In the latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field, host Dr. Jill Creighton sits down with Dr. Cynthia Hernandez, Vice President for Student Success at Texas State University, to delve into her extensive experience in student affairs and her vision for the future of the field. This episode is a must-listen for anyone involved in higher education, offering insights into leadership, professional development, and the evolving role of student affairs in fostering student success.

Dr. Hernandez's journey into student affairs is a story of passion and dedication. With over 25 years of progressive leadership, her rise through the ranks is anything but ordinary. From an early involvement as a student leader to her current role guiding a division of over 400 staff, Cynthia's trajectory offers invaluable lessons for professionals at all stages of their careers. Although she initially embarked on a STEM path, earning a Bachelor's in Animal Science, she discovered her true calling in higher education, catalyzed by the guidance of mentors who recognized her leadership potential.

Throughout the episode, Dr. Hernandez emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to student success. Drawing on her STEM background, she uniquely applies analytical skills to organizational leadership, demonstrating how diverse experiences can enhance student affairs work. Her perspective is particularly valuable for listeners interested in the interplay between data-driven decision-making and the empathetic, student-centered focus of student affairs.

Key themes in this episode include strategies for professional development and career advancement in student affairs. Dr. Hernandez shares candid insights into "managing up" and the importance of building institutional commitment. Whether you're a new professional or a seasoned expert, her advice on leveraging opportunities and committing to lifelong learning is sure to resonate and inspire action.

Furthermore, the conversation delves into the challenges and opportunities presented by current legislative changes affecting higher education. Dr. Hernandez advocates for a proactive stance, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a focus on student success, despite external pressures. Her ability to navigate these dynamics while supporting her team and institution serves as a powerful example of adaptive leadership in unpredictable times.

For those eager to delve deeper into the evolving landscape of student affairs and uncover strategies to enhance student success, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to gain a wealth of insights from Dr. Cynthia Hernandez and be inspired by her commitment to fostering inclusive, effective educational environments. Whether you're on a campus or beyond, her story is a testament to the profound impact student affairs professionals can have on the lives of students and the wider academic community.

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:01]: Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the Field, the podcast where we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to seasoned experts. Brought to you by NASPA, we curate free and accessible professional development for higher ed professionals wherever you happen to be. This is season 12, continuing our journey through the past, present, and future of student affairs. I'm Dr. Jill Creighton, sheherhers, your essay voices from the field host. Welcome back to another episode of essay voices from the field. Today, we are bringing you the second live recorded conversation from the NASPA annual conference where we sat down with NASPA pillar of the profession, Dr. Cynthia l Hernandez. Dr. Hernandez currently serves as the vice president for student success at Texas State University, providing leadership for a comprehensive division comprised of over 400 staff housed in 12 departments, including housing and res life, dean of students, counseling services, health services, campus rec, Disability Services, Career Services, LBJ Student Center, Student Involvement, Student Learning Assistance Center, Academic Success Initiatives, and Assessment Planning and Technology Services. With over twenty five years of progressive leadership experience, Dr. Hernandez focuses on enhancing student success and learning in the co curricular through inclusive student centered programs, services, and initiatives, and communicating the impact and value of student success work.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:14]: She is a scholar practitioner and an active member of professional organizations, including NASPA, where she serves on the board of directors. Prior to joining Texas State University, doctor Hernandez served for fifteen years in the office of the vice president for student affairs at Texas A and M University as an assistant and associate VP and as an adjunct professor in the department of educational admin and human resource development. She earned her bachelor's degree in animal science and a master's degree in educational administration with an emphasis in student affairs admin and a doctorate in ed admin from Texas A and M University. Doctor Hernandez began her student success career in student orientation, transition, and retention and programming both at Northern Arizona University and Texas A and M. In addition to being an active professional member of NASPA, she's also active in NODA, which is the Association for Orientation Transition and Retention in Higher Ed, where she held the position of president. She's also served as the chair for NASPA's AVP initiatives steering committee and as a faculty member and director for the NASPA AVP Institute. Her areas of professional interest include the organization leadership and management of operating a division of student affairs, academic partnerships and collaborations, student learning in the co curricular, comprehensive program reviews, strategic planning, threat assessment, Latinas in higher education, and higher education policy. She also provides her personal statement.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:28]: I believe in selfless service, the duty to do good, and the responsibility that comes with influence honoring the impact we have on others and the world. I hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as we loved having it. And like our other live episodes, this one might have slightly different audio quality, but the conversation is rich. Cynthia, welcome to SA Voices.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:02:45]: Thank you. Excited to be here.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:47]: So you are our second conversation here live at the annual conference. We're so excited to feature you, as well as an award winner this year. Yeah.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:02:55]: Thank you very much. Excited to be here.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:56]: Congratulations. Thank you. But Cynthia, you have been part of the student affairs profession for about twenty five years at this point. Spent most of your career in Texas And we always love to start our episodes by asking our guests, how did you get to your current seat?

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:03:10]: Well, thank you very much. You know, it's it's interesting and I think like many of us in the profession, we don't set out to being in the profession. I started my undergraduate degree at Texas A and M University, and one of the wonderful things about that institution is it allows you to really flourish as a student leader. There's so many student run programs, and I got involved. I got involved when I was a student even as a freshman starting out. And I remember, though, the person that really led me into the profession before she probably even knew it was my own RA. I had a scholarship going out to A and M. That's the way I was able to go.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:03:49]: And we had to live in a residence hall, and I lived there. And halfway through my freshman semester, my RA tapped me on the shoulder and said, you do really good at trying to create community with people on the floor, and I think you'd be a great RA. And I was like, I didn't even know really what an RA did, but I did. I I ended up applying and getting it. And so that was really my first foray in. And then the next piece of that was, at that time, you had to take an RA class before you could get hired, and you had to make a certain grade in the class before you could get hired. So my RA class was taught by the director of residence life. His name is Ron Sasse, and he took a liking to me.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:04:35]: We I enjoyed being in his class, and he stayed with me throughout, my RA career as well as my orientation leader career. And when it was time for me to figure out what I wanted to do so I came in to A and M as an aerospace engineering major. I grew up in Houston and really wanted to work on the shuttle. And then ended up an animal science major because I thought I wanted to be a vet. And then I decided I didn't wanna do either of those things. And he walked into my little cubicle as an undergraduate, for my student org, and he gave me a photograph copy. And his name was actually written in Sharpie on the on the front of it, a photograph copy of the student personnel point of view. Oh, okay.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:05:23]: And he said, I think you should read this and tell him, let's talk about it. And we did and it unlocked this love and passion for not only higher education, but for the field of student affairs. And it was then that I decided to to go into graduate school and and go into this path.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:05:40]: But you finished your bachelor's degree in animal science.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:05:43]: I did. I do. I have a bachelor's of science in animal science. And I think about this all the time. Growing up for me, I was always strong in math and science. And so, naturally, that's what everybody focused on. I got sent to a lot of STEM things when I was in high school. I thought, well, that's what I need to lean into because that's what I'm good at.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:06:05]: And it wasn't until I got to college and really finding the work that I'm doing now that I realized just because you're good at something doesn't mean you have to do that thing. Now I will tell you that my math and science, and we can explore this later on in the in the podcast if you want, but gives me a strength. I think that might be a little different in the work that I do and how I approach my work, but I realized that I really needed to find that passion and purpose and I did that in the profession.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:33]: I am curious how that STEM strength shows up as a VPSA.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:06:38]: It does quite a bit and and one of the things that I think about and I always have to

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:43]: give this caveat and I I found this out when

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:06:46]: I because I'm a first time VPSA and I found this out with my own staff. I always have to first say, we always have to center the student in our work, we always have to lead from a culture of care. But when you're in these roles, I would say assistant director and above, you really have to pay attention to the business and organizational aspect of what we're doing. And so that math and science background for me allows me to really think a little bit more critically and analytically, about the work and how we organize our work, how we organize our resources, both financial and human. Mhmm. And then even in this assessment conversation, this data conversation, this evidence based conversation, being able to look at data and understand data and translate data for those who are maybe not data experts, and that's okay, but how to make meaning of that. And I think that that math and science background has prepared me for that. The other thing I will say prepared me for is when I was at at A and M, I worked in the vice president's office for fifteen years at A and M.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:07:54]: And I had, one of my vice presidents, I had five while I was there. One of my vice presidents was a three star Marine Corps General. And what I learned in my undergrad that helped me with that was how to write things in bullet points. So I didn't write more than a five page paper until I got to my grad program, so because everything in my science background was really about brief bullet points. What data points are you paying attention to right now? Oh goodness. There's a lot. I mean, obviously, on the student success end of it, we are looking at all of our college completion matrix around persistence and retention and graduation, and then distilling that down into what are those things that are preventing this.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:08:40]: Mhmm.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:08:41]: And then, you know, how can we circle around those support services to meet those? So that's really on the on the student success end, and I can go a little bit deeper into that. The other pieces on, again, and Betty, who is here, talked about it, our investment in staff and development in staff and the metrics associated with, helping our staff thrive, whether that, be performance metrics and even just meeting expectations, but then also what are those things that are barriers to their work and how can we help them be successful in what they do?

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:09:17]: You've come up in student affairs mostly through orientation Mhmm. Past president of NODA Mhmm. As well. So different association work. But I'm wondering how your vision and view of professional development of staff has shifted from your days focused on new student orientation now through overseeing an entire division of student affairs.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:09:35]: Gosh, it has been. It has been an evolution and from being a staff member focused on students, focused on it, on the orientation of students. But I will say, I think there's similar things to learn. There's they're very parallel in that, you know, we invest a lot in the onboarding of students. Starting from the very beginning when we make that contact all the way through maybe that first year, that second year, and and on, that's the same with staff. Right? As soon as we hire that staff member, how are we communicate? And I actually think it goes beyond it be before that and my enrollment management colleagues will agree with this with students, but even when that staff member is applying to be on your staff, that employees that individuals who are applying to be on your staff. How are you treating them along the search process? How are communicating with with them? How are you valuing their time in that process as well? How are you honoring that? And then how do we onboard? Mhmm. How are we onboarding staff into our communities and helping them understand what are the expectations of the new work culture they're in? How do they meet those expectations? How do we understand the lived experiences of the the staff coming in and how do we, as supervisors, honor that as well.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:10:51]: So it's all those things that we do with students that we should just be doing with humans as they're transitioning onto our communities.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:10:58]: I think that's the gift of coming up through orientation is that's the natural way your brain already works is how do we successfully onboard someone into the community and then that showing up for your staff

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:11:07]: as well. 100%. We talk a lot about in in the OTR world about building institutional commitment. Some might call that finding a sense of place, finding a sense of belonging, and because we know that that's important for the retention of whether it's students or staff. If they don't find that, it's too easy to pack up and go home or go elsewhere.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:11:26]: What do you most want your staff members to understand when they first set foot in the community? Mhmm.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:11:31]: I think first, the purpose of our work, and we talk a lot about the why. Why are we doing this? Why are we here? So understanding that piece is is critical. I think the other piece for me in in my organization at the type of institution we work at and I think that's important, I think, for people to know too as you're onboarding, recognizing what the institution, why you're gonna work, where you have chosen to work, but understanding what it means. And and for us and for all of higher education, we're in the business of helping students realize their academic goal. We get to do a lot lot more with them, and we also understand that there's a lot more barriers that prevent people from actually reaching that, and and we, fill a lot of those spaces. But that's the ultimate goal, and so how are we able to do that? So when new staff come in, I have, AVP dean of students, Valerie Holmes, who who who talks a lot about we're in the business of breaking down barriers and creating opportunities. So at the very simplest level on our staff, that's what we're trying to do. And it might look different depending in what functional area you're working in, but we're trying to get there.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:12:40]: You've had a, fairly traditional career path in terms of kind of moving from that first entry level all the way through to director level, AVP, etcetera, etcetera, and now to the VP seat. There's a lot of programs I'm seeing at NASPA this year about how do I make that jump? How do I make that jump from assistant director to director? How do I make that jump from director to assistant associate dean? How do I make that jump from dean AVP to VP? Mhmm. Can you talk to us about your process in figuring out how to prepare yourself for that next thing? Sure.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:13:10]: I will. And and I've had a little bit of a traditional path, but I it I actually skipped the whole director phase, which created a whole bunch of different things that I had to be really intentional about learning because I didn't have the direct experience in doing that. When I think about putting yourself in the position to make those moves, I think that our natural nature of being learners in this field helps. And I always think about what do I wanna do next and what do I need to learn to get there. And so I think part of it is really investing in that self knowledge, that learning, understanding what it is and and where you wanna go. But I think that the other piece for me has been taking advantage of the opportunities that are available. And it's not that all of the opportunities I took advantage of someone said, Cynthia, you should do this. It was scanning the horizon that I was in and saying, I want more experience in doing that.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:14:10]: Maybe I need to go and ask to see if how can I be a part of that? And, that was a big that was a big piece for me was being able to do that. And that's what I did. I didn't know I wanted to leave the orientation world. I had done it for twelve years. I loved it. I thought I would just continue in first year programs, And then an assistant to the dean of students came available, working with Dave Parrot. And I applied for that, and and I went in and I started working for him. He was housed in the vice president's office.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:14:43]: And about six months in, I had an an, vice president, Dean Bershani, who later went on to be president at North Dakota State. And he said, I want you to come be special assistant to the vice president. And so I made that move right there. And that's why I say I skipped the whole director position. And I think it was the first time I real and we talk about linear pathways, but not really. Mhmm. For me, as a younger or a mid level professional, I think it was the first time I realized that I could move up into an AVP position without having to be the dean of students. And because if you think about

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:15:19]: it, this was this was quite

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:15:20]: a while ago, and there were not as many AVP roles. And even the AVP grouping was not as prominent even in NASPA. Right? So you heard about VPSAs, you heard about Dean of Students, but you didn't know about these things. So I think that was an interesting thing for me and it was really about taking advantage of the opportunities available.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:15:43]: Let's talk a little bit about managing up.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:15:45]: Okay.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:15:45]: So you've been in many positions where you were managing up to your supervisor. Now you are that person who is being managed up to. Mhmm. What advice do you have for specifically directors managing that possibly to their ABPs and VPs and how to get that information to the vice president level? And also for first year professionals who might have input that is very, very valuable or they see a different perspective on a problem set that could be solved differently. And we know that their first stop is gonna be their direct teams, but also how do they get that information to

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:16:17]: a VP? Sure. Sure. It's a great question. And it does take time to learn to manage up. I think the the first thing I would say is do a lot of listening. Do a lot of listening and observing to understand how your supervisor wants information and and needs information and what what's the type of information that they're looking and everybody's managing that. Everybody has a supervisor, whether it's me to the president, the president to the chancellor, the chancellor to the board. And so we're always trying to figure out what's the information they need, how quickly do they need it, what form do they need it in.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:16:59]: And a lot of that is just listening and understanding, trying to anticipate what are those things that are gonna be on the radar. And that's a big piece of it. Some of it is giving your staff a heads up. For my directors, being able for them to understand what does the vice president need to know, what do I need to tell my AVP so that we can get that information there so we're not caught off guard on things. The other piece I'm managing up, because that's one thing, the crisis pieces, the pieces that are might make the headlines. But the other piece is about what data is important for my vice president to know in the conversation she's in. And EAB, a long time ago, had and there were several student affairs folks who helped on this piece. They had a piece called Leveraging Data to Demonstrate Impact.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:17:51]: Mhmm. And it was the first time I had really seen what they had done is EAB had interviewed presidents and provost across the country to really ask them about what data did they need from their student senior student affairs officers, and then they distilled that by each functional area. So that was a great way to kind of learn not just the heads up crisis moments, but here's some things that I need you to think about in the conversations that you're in. When I think about new professionals and first year students and lending voices, I always say first and because I have always worked at large institutions and you talk about that inverted funnel and there's some hierarchy there and there's some hierarchy there for a reason. Mhmm. And so I always talk to first year student or first year professionals or new professionals about really using learning how to use that hierarchy and how to communicate things. But then I also talk about take advantage of the opportunities that you do have to have those moments with those leaders, whether it's your own director or directors across the division, AVPs, VP. And you do that usually through volunteering in some other spaces.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:19:07]: And I know a lot of people, maybe shy away from spending even more time volunteering in spaces outside their own functional area, but I cannot tell you how much it helps with networking and relationship building in your career. Just being able to be in spaces when you are helping people move in during move in or helping set up commencement, all those things. You get to have some conversations in spaces that maybe you wouldn't have access to individuals otherwise.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:19:38]: I was once at an institution that did an internal internship program where five hours a week you could be reassigned to a different department just to learn that functional area, especially great for professionals who are thinking about moving up, in that ladder or also just changing functional areas.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:19:53]: Yes. Yeah. We I mean, and you know this, and I don't know what the opportunities are now, but serving on conduct panels, right, serving as investigators, serving on your crisis response team, but then also helping with more, maybe, joy filled engagement type activities as well. There's always opportunities to to do some of that. And to your point, whether it's a structured program, which is fabulous, by the way, or an impromptu, I wanna get more knowledge on this. I remember my, when I was in my AVP role, I didn't have a whole lot of, construction under my belt, building facilities and renovating facilities. And so I went to the vice president and asked, I said, we've got this construction project coming on. Can I be on on that team that's working with with the architect and the contractors? And, he said, as long as you can get your other stuff done, we'll let you carve out some time to do that.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:20:50]: But unless I had asked that, no one was sitting there saying, somebody should tell Cynthia so see if Cynthia can be on this team. So

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:20:56]: One of the things you included in your bio is a personal statement. And, the personal statement is I believe in selfless service, the duty to do good, and the responsibility that comes with influence honoring the impact we have on others and the world. How did we arrive here?

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:21:12]: You know, I think sometimes it's easy to get caught up in everything that's going on and so much like our institutions or our own divisions, having our own mission statement, value statement that grounds us reminds us and gives us that lens to make decisions, to honor the staff and the students and just the humans in this life. What a blessing it is to be able to do what we do, where we do it. And sometimes it's hard to see that, in that. And so the statement for me has always grounded me in that. It's it's really a convergence of a lot of my lived experiences, my backgrounds, my identities that really leads to this place of selfless service and and that we're here to serve.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:21:58]: You're in Texas right now and, I had the conversation just yesterday with President Richard Walker. He was at University of Houston Clear Lake. And one of the conversations that he and I had was about how do we continue to support our students, faculty and staff knowing that legislation might be deeply impacting the way that we've done our jobs in the past, but also knowing that the students that are supported by student affairs and and the rest of the university, we're still here. Yeah. Right? Legislation isn't gonna change our identities and it's not gonna change the support that we need from the university. So how are you navigating that in the BPSA seat knowing that the way that you do the work has to be different?

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:22:35]: It's a great question. I will say first, I got named to the title nine deputy right after the February, president Obama's dear colleague letter. Twenty eleven ECL. Twenty '11 ECL. Right? Mhmm. And I really think that being in that role during that time for the next eight years where one, I learned how to pause and take a breath as things were just plain out. And and I remember then and this is applicable now. We still have students who are going through these situations

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:14]: Mhmm. And

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:23:14]: we still have students to serve and I still have a responsibility to my institution. So trying to trying to figure out to not let the noise overwhelm me was was a skill that I learned then has come in very useful now. And so, you know, we have had state legislation around some of these issues for about eighteen months now. And so we've been navigating that, and seeing the impact of that, and then learning to still help our students feel supported and valued and our staff feel supported and and valued at our campuses. We have to do that. We know that we need to do that. Honoring the lived experiences they bring, still being identity informed, not being identity exclusive, which is prohibited. And so being able to invest and being able to invest in in students and staff to be able to thrive on our campuses, Ultimately, that's my job, and we have to keep going because I have 40,000 students

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:18]: Mhmm.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:24:19]: Who are looking to us to be able to create these experiences for them and help them reach your academic goals.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:25]: We're seeing these pieces of legislation kind of permeate in other states as well. I think Texas and Florida have been kind of on the forefront. Mhmm. So what advice do you have for other student affairs professionals who are seeing this happen in their states and are going, I'm not sure how to navigate it?

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:24:39]: Mhmm. I think, you know, part of that is leaning in on your team and I know people think that it's the vice president for student affairs alone, I'm the vice president for student success, but, you know, leaning in, working with your cabinet, helping understand, going back to the mission of your institution, you know, working with your general counsel, having all of those conversations. And I'm thinking from the VP level right now on what this means and what's the impact. The other piece of it around it is how do we lean even more into student success and student support in the midst of this? And that was one of the things I really appreciated about, my president, my current president, in that how do we then look at what else do we need to do to enhance the student experience and how can we do that, within the legislation that we have and, that recommitment to student success and, students persistence and and graduation really helped us keep a focus on why we're doing what we're doing. And and so I would encourage staff to do that as well. It's a little bit different when you're, you know, working on the front end with students, working at that mid level supporting staff who also are being impacted or feeling impacted. And part of that is remaining calm, understanding that we still have a job to do. And, we just kinda we keep taking we take it day by day, and, still celebrate the joys that we have, and there are many.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:26:19]: And I think Betty talked about that too. Getting out in the spaces to see that your students are thriving in their college work. They're enjoying their college life and I know every institution is different. I work in a highly residential institution and my students are loving it and they're loving their four years. And so, yeah, reminding of the joy.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:26:43]: Let's transition and talk about NASPA for a minute. You've been the director of the AVP steering committee and a faculty member for the AVP Institute. This institute is pretty young in terms of NASPA initiatives. I think actually do we meet for the first time at AVP Institute? Maybe so. That seems that seems right, but I I can't remember at this point. But can you talk to us about what's important right now for NASPA and the AVP world and also for aspiring AVPs, what they might be looking at right now for their professional development?

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:27:12]: Yeah. So it was interesting. I would say I you talked about being a NODA, and I was a NODA for a good portion of my career and did or pulled back on my involvement after I finished the presidency. And it was actually through the AVP space that I got reconnected to NASPA. And they were just starting out. I went to, I think, the first AVP Institute and Penny Ryu was the director. Lori White was on there. Jason Pena was on there.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:27:42]: Some others, individuals named Hecht and others. And I got connected in that space and I talk about I loved being an AVP and I was an AVP probably I was an assistant vice president for about five years and associate vice president for, three to four years. So I was in the AVP space for seven years, which you don't see a lot of. Usually, you see people stay in that space for about maybe three years, five years, then move on into maybe VP roles. I never knew I wanted to be a VP. So that was a great connection for me, and I encourage any AVPs to to do that. I got to, as part of that experience, work on the aspiring AVP pre conference for a number of years as well. And it's really neat to see some of the people that were in those rooms in these AVP positions now.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:28:36]: And I think for me, it's funny because I don't feel like when I was coming up you heard a lot about the AVP position. Like I said, I really thought it was just Dean of Students and then you're the vice president. Right? But now there are all of these spaces and I love the AVSP space because you get to be really strategic and make connections. And growing up in orientation, I spent a lot of time making connections and I had a lot of collaboration with colleagues across campus in different divisions and departments, and I think you get to do that in the AVP space. And you're less in the day to day management of a department, so you really do get to be a little bit more strategic in that. But for those aspiring AVPs, look and see what the job is like. There's a lot more literature out there. The AVP book, in fact, anytime I get a new AVP, I give them the AVP book and we talk through through it.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:29:34]: But then also going to session so you can really understand what the work is and then also understand maybe what type of AVP position you want because they are becoming in some spaces, they're becoming more specialized. An AVP for health and well-being, AVP for student engagement, AVP auxiliaries business. And so, I think understanding that sometimes at some institutions there's those nuances or if you just want to be the really number two to the VP in in some small spaces and wear 7,000,000 different hats, there's opportunities for that too.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:12]: Think we're seeing head of staff positions come out more as well in that AVP hat space and they get to do everything which is really fun. Yes.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:30:20]: Yes. Yes. In fact, I just created a a chief associate vice president, chief of staff position and I didn't realize how much I needed it until I had it. Definitely.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:29]: Well, Cynthia, our theme for this season is the past, present, and future of student affairs. Mhmm. And so I have one question on each of those areas for you. The first is on the past. What's one component of the history of the student affairs profession that you think we should continue to carry forward or alternatively, it's time to let

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:30:45]: go of? I talked about Learning Reconsidered and every time I try to reread that one, and even Learning reconsidered to you, there's so much good information in there. But the the pieces that always stuck with me is one that we are one learning environment and that in order to be one learning environment at your institution, you have to have good collaborations with colleagues across. And where I find sometimes where we might trip up in the profession a little bit is we start to believe that we are the institution or we are the learning experience and and disregarding the extraordinary work, that people are doing across the university, our colleagues, in the provost's office, and valuing what each of them which each of us do. I think sometimes and I don't like the narrative of their student affairs and academic affairs. I kinda I I don't wanna receive that there's a attention, even though there probably is at points, but I'm just trying to figure out how are we working together. How are we translating information? How are we learning language so that we're speaking the same language about what we're doing? How are we collaborating and not competing. Just because you brought

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:32:08]: it up, I always have to plug this because our producer and audio engineer, doctor Chris Lewis, is the chair of the SAP and Knowledge Community, student affairs partnering with academic affairs. Mhmm. So, anyway, quick plug for that. Question on the present. What's happening in the field right now that's going well for student affairs? Yeah.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:32:23]: I think right now it's it's interesting. And and about two years ago, my title changed from vice president to student affairs to vice president for student success. Continuing to look at the data, mine the data, and put it in the forefront of what we needed to do. So we had to keep the conversation going on student success. And we've had these student success units forever, and they've lived sometimes under the provost's office, and we've partnered very well with them. It's been really exciting to me to see even greater convergence of these two areas. They shouldn't be separate. They need to be together.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:33:08]: What I get to do now in my work is I have all the traditional student affairs units as well as the student success units. And then now I also have some of the student services units, which are more some of the third party auxiliaries that support the student experience. But I think I'm seeing more of that now. I'm seeing less separation. Some of that's due to resources.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:33:28]: Mhmm.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:33:28]: We realize that we are competing and spending too much on on things, and so how do we converge them? So I'm excited about that trend a little bit. And, again, refocusing, not that we're not focused on it, but refocusing the profession on those college completion metrics and how we contribute to them.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:33:46]: I've always talked to my teams about the fact that students do not care how we're organized. They do not care who reports to who. They do not care if it's in academic affairs, student affairs, auxiliary functions, whatever. They just know that their experience needs to be whole. Yes. So that theme that you're talking about, I think, is a reflection of that.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:34:03]: Yes. 100%. They just see one university.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:34:06]: Mhmm. Right. And they shouldn't have to care about that either.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:34:08]: They should not. They should not.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:34:11]: And looking towards the future, in an ideal world, what does the field need to be doing to thrive towards our future?

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:34:17]: Yeah. I I talked about this a little bit earlier. I think after post pandemic saw a a shift in who was coming into the profession, how many people were coming into the profession, where we're drawing individuals for. I think in order for us to serve students well, we have to have healthy staffs. And so for me, the the future of the profession is recommitting to supervising and developing our staff at at high levels. I I just think that's imperative. I've seen too many people leave, because of the supervisor. Right? We think about Gallup's, it's the manager text out there.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:34:57]: And I think part of it's on us because we actually don't do a good job of investing and and and helping our own supervisors, grow and develop to be able to supervise staff. You know, we're busy ordering the t shirts for the next event or filing the paperwork or doing case notes that we just sometimes don't take that time to develop ourselves in that area. So I I think we need to do that. In my job as vice president, I have to make sure that my staff have the resources they need, both human and financial. And if we're spending all our time trying to fill vacancies, it's the last time we get to focus on students. So how do we continue to create healthy organizations?

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:35:40]: It's time to take a quick break and toss it over to producer Chris to learn what's going on in the NASPA world.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:35:46]: Thanks, Jill. So excited to be back in the NASPA world, and there's a ton of things happening in NASPA. The twenty twenty five NASPA mid level administrators conference is happening June in Salt Lake in Salt Lake City, Utah. The twenty twenty five NASPA mid level administrators conference is a dynamic professional development event designed to provide mid level student affairs professionals with the opportunity to engage and learn with colleagues and senior student affairs administrators. During this two and a half day conference, participants will gain insights about promising practices to further develop professional competencies, networking, and supervisory skills, strategies to improve professional practice, and networks to advance and networks to advance your career. The mid level administrators conference is designed for student affairs professionals who serve in roles between and not including entry level positions and AVP and the equivalent roles. Additionally, professionals who have been serving in entry level roles with at least five years experience are welcome to attend. As a result of this experience, participants will be able to build and strengthen strategies for organizational leadership to include leading change, navigating institutional politics, managing resources, and supervising team members.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:37:06]: Develop the skills to manage from the middle, both internally and to include staff and supervisors, and externally to include stakeholders and cross campus constituents. Maximize your role to gain a deeper understanding of influence, power, and resources while advancing your professional growth and build a go to network of mid level colleagues. I hope you can join us for a conference packed with featured speakers, concurrent sessions around three key student affairs certification learning domains, small group reflection opportunities, and one on one coaching meetings. The early registration deadline will end on April 21 with the regular registration deadline ending on May 19. You can find out more on the NASPA website. There's a brand new brief that has been recently provided to NASPA members called five things student affairs practitioners should know about student well-being by Bridget Juhas at Butler University. This brief offers critical insights for student affairs professionals regarding holistic student well-being in higher education. With a focus on collaborative campus wide approaches to well-being initiatives, it emphasizes the importance of going beyond traditional mental and physical health support.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:38:20]: The publication offers actionable strategies for building cross campus partnerships, aligning efforts with institutional goals, and using data driven insights to enhance student outcomes. Examples of successful institutional practices are included. By engaging all campus units, institutions can create a cohesive and supportive environment that helps students thrive. Every week, we're going to be sharing some amazing things that are happening within the association. So we are going to be able to try and keep you up to date on everything that's happening and allow for you to be able to get involved in different ways because the association is as strong as its members. And for all of us, we have to find our place within the association, whether it be getting involved with a knowledge community, giving back within one of the the centers or the divisions of the association. And as you're doing that, it's important to be able to identify for yourself, Where do you fit? Where do you wanna give back? Each week, we're hoping that we will share some things that might encourage you, might allow for you to be able to get some ideas that will provide you with an opportunity to be able to say, Hey, I see myself in that knowledge community. I see myself doing something like that.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:39:41]: Or encourage you in other ways that allow for you to be able to think beyond what's available right now, to offer other things to the association, to bring your gifts, your talents to the association and to all of the members within the association. Because through doing that, all of us are stronger and the association is better. Tune in again next week as we find out more about what is happening in NASPA.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:09]: Chris, once again, thank you so much for giving us a great NASPA world and letting us know what's going on in and around NASPA. So, Cynthia, we have reached our lightning round. I have seven questions for you in about ninety seconds. Are you ready to roll? Here we go. Alright. Question number one. If you were a conference keynote speaker, what would your entrance music be?

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:40:26]: Think Hold On by Wilson Phillips.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:28]: Number two, when you were five years old, what did you wanna be when you grew up?

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:40:31]: I think I mentioned earlier, I grew up in Houston, so astronaut was probably my big dream.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:36]: And the astronauts are coming home now. Hey, they are. The station. Number three, who's your most influential professional mentor? Dave Perron. Number four, your essential student affairs read.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:40:46]: You know, this is interesting. It might be a

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:47]: little

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:40:47]: controversial. Administratively Adrift by Scott Bass. He was actually the provost at American University and I'm not gonna say I liked everything that was said in that book. There's some good nuggets for us to learn from though and it helps us understand maybe some perceptions of student services in the field. Number five, the best TV show you've been binging lately? Silo. I'm a sci fi nerd.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:41:09]: Number six, the podcast you spent the most hours listening to in the last year?

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:41:12]: You know, I listen to a podcast called The Next Right Thing and it's by Emily P Freeman and spiritually based, faith based, but it's about we're so overwhelmed with decision fatigue. How do we just make that that next right thing, that next right decision?

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:41:29]: And finally, number seven. Any shout outs you'd like to give personal or professional?

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:41:32]: I think for me, I'm gonna give a big shout out to my mom, Martha Hernandez. She was an administrator in the Aldine School District, first gen college student, went to community college, and graduated from Texas Women's University administrator in the Aldine School District for thirty eight years, and I think it's where I I developed my love for administration. I was blessed to grow up. She was a school she was a teacher, and every summer, we had a different project we worked on. And one summer, I think about this, and we we developed a library in our garage for the neighborhood. People came and checked out books and I got to stamp them and I got to find people. I mean, if they didn't bring them back on time, but those kinds of experiences I'm very blessed because of what they taught me, and she is just she is my pillar.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:16]: Cynthia, we really appreciate you taking time out of your very busy NASA schedule to spend some time with us here on SA Voices. If anyone would like to connect with you after this episode airs, how can they

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:42:25]: find you? Well, LinkedIn, definitely. I'm on the Facebook. The Facebook. As my as my mom says, Instagram. But reaching out in the as per directory or or just Google me, I'm happy to to chat with anyone.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:39]: Well, once again, congratulations on your award. Looking forward to celebrating you as well this afternoon, and thank you so much for sharing your voice with us.

Dr. Cynthia Hernandez [00:42:45]: Thank you, Jill.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:51]: This has been an episode of SA Voices from the Field, a podcast brought to you by NASPA. This show is made possible because of you, the listeners, and we continue to be grateful that you spend your time with us. If you'd like to reach the show, you can always email us at [email protected] or find me on LinkedIn by searching for doctor Jill L. Creighton. We always welcome your feedback and your topic and guest suggestions. We'd love it if you take a moment to tell a colleague about the show and please leave us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening now. It really helps other student affairs professionals find our show and helps us to become more visible in the larger podcasting community. This episode was and hosted by doctor Jill Creighton.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:30]: That's me. Produced and audio engineered by doctor Chris Lewis. Special thanks to the University of Michigan Flint for your support as we create this project. Catch you next time.