Student advocacy and development are essential objectives for Ohio University's vice president of student affairs, said candidate Edna Neal in an open forum yesterday.
What we are doing is built around student needs
student interests and student concerns Neal said, adding that student affairs professionals should focus on educating the whole person.
Neal, the vice chancellor for student affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, said if hired, she would be the chief advocate for students. This does not mean explaining away a student's problem behavior but involves bringing forward ideas and services that benefit students.
One of Neal's main objectives is building a link between separate departments at OU and a link between the Athens campus and the city, she said.
How do we aid students in understanding their role in this kind of environment? Neal said.
Technology is often used in recruiting student college ' and colleges should consider Facebook and student blogs as tools for recruitment ' but personal contact needs to be integrated as well, Neal said.
We've got to be very deliberate about making sure we encourage students to interact she said, adding that students should be comfortable enough with administrators to share their concerns.
While on campus, Neal said she has met with OU students to discuss the level of student involvement in on-campus activities, the reorganization of the student affairs office and student drinking.
To tackle the problem of on-campus alcohol consumption, Neal said she would accentuate the positive actions of students rather than strictly negative aspects. At Indiana University, administrators focus on education, prevention and consistency in policies, she said.
Although Indiana is primarily a commuter campus and OU is more residential, both present a similar challenge, Neal said.
The challenge is both the same and different
she said, adding that at IU she must encourage students to stay on-campus and at OU she would have to capture students' attention.
The next open forum for position candidates is Monday, April 24, featuring Charles N. Smith, vice president for student affairs at Alabama State University.
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