Statements from Executive Board Members 2008-2009

I believe in the power of individuals.  One person may not be able to change the world with a smile, but they most certainly can brighten someone else’s day.  You don’t always know what someone else is going through, but never the less; you have the power to make their life better.  I think this is why many of us do the work that we do.  We know that if we have an impact on even one student, we have succeeded.  We should never underestimate our own ability to effect change, even when it starts with just one person.  The little things we all do on a daily basis are some of the most important marks that we leave on one another and our institutions.  As individuals, we have the power to do so much more than we ever dreamed.    

-Jen Casavant

I believe in stories.  I am captivated by the propensity that humans have to tell them.  There is an incredible power in the telling of a story, in the relaying of an experience.  I grew up loving the characters in novels, the ideas of the authors, the wonderful adventures and terrible tragedies that characterize the human existence in fiction.

Though my love of stories began with those printed and bound, I believe that the greatest stories of all can be found in the lives of others.  Each person is the author of his or her own singularly magnificent story.  Even the greatest novels pale in comparison to the intricate complexity and dynamics of a life in motion.  Those stories
are not printed on paper, bound and sitting on a self, but are ever changing, dynamic existences that move into our lives waiting to be read.

Despite the infinite availability of these wonderful stories, many will pass into our lives and remain unread, like a classic novel gathering dust on a shelf.  Unlike the novels we cast aside, these dynamic stories, so beautifully embodied in others, will not sit on the shelf waiting for our attention, but rather will flit out of our lives when life again moves them.  The impermanence of these stories brought me to believe that as important as it is to place the proverbial pen to the paper of our lives and write, that it is equally important to take the time to listen to and to learn from the stories of others.

Our stories are the connecting fiber of humanity and they inextricably bind us together. The events in our stories may not always be just or noble and the value of our story may be difficult to discern. However, each life's stories are worth seeking out, listening to and understanding.  It is through the understanding of other's stories we enrich our own.

-Carrie Miller

“Do You Create, Or Do You Destroy”? These are the words, or perhaps the theme, that reverberates through my mind these days. Several years ago, I had the good fortune to work with a colleague who crafted a year’s worth of programming for our campus with this theme. The intention was to encourage faculty, staff and students to reflect inwardly…to contemplate how everything they did somehow, someway impacted one or more people throughout the world. It’s funny that I’ve not forgotten these words, as they help me focus on my daily role when working with our students.

I find that this theme continues to resonate in my daily life. I’m an optimist – I see the glass as half full vs. half empty. I believe we can (and should) choose to make a positive influence on those around us. I believe we have an obligation and a responsibility to help our students appreciate their good fortune – those things we all take for granted – clean water, nutritious meals, indoor plumbing, and education. Maybe this is why I ask my class to perform a random act of kindness on a regular basis.

I believe that we, as Student Affairs professionals, play a significant and instrumental role in helping our students achieve their goals and aspirations. Many of the students we work with on a daily basis are young adults, developing their own personal concepts of right and wrong. I believe we have an obligation to help them grow, develop and understand the implications of their behavior – on themselves, their friends, peers and family, and ultimately, upon the world.   

I prefer to create, (or at least enhance, strengthen and/or facilitate) student success and achievement where I can. It’s an interesting question we should be asking our students… and ourselves on a regular basis -- “Do You Create, Or Do You Destroy”?

-Gregory Snoddy, Ed.D.  Associate Dean & Director,

I believe in education.  Although there are injustices and inequities in our world that prevent access, it is powerful and can be life-changing.

It wasn’t until college that I realized just how significant it could be.  As an education major, I got to see two sides of educational opportunity: mine and those of my students.  Through my students, I was experiencing a new view of education in second grade in Roxbury, Massachusetts.  Seeing students work to remain positive about a home life that may present challenges in gaining access to higher education was incredible and inspired me to take my own education more seriously.  Going back to campus and appreciating the gift of education that I was working for had new meaning.  Going on to pursue a career in helping to aid access to education by supporting students from all backgrounds to succeed in their chosen major gave even more depth to my belief in education.

The idea of education has also evolved for me.  No longer is my view strictly that of a teacher, students, pencils and desks.  It encompasses new situations, teamwork, positive role models and life experience.  Above all, education gives those that are educated choice; freedom to choose what our beliefs are, to disagree with the majority and to give that choice to others.

I believe in education.

I believe that we are all citizens of the world and although not all of us can effect change on a global scale, we can all do something to make our corner of the world a little brighter. Not everyone is going to be president or win the Noble Prize, most of us will not be working on a cure for cancer or the creation of a genetically altered crop to feed the world, but this does not let us off the hook. There are so many things we can do each and every day to make a difference. Volunteer in your local community, recycle your trash, hold the door for someone, vote, adopt a pet from the pound, or even just give a stranger a smile. Go on line and sign a petition for a cause that is dear to you, it does not take a monetary donation to make a difference. How about stopping your car the next time someone wants to make a turn across traffic or a pedestrian wants to cross the street, even if it costs you a few extra seconds. Those are the things that give me a spark of hope for humanity.  If we all worked to change our little corner of the world for the good, then what a world this would be!