavy hors devours. Around 75 students, staff, faculty, alumni, and guests attended this celebratory event.
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DANCE. DANCE. DANCE. (REPEAT 27 MORE TIMES…) Another 30 hours of dancing and $1.1 million dollars raised for charity. Norris Center was proud to once again host one of Northwestern’s signature experiences, Dance Marathon. This year Norris was asked to produce a video to inspire the dancers. This “Norris loves DM” video created by Student Affairs Marketing was shown to the hundreds of dancers inside the tent during the first dance block - vimeo.com/121069611 - while full-time and student staff were recognized for hosting this 30-hour dance party on the east lawn. Congratulations to everyone who participated in Dance Marathon 2015.
WEARING “ONE NORRIS” ON WILDCAT DAYS Over three Mondays each April, Northwestern University hosts accepted students and their families to experience Northwestern before arriving in the fall. Norris plays a key role during Wildcat Days, hosting various welcome sessions, information meetings, and meals. To make it a more welcoming atmosphere, each employee who works in the Norris center wore the same “Meet me at Norris” t-shirt on Monday, April 6, 13, and 20. This included all full-time and student employees with Northwestern Dining, Norris Bookstore, US Bank, Aramark custodial staff, Center for Student Involvement, Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, Event Management, Business Operations, Student Affairs Marketing, Services and Programming, Facilities, and more. It was a sight to see – hundreds of employees within Norris – all showcasing the spirit of one Norris and one Northwestern. 7
STAFF STAFFSTAFF TRANSITION TRANSITION TRANSITION and the Wildcat Excellence Awards. Burgie’s legacy includes the expansion of and enhancements to many programs for student including Class Photos for new students, NU Night at Six Flags, the Purple Prep guide, Purple Pride, and Dillo Day - all part of his efforts to build community and form stronger connections between our students and Northwestern. As Assistant to the Vice President, Burgie took on a number of projects including creating and chairing the Northwestern Sustainability Working Group (SWaG), which became the first group at the University that brought students, faculty and staff together to promote sustainability at Northwestern. Their efforts ultimately led to the establishment of the Office of Sustainability, and SWaG continues to serve as a functional working group for that office and the university.
After 10 years at Northwestern, Burgwell “Burgie” Howard has accepted a position at Yale University as the Associate Vice President for Student Engagement and Senior Associate Dean of Yale College. His last day in the office will be July 2, 2015. Burgie began his career with the Northwestern University Division of Student Affairs in 2005 as the Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs with a broad scope of duties. In 2009, Burgie was appointed Dean of Students, serving in that role until 2012 when he was promoted to his current position as Assistant Vice President of Student Engagement.
Burgie was also instrumental in expanding Northwestern’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration, having established and served as chair of the MLK Day committee that included students, faculty and staff. Under his leadership, students were actively integrated into the annual program, including the student interviews of prominent keynote speakers Mavis Staples, Ramsey Lewis, Harry Lennix, Eva Jefferson Patterson and journalist Clarence Page. We wish Burgie and his partner, Jennifer Richeson, the very best in their new endeavors at Yale. They will be missed, and will forever be members of our Wildcat family.
Burgie’s accomplishments in his ten years at Northwestern are numerous. One of his fundamental priorities while at NU has been to create connections and experiences for students throughout the University. With this goal, he led university efforts in creating many signature experiences for students including March Thru the Arch, the Campus Life Awards, True Northwestern (First Year Experience program) 8
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Dr. Kelly A. Schaefer, current Executive Director of Norris University Center, has been promoted to the position of Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement. A long-time student advocate, Kelly will oversee the areas of Campus Inclusion and Community, including Multicultural Student Affairs and Student Enrichment Services, Religious Life, Center for Student Involvement and Fraternity and Sorority Life.
Under Kelly’s leadership, Norris University Center has transformed into a student-focused, inclusive, and engaging environment for all members of the University community, exemplified in her approach to the planning of the new University Commons by engaging students, staff and various community members in the process. Kelly will assume this role July 3, 2015.
Ken Field is the new Director of Dining for Student Affairs. Ken will oversee dining operations, including residential dining halls, retail outlets on campus, and catering. Ken comes to us having worked at Purdue University for 18 years in various food service positions, including Director of Residential Dining, Director of Operations, and has hotel catering experience
with Hyatt Hotels. With Ken’s leadership, Purdue University consistently ranked highly nationwide, coming in #14 on the Princeton Review’s “Top 20 Campus Food Rankings”, as #4 on the student-rated list for Cappex College Insider, and curating an A+ rating on Niche. We are lucky to bring Ken to NU to help us increase dining services, quality, and programs for our students.
Colleen Johnston is the new Title IX Investigator in the Dean of Students office. Colleen will conduct investigations of complaints of sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, and dating and domestic violence for both the Office of Sexual Harassment Prevention and the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution. She will also assist in the outreach and education
efforts for students, faculty, and staff. Prior to joining the University, Colleen worked for the City of Chicago’s Commission on Human Relations and served as Executive Director of the City of Cambridge’s Human Rights Commission in Cambridge, Mass.
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STAFF RECOGNITION
DEB SCHMIDT-ROGERS ELECTED AS VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACUHO-I
Deb Schmidt-Rogers (Director of Residential Life) was recently elected as the Vice President for the Association of College and University Housing Officers- International (ACUHO-I). Deb has been actively involved in the field of student housing for over 30 years and has extensive experience in the areas of residence life and residential education. This election means that Deb will be in a three-year presidential cycle; taking over as the President of ACUHO-I in January of 2018. ACUHO-I represents the housing programs of more than 1000 colleges and universities around the world and is considered the premier student housing organization in the United States.
Deb Schmidt-Rogers
SPECIAL PROJECTS STAFF AWARDED LEED GREEN CERTIFICATION
Anne VanOsdol
Anne VanOsdol, Director of Special Projects, and Cara Brosten, Project Manager in Special Projects, both recently obtained their LEED Green Associate credential. This credential is given to individuals who have demonstrated green building expertise in non-technical fields of practice. The process required extensive preparation and study, direct work on a LEEDcertified project, and the successful completion of a rigorous exam. The skills they have learned as part of this process will assist us with our sustainability targets in the division via our renovation and design projects for Student Affairs facilities. For more information on LEED credentials, please visit www.usgbc.org/ credentials. Congratulations to both Anne and Cara on this achievement!
Cara Brosten 10
CAREER HIGHER ED LIVE ADVANCEMENT UPDATES
Dr. Lesley-Ann Brown-Henderson recently shared her insights regarding the multi-institutional study of leadership on a Higher Ed Live webinar. This one-hour session, titled “Advancing the Study of College Student Leadership,” discussed the role of this multi-institutional study and how it can maximize leadership development initiatives to foster desired student learning and development outcomes. This webinar also featured insights from Susan Komives from the University of Maryland, John Dugan from Loyola University Chicago, and Julie Owen from George Mason University. To view the entire webinar, please visit: www.higheredlive.com/advancing-the-study-of-college-student-leadership/
NONPROFIT WEEK: ALUMNI SUPPORT STUDENT CAREER EXPLORATION IN GOVERNMENT, EDUCATION, AND CULTURAL AND SOCIAL MISSION INSTITUTIONS From traveling to campus to hosting students at their organizations in Chicago, Northwestern alumni contributed to the learning and professional development of students interested in nonprofit career paths during NCA’s Nonprofit Week from March 9-13. In Chicago, alumni hosted students at their organizations during a Career Trek to the Office of the Mayor, Heartland Alliance, and the Environmental Law & Policy Center. On campus, an alumnus visited Northwestern to speak about Careers in Global Health at a Lunch and Learn. Virtually, ‘Cats shared their career path stories at organizations ranging from the Pew Research Center to Public Allies www.nucaree radvancement. wordpress.com/tag/nonprofit-week/.
GREEN CORNER SUSTAINABLE SUPPORT FROM STUDENT AFFAIRS This quarter, Tim Heneghan and colleague Julie Cahillane from SustainableNU, were able to find a new location for gently used sleeping room furniture from the mid-quad residential locations. The Salvation Army is taking all the pieces—four trailers full of furniture. Deliveries are being made to 2 locations; downtown Chicago and St. Charles. These items will be used to help furnish 160 sleeping rooms. This is yet another example of our divisions commitment to the value of stewardship. Great job team!
RECORD NUMBER OF ALUMNI AND STUDENTS PAIRED FOR 2015 NEXT PROGRAM More than 530 student-alumni matches were made for the 2015 Northwestern Externship Program (NEXT). This year, the annual one-day job shadowing program brought students to Ogilvy & Mather, LinkedIn, The Joffrey Ballet, Google, The Walt Disney Company, American Airlines and hundreds more companies and organizations between March 23-April 24, 2015. The program is co-sponsored by Northwestern Career Advancement and the Northwestern Alumni Association.
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NEW STAFF
CHRISTOPHER BURPEE Manager of Technical Services, Norris University Center
JACKIE GRINVALDS Events Operations Manager, Norris University Center
KIM LANGE Administrative Assistant Norris University Center
KEVIN MEIER Coordinator for Alcohol and Drug Education and Outreach, Health Promotion and Wellness
JASON MCKEAN Assistant Director Student Conduct & Conflict Resolution
STELLA OKEKE Assistant Director, Student Conduct & Conflict Resolution
BRITTANY WILLIAMS Assistant Director for Events Planning, Norris University Center
MARTHA FLORES House Service Worker, Residential Services 12