A Higher Education

How to Navigate Transitions

Change is constant and transition (between roles, between institutions, and between seasons of personal and professional life) requires a careful balance of courage and patience to navigate well. At their core, our jobs are framed by the theme of transition as we work with students through one of the most significant transitions they'll go through during their educational journey. Join Dr. Martin and Dr. Muha as they explore the timeless topic of transition together in this episode and how we can see transition as a valuable opportunity for growth.

Rachel Hammond on the Faculty Perspective of Student Support

In our last episode, we learned about faculty support of students from the Student Development side. This month, we’re exploring the idea from the faculty perspective. Welcome Dr. Rachel Hammond to the podcast, Dean of the Business Department at Calvin University. Rachel speaks with us about how problems in the student’s life often show up first in the classroom, and how faculty can walk with the student, in concert with Student Development, in order to care for them well and holistically.

Mark Muha on Collaborating with Faculty

Positive and mutually beneficial relationships between faculty and staff are essential to the mission of Christian colleges. We say we want to form and develop the whole student, and that type of holistic support is most effective when communication between curricular and co-curricular groups. But how do we arrive at that level of collaboration? Dr. Mark Muha's expertise in this area is featured in the January episode. He talks about his research on the factors that predict faculty and staff collaboration and how to apply this knowledge to improve your collaboration efforts this semester. Chapters: 0:00 Dated mid-season update of the Lions and Eagles 2:30 Introduction of guest (it's Mark) 8:42 Mark's professional background 14:38 Lead-up to Mark's dissertation topic 18:16 Starting presumptions about how collaboration works 22:10 Study outcomes - what predicts collaboration? 28:50 Practical outcomes 38:50 Adapting relational coordination theory to your context 46:20 How to start improving your collaboration this month Discover Mark's Work: Mark's ACSD Growth Journal Article: Pursuing Campus Collaboration That Works: Assessing the Impact of Relational Leadership and Work Engagement on Relational Coordination between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs in Christian Higher Education [https://pillars.taylor.edu/acsd_growth/vol22/iss22/5/]

Jarad Russell on the Racial Attitudes of White Students

Our guest this month wrote his doctoral dissertation around the year 2020, when our country engaged in a nationwide conversation about race and racism. While the social and political contexts are different from five years ago, Dr. Jarad Russell's research on the racial attitudes of white students remains relevant to our work today. Join us as we learn about three primary ways that white students think about race and how that can inform our work in student development. 0:00 Mark and Kara's latest fitness pursuits 6:20 Guest bio (plus an ACSD Retreat plug) 12:07 Speed round 16:11 Background of Jarad's research area 22:20 Categories of racial attitudes 30:42 Violence and hate crime trends 36:50 Talking about race with mentors vs peers 39:28 How does your research apply to our listeners? 47:40 Resources for further learning Jarad's The Racial Attitudes of White Students at a Christian Institution [https://pillars.taylor.edu/acsd_growth/vol23/iss23/4/] in ACSD Growth Jemar Tisby's [https://jemartisby.com/] website Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6649312-whistling-vivaldi] by Claude M. Steele So You Want to Talk About Race [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35099718-so-you-want-to-talk-about-race] by Ijeoma Oluo Faithful Antiracism [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58892044-faithful-antiracism] by Christina Barland Edmondson and Chad Brennan Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16280.Why_Are_All_The_Black_Kids_Sitting_Together_in_the_Cafeteria_] by Beverly Daniel Tatum

Gerald Longjohn on Title IX as Restorative Justice Work

Initiated by the first "Dear Colleague" letter, what we now know as Title IX work, or the prevention of and response to sexual assault and sexual harassment, is both incredibly challenging and deeply good. Our guest was a VP for Student Development at the time of that first Dear Colleague letter. He describes the ways the work has changed since 2011, the value of campus prevention efforts, the importance of staff training, and the opportunity for restorative justice that Title IX represents. Episode notes include links to books discussed throughout the conversation. Chapters: 0:00 Kara's dissertation update 3:55 Guest bio8:36 Speed round 13:20 Gerald's background in Title IX 16:20 Important Title IX landmarks since 2011 19:55 Increasing prevention vs perfecting process 28:40 Advice for young professionals 36:30 Burnout in Title IX 40:30 Institutional support for federal compliance initiatives 47:00 Where to learn more Episode notes: Sexual Citizens [https://www.sexualcitizens.com/] by Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan Sex and the Soul [https://www.donnafreitas.com/sex-soul/] by Donna Freitas