We’ve launched a new podcast and we’re excited to share it with you!
“Conversations with Student Affairs” is managed and produced by the Student Affairs team at Penn State World Campus in collaboration with our many colleagues and partners across the University’s Student Affairs teams. This will be a great opportunity for you to learn who the members of the Students Affairs team are, how they support World Campus students, and what services and resources they can help you access.
In the premiere episode, you will meet several members of the Student Affairs team and learn fun facts about them. They briefly explain their areas of focus and highlight some resources you should know about.
Future podcast episodes will focus on specific Student Affairs resources or topic areas such as career services, academic integrity, student engagement, and communicating with your instructor.
Here are five of the interesting and useful things you will learn in this episode of the “Conversations with Student Affairs” podcast:
- What is Student Affairs? Student Affairs is a large umbrella of support services and programs to enhance the experience outside of the classroom and in a co-curricular learning experience. This encompasses career services, clubs and organizations, student engagement, student conduct, and advocacy services.
- Student engagement is important in many ways. Ashley Adams, senior director of World Campus Student Affairs, explained that students who are actively engaged in student leadership, student government, and student activities are more likely to maintain progress in their program and graduate than their less engaged peers. Fortunately, World Campus students have plenty of ways to engage with their peers and the University community and can select activities or roles that fit their interests or support their academic or professional goals. You will learn how to join an existing club or organization — and get insight on starting a new one.
- Students must be their own strongest advocate. Denita Wright Watson, associate director of equity, inclusion, and advocacy at World Campus, stressed that students must be proactive in seeking assistance or reaching out for help if they are experiencing challenges. “Students should never assume that their instructor, adviser, or any staff member is aware of what they need. It’s up to the student to communicate their needs so we can help them. Once students are able to speak up for themselves, they see they have a support network here of people who are invested in their success.”
- World Campus offers a wealth of mental health and well-being tools and resources. Katie Marshall, mental health case manager, reviewed some of the mental health resources available to students, which include on-demand videos, a wellness app that features tools such as a mood tracker, informational sessions hosted by Katie, and individual consultations to assist with finding therapists or other mental health services.
- Career services can help you get ahead in your career — or start a new professional path. Career counselors Lynn Atanasoff and Matt Soroka shared examples of how they can assist students, such as by offering advice on how to improve your résumé or helping you prepare for the upcoming fall career days events.
Oh, and you will also discover that like many other Penn Staters, the Student Affairs team members have strong opinions on the best ice cream flavor at the Penn State Berkey Creamery!
