A Higher Education

The hardest work of this January episode was naming it something more specific than "Kristy McGarvey on Everything". There is something here for you if you are or work with graduate students, if you are concerned about or excited for the future of Christian higher education, if you have or are considering uprooting yourself for a new job, if you are or support a woman in a leadership role, or if you are a human being with deep thoughts and feelings. In other words, it's for everyone. We could think of no better way to start your new year as a professional in Christian Student Development than sitting in on this beautiful conversation with Kristy McGarvey. Enjoy!

0:00 Episode and Guest Introduction

5:01 Guest welcome and speed round

7:57 Kristy describes her position of Dean of Students at Denver Seminary

11:53 Supporting graduate students

19:18 The threats and opportunities for Student Development in online education

33:50 Move out to move up

45:40 Being a woman in theological and Christian spaces

53:17 How can men support women in leadership roles?

56:35 A Denver cookie that changed Mark's life

57:28 Advice that current Kristy would give to younger Kristy

60:16 Closing

From 2020, this is episode two of the inaugural season of A Higher Education.

"Dr. Brad Lau and Dr. Steve Beers discuss the praxis briefing they wrote with several colleagues on mental health on college campuses. Mental Health on the Campus: Defining Challenges and Opportunities is published in the Spring 2019 edition of ACSD's Growth Journal. We discuss the impetus for the praxis (and what a praxis is), the model they created and what campuses are doing and can do to support the mental health and wellness of their students."

A Higher Education is pleased to re-release the episodes from the inaugural season back in 2020. Enjoy this first ever episode as you travel for the holidays or take some needed alone time on a neighborhood stroll.

"In our debut episode, Andrea talks to Dr. Edee Schultze, Vice President for Student Life at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. Edee talks about the way her leadership was challenged during the 2017-18 fires that threatened the Westmont campus and the ensuing mudslides that proved even more personally devastating. Edee also shares her thoughts about women in leadership and challenging the leadership paradigm."

If you wrote "a podcast to learn more about the foundational history of higher education" on your Christmas list, then call us Santa Claus. This topical episode will cover some fun facts about the history of our industry followed by some in-depth examples of why historical context matters to student development work. We'll discuss historical moments within the higher education system and wrap up with how some major world events shaped what education is and who has access to it. Hint: there are more cows and pirates than you'd think.

0:00 Opening banter

2:27 Episode introduction

7:02 Historically fun facts about American Higher Ed

15:35 Historic moments for higher ed employees to know

17:00 Boards and Presidents

18:55 Start of Student Development work (aka the "dumping ground of all unpleasant things")

23:25 Religious/Secular institutions

26:20 Origin of distance education

29:42 Liberal Arts and the Yale Report

35:06 Historical moments that changed Higher Education

35:24 World War Two

37:52 Civil Rights Movement

40:30 Christian colleges during the Civil Rights movement

44:00 Reiteration of the importance of historical context and how to learn about your own institution

If you enjoy this more topically-based episode, drop us a line at [email protected] or connect with Kara and Mark on LinkedIn!

Reference: A History of American Higher Education by John R. Thelin (now available for free with Spotify Premium!)

The work of Student Development can often mean programming leadership lessons for students while neglecting your own leadership development. In this episode, Neal talks about the concept of Leading Up and how student development folks can be working on their leadership skills in five specific ways. The episode ends with an extensive list of books for the curious listener as well as ways to get connected with ACSD Webmaster and Colorado Christian University's wonderful Dean of Enrollment, Dr. Neal Anderson.

1:50 Introduction of guest

5:25 Neal's leadership philosophy development

7:20 Leading Up defined

10:10 5 Requirements for Leading Up

13:14 Leading Up in different contexts

20:00 Neal's hard moments in leadership

30:00 Neal's favorite leadership characteristic in others

32:58 Resource suggestions

Suggested Reading: Thanks for the Feedback, The Softer Side of Leadership, Radical Candor, Dreaming Dreams for Christian Higher Education, Dare to Lead, Leading with Cultural Intelligence, any Patrick Lencioni books

Connect with Neal Anderson: Carto Leadership, LinkedIn

"Your students are your best PR." Come for this and more sweet nuggets of wisdom from the current ACSD Diversity Chair, Yicaury Melo. She hails from Gordon College in the greater Boston area where she has worked for years on raising the multicultural program on campus from the ground up. This episode is rich with specific strategies and ideas that Yicaury has employed successfully on her campus. It also features an in-depth description of a new certification opportunity through the ACSD called Elevate. Be sure to follow up at acsd.org for more information if you are interested in the certification program.

0:50 Opening and banter

2:30 Introduction of guest

5:15 Multicultural programming at Gordon College

18:30 Diversity work in ACSD

19:48 Introducing the Elevate Certificate

28:27 Advancing support on under resourced campuses

34:35 Resources Yicaury suggests for you

39:11 Call for crowdsourced ideas for the podcast

Yicaury is happy to be reached at [email protected] with your questions and ideas! And please reach out to [email protected] with your ideas for future episodes.

We're back! Recorded at the ACSD conference in June 2023, Episode 7 will introduce you to Kristy Morgan and Steve Ivester. At the time of recording, Kristy served as the President of ACSD and Steve was the President Elect. If you have been looking for a passive way to learn more about the association, you've come to the right spot! Together, you'll hear them share the mission and vision of the ACSD. Kristy and Steve are wonderful people, engaging speakers, and both are thoroughly experienced in the field. They were an insightful and delightful pair to speak with as our first double interview of the season.

0:00 Opening and banter

2:41 Guest introduction

6:23 Detailed description of President and President Elect roles

9:50 Steve's prep-work and vision for his Presidency

13:40 Kristy's reflection on her Presidency

17:05 Recommendations for young professionals

21:15 Kara roasts Skip Trudeau

22:05 How members can get involved in the ACSD

28:55 Closing

In this world of Higher Ed, summer is notorious for transitions. Whether you are making a job change yourself or welcoming a new teammate in the coming months, you'll find something relatable in this episode with Lyndsey. Our guest has served nearly a year as the Assistant Director of Residence Life Programs at Taylor University. As a former colleague and close friend to both our hosts, this episode platforms a round-table conversation about change and transition. Each voice brings something valuable to the conversation having navigated simultaneous as each spent the summer of 2022 moving to a new state and starting a new level of job at a new campus. You'll hear some philosophical discussion about adapting to new cultures and framing a transition experience, but you'll also walk away with some tangible ideas for how to make a new city or campus feel like home. We hope you enjoy it!

Do you have imposter syndrome about your imposter syndrome? Alex Staup is the Director of Student Engagement at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, and he hits on this and more relatable points as he walks us through his professional and educational history. He has held a number of roles in Student Development all while at Lee, complimented by a completed Masters in Higher Education and PhD in progress at Purdue in Educational Studies. Alex is a an avid proponent of student development theory, but like all good Student Development professionals, he knows the magic lies in turning theory into practice. Wherever you lie on the spectrum of having all of Chickering's publications memorized to not knowing student development had any academic applications, you'll find something to learn from this conversation.

Jose Brown is a Residence Director at Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina, which happens to be the site of the 2023 ACSD conference. In this episode, Jose describes some of the work that goes into hosting the annual conference and what attendees can expect, but his episode is much more than that. We also explore his experience in Christian Higher Education as a person of color and hear his experience in working with teams of student leaders to help foster a passion for diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice in their own lives. Jose is passionate about the spiritual lives of his students, and he is a great example of a young RD who's goal is to step further into the world of Christian Higher Ed as his experience both broadens and deepens in the areas he is passionate about.