Joann Zhang

A. Comprehend organizational structures, dynamics, and systems

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            Being in our Program and Functions course, we had the opportunity to look at different colleges listed in the Carnegie Classification. We compared competitor institutions and analyzed how different organizational structures and department sizes can vary depending on the size of the campus. In addition, the mission, values, and goals of a college can also influence the size of a department and how much resources or support they are given. Through the Three Campus, One Functional Area project, I learned how different institutions developed their service-learning department. It became clear that the look and feel of the departments were greatly dependent on student population and resources. One of the institutions had multiple full-time professionals serving in their service-learning department, while the others had one or a half-time professional staff dedicated to providing service-learning opportunities to their students. Though I think it makes sense that organizational structures are dependent on the size of the institution, I think it is important to analyze what the institution values are and how it is reflected in the structure of the departments. For an example, during my summer internship with Portland State University, I learned that within their Student Activities and Leadership Programs office, they had four student organization advisors whose primary job was to advise over 200 student organizations. It was clear to see that they valued having meaningful student organization programming.

            Organizational dynamics could be also dependent on whether or not schools were private or public. Through my summer internship experience and the knowledge gained from my Budgets and Finance course, private schools tend to have more flexibility in how money is spent when compared to public institutions. One of our in-class assignments involved comparing public and private institutions and how they received and used their finances. Through my summer internship at Lewis & Clark College, I helped my supervisor make a purchase for the office. Though it did not seem like a big deal, I thought it was very peculiar that they could make a simple purchase without much fuss by using the department’s credit card. Whereas, when compared to a public institution, the likelihood of having an office purchase approved is much higher. At Lewis & Clark College, my supervisor was also able to treat his staff to lunch using the department’s fund, which I feel would not be as simple at a public institution. The dynamics and systems in place for private and public institutions differed greatly and thus can affect the organizational structure and how the staff operates within that structure. Using the knowledge I gained from my internship and Budgets and Finance course, it made me evaluate whether or not I want to work a private, smaller institution where my department may be smaller but I’ll have more freedom with my resources or at a public, a larger institution where I might be working in a larger department but do not have as much flexibility with my resources.

            Within our Organization and Administration course, I researched how different organizational departments can work together to reach a campus initiative. For an example, for our Diversity and Inclusion Plan Critique assignment, I looked at Portland State University’s plan to improve inclusion and diversity on campus. To my surprise, departments including the Office of Academic Affairs, Center for Online Learning, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, the School of Business Administration and a few others played a lead role in reaching their initiative. A key takeaway from this assignment was recognizing the different approaches to reaching campus inclusion and diversity. PSU’s plan had a few goals that addressed international students. I appreciated PSU’s transparency on whether or not they met certain goals and what more they still have to do. I hope to work in a department that values public transparency (even if that means showcasing the areas in which they need improvement). In addition to transparency, I think keeping up with the other departments or program initiatives is a good way to properly understand organizational structures and dynamics. Understanding organizational structures and dynamics plays a role in having effective collaboration because stakeholders will know what other departments and offices are focusing on and can then collaborate whenever appropriate. Knowing how departments or offices relate, in terms of their services, mission and structure are important. For an example: if two departments have a focus on underrepresented students’ retention, perhaps through collaboration, they can enhance their efforts rather than duplicate their work. Thus, being able to be transparent about your department and taking the time to build relationships and understand what other programs’ initiatives are will positively enhance organizational structures and systems.

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B. Identify and evaluate leadership styles, including one’s own, in various settings 

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            Serving as the teaching assistant for my internship with the Emerging Leaders class, I facilitated conversations with undergraduates in relations to leadership theories, the connection between our personal identities and leadership styles and the relationship between privilege and leadership. As I was teaching this course, I was able to identify and evaluate my own leadership style. In my Reflection Paper, I discussed how I resonated with the Social Change Leadership model (Komives et al., 2013). With the Social Change Leadership model, the focus was on addressing root cause issues and how through leadership, we can begin to see how individuals can influence a group and make necessary societal changes. I related this back to community engagement because by having members of the community engage in societal issues, we can begin to disrupt institutional structures that have traditionally disadvantaged those being oppressed. Another leadership style I resonated with was the Servant Leadership model (Greenleaf, 1977). The concept of leading by doing first was something I valued. In order to lead effectively, I believe you have first do than lead. I plan to take this approach when working with students, so that they know my leadership is on based on the foundation of understanding their experiences, their needs and wants by being along with them side by side, rather than assuming what their experiences are or their needs and wants. I want my students to know that we are equal (in the sense that we are both have the knowledge to gain) despite the fact that I am in a professional role, and that I value their voices and perspectives. In order to foster this type of relationship, I must work on developing an authentic relationship with my students, and to really take the time to get to know them and their story. By acknowledging that I am not the expert, and that I don’t have all the answers is important, but that, I am here to guide them and that I to help them discover paths or options or to provide a different perspective. Through this internship, I learned a lot about myself and how I want to lead when working students.

            I also evaluated my leadership style when serving my role as the Special Events Chair for the CSSA-Student Association. During this role, I was able to see one of my Strength Quest's strength, “relator” (having close relationships that work hard together) in effect. I valued team collaboration before making any key decisions. However, in this setting, I felt I was relying on them too much and that that I should make a few decisions on my own. Moving forward, I want to take more ownership in my role and not rely as heavily on my team. For example, there were incidences where I was required me to make quick decisions for our team, however, I didn’t feel comfortable doing so without first collaborating with the team. Through this experience, I was able to identify areas within my leadership style that I could further develop. I believe there is a difference between being a Relator who values collaboration and being one who is unable to make necessary decisions without the need for approval from others. This is something I will constantly work towards doing especially when I become more comfortable in my role as a professional. 

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C. Demonstrate the ability to take initiative and lead in meetings and on projects or other tasks 

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            I struggle a bit to find my place as the teaching assistant for the Emerging Leaders internship. In my Reflection Paper, I had mentioned the level of anxiety I felt when I took the initiative to lead the class. And as a result, I really felt that I struggled to demonstrate my ability to take more initiative. I slowly felt more comfortable as I studied the lesson plan and made necessary alterations to make it my own, as well as thoroughly read through the course readings. From this, I learned that the saying of ‘fake it until you make it,’ was much easier said than done. I was able to relate this experience back to the leadership style I resonated with, Servant Leadership (Greenleaf, 1977). To me, Servant Leadership means leading by doing. And in order to take initiative, I needed to first do before leading. Thus, a big takeaway for me during this teaching assistant experience was solidifying my leadership style and to recognize what I need when leading. Reflecting back, I am glad I challenged myself to facilitate lesson plans and engage in instructing the class. It was tricky to talk about leadership styles and ways of leading when I was still navigating my own leadership style and insecurities. I felt I was working outside of my comfort zone for the majority of the term but was slowly developing as a leader by demonstrating my willingness to take on more initiative. In my reflection paper, I discussed how I would like to further develop more confidence when taking the lead in meetings professionally. This is something I can relate back to during my assistantship with the Honors College. Perhaps it is because I think of myself as just the graduate assistant, or perhaps it is because I’ve only been working there for over a year, but I felt the struggled to demonstrate my ability to take initiative or to lead meetings, especially during my first year. Having more time in my current role this year had allowed me to be braver in the office, and to take on more responsibility.

            I also demonstrated my ability to take initiative on a project by spearheading the first CSSA-SA sweatshirt sale. Though my elected role was the Special Events Chair, I thought there was a need to unify the CSSA family through a sweatshirt sale. Thus, I took the initiative to create a project outside of my prescribed job description and to do something I thought our program needed. Upon getting support from my fellow SA members and cohort, I contact our program director, and began the process of designing a sweatshirt design, communicate with community partners about a potential partnership and to execute marketing and sales. Through this initiative, we made approximately $2,000.00 and were able to utilize some of those funds towards CSSA-SA programs and graduation. I’d like to take this experience and apply it in my future role as a student affair professional by having the initiative to do something that I see is needed, even if it is not traditionally practiced or in my job description. This is, of course, getting approval from my supervisor. I thought the CSSA-SA was a great way for me to develop real hands-on experience around planning and executing projects and putting more responsibility on students. I would like to implement a similar leadership organization in my future role as a student affair professional so that students can gain practical skills. From this project, I learned that ideas can turn into real actions. This relates to my professional role in that if I have an idea I should not be afraid to say it because it could happen. By not saying it, I lose confidence and the team could lose out on something that could have worked. It is important to think ideas out thoroughly and to be realistic about whether or not it could be accomplished. If ideas aren’t doable, it is important to reflect why or what is holding us back from doing it. This is important when working with students because their development and growth may be dependent on whether their ideas were heard and taken seriously. And so, as a professional, I plan to be intention with my time so that I can properly support my students and their goals.

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D. Communicate and collaborate effectively and appropriately with constituents both internal and external to the institution, considerate of cultural and linguistic diversity 

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            In our Multicultural Issues course, we were given an Investigative Interview Assignment, where we interviewed another institution and their experience around the racial controversies that have been occurring on campuses across the nation. Given that I do not have as much experience with private schools, I wanted to learn and compare how private school supported their students and if that differed from public schools. Private schools as I learned in my Legal Issues course operate differently than public schools. I learned that the federal constitution does not apply to private schools. And so, the idea of free speech at a private institution may look different. Thus, for my Investigative Interview Assignment, I interviewed Dayspring Mattole, the Assistant Dean for Inclusive Community at Reed College. Mattole shared with me some of their campus initiatives around creating a safer campus for all students and past incidences that had occurred on campus. What stuck with me the most from our conversation was her take on a central multicultural office as opposed to having different cultural centers on campus. I appreciated her truthfulness and her willingness to engage in a conversation that involved her own identities and how it impacts her role at Reed College. I think it is important as a student affair professional to be able to navigate these critical discussions around identity and cultural diversity. As I enter my professional role in student affairs, one of my goals will be to create more opportunity for cross-cultural collaboration and partnerships. By doing so, I plan to be more considerate of cultural and linguistic diversities so that our campus and society can be more knowledgeable around others who come from different identities.  In order to make our campus and society more inclusive of diverse communities, I believe we need to offer the balance of challenge and support. All students, including allies, need to be challenged to step out of their comfort zone and to be asked to think critically about issues they may not typically think about, such as their salient identities and its relation to social structures. I believe allies play an important role in making our community more equal and equitable as they can have more voice, more privilege due to the fact that they are not in the marginalized community.  In the meantime, student affair professionals need to support all students who are being challenged by providing guidance, opportunities for reflection and conversations. Through challenge and support, we can push our students to be outside of their normal comfort level and help them expand their understanding and/or perspectives. As a result, all students will be more aware of other perspectives including empathy towards others who are different than themselves.

            Throughout my graduate education, I’ve experienced various forms of communication and collaboration with other internal departments on campus. My internship with the Center for Civic Engagement, serving as the co-chair for the Hunger and Homelessness Action Week planning committee provided me an opportunity to engage and learn from other departments I may not have had the opportunity to do so otherwise. Within our planning committee, we had a student representative from the Pride Center, Women’s Center, Arts and Social Justice Living-Learning Community, Native American Long House Eena Haws, ASOSU, Human Services Resource Center, Student Sustainability Initiatives and the Etihad Cultural Center. By working with all these different departments on campus, I was able to learn about their offices, programs they offer and the focus of their students. As highlighted in my final Reflection Paper, I appreciated this internship because it provided students who are involved in different departments on campus an opportunity to engage with others who may have different identities or interests. Astin’s Involvement theory (1984) indicated the importance of having students involved on campus, and thus, by providing intersecting programs sponsored through one main week of programming, I encourage students to learn something new and find a community to get involved with. The idea of intersecting programs sponsored by department collaborations is important because I think it shows students the realness of intersectionality. In one of our planning committees, one of the student representatives indicated how there was once an event for the women center that was being taken place at the same time as an event at the Pride Center. Thus, as a student who identified with the LGBTQ community and a woman, it was difficult for her to choose which event to attend. By showing casing cross-campus program collaborations, and how, much like how our identities can intersect, our programs should too. I believe intersectionality occurs naturally for individuals. For an example, one does not choose to be gay and male. Thus, in order to properly foster and support students who have identities that intersect, we must be intentional with our efforts so that all identities are supported. I valued the Hunger and Homelessness Action Week as it provided a lot of powerful messages that OSU stands for. I will take what I learned from this experience, as I begin my student affair professional role. I’d recommend having more cross-campus collaborations throughout the year so that students can become more involved on campus and more knowledgeable about the different resources on campus. In order for cross-campus collaborations to occur and work effectively, I think departments and offices need to be aware and invested in other parts of campus (rather than simply focused on their own department or office). This may be difficult during a time when budget cuts seem to occur every year, and departments or offices on campus may feel the need to 'out do' each other. Thus, the value of campus culture and the role of higher education administrators have is crucial for encouraging cross-campus collaborations. By being aware of what is going on across campus, or in different functional areas, student affairs/academic affairs professionals can then engage in conversation about whether or not collaboration is warranted. In my time at Oregon State University and the University of Oregon, I have learned that it is not easy to be fully aware of what other departments are doing, and thus, it takes real effort to reach out and engage with others about their work, office, and mission. This reflects back to campus culture and whether or not individuals who make decisions values departments collaborating and transparency or if they are more focused on individual missions. 

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E. Synthesize fiscal information, including budget constraints and resources allocation

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          Numbers have never really been my strong suit, especially during my undergraduate education and high school education. And although this may still be the case, I feel more confident around understanding numbers in relations to higher education and budgets. At this point, I may not be able to confidently budget a department or program, but I am more knowledgeable about terminology and the work that it takes to balance a budget. By utilizing the knowledge, ideas, and concepts that I've gained in class, I hope it will help create a stronger starting point for me in the workplace and that I'll be able to contribute to my team with my studies. Our Budgets and Finance class focused on how money impacts an institution, and how current events can take a toll on how things get funded. For an example, in my Topical Article Discussion, I had indicated how some institutions are waiving college application fees. Though this new initiative is making college access more accessible, it does have a repercussion that impacts the institution as a whole and its budget. A take away from that assignment was understanding how every department connects on campus and how funds are distributed within those connections. Although waiving college application fees can make more accessibility for students (especially those from lower income backgrounds), it does take an effect on the processes and staff at the institution. Thus, I think it is important to think of ways to making college accessible while continuing to support the students already enrolled at the institution. This relates back to resource allocation, and which programs are being allocated more money, and what does that mean in terms of supporting the different communities on campus. Through our final project, I learned how to balance a budget, adjust salaries based on salary increases, and how student fees are an important asset to student life on campus. A takeaway from this assignment for me was how difficult it was to indicate who gets a salary increase based on the information I may have as a manager (while of course keeping my own biases in check). Something I’d take with my from this assignment is the importance of assessment and its relationship to predicting next year’s fiscal information. I want to ensure that the programs are doing well, along with the programs that staff are passionate about and want to see continue, get funds in order to do so. However, for our programs that aren’t as successful, or have opportunities to improve, how can we ensure that our resources are being utilized for better? Understanding assessment and staff/student’s perspectives are something I value as a student affair professional, and I plan to continue to work towards in my future role.  

            Though I did not balance and project an entire department’s budget, through my internship with the Center for Civic Engagement, serving as a site leader for Alternative Break: Ashland trip, I did have a hand in budgeting our trip expenses and emergency funds. By serving as a site leader, I was responsible for overseeing our programs budget including emergency funds. I had to learn where to allocate money, which expenses were extendable and decide where we could save money. Being a site leader provided me an opportunity to manage a group of students and the logistics behind a week-long service program. A recommendation I’d have for future student affair professionals is to provide students with opportunities around larger stakes such as funds or decision making responsibilities. I think students learn more effectively if given the opportunity to demonstrate their competency rather than doing an assignment about it. In relation to our trip, our goal as site leaders was to be transparent with our participants, especially around funds. Thus, rather than having the site leaders make all the financial decisions, we often asked the group for their thoughts and feedback. I believe our group really enjoyed learning about the different types of funding we had, and how we could best use the allocated money. I’d like to practice what we did during Alternative Break as a professional by being transparent with my students and keeping an open conversation about what actions should be taken. I think by doing so, this will also help me establish an authentic partnership with my students.

 

F. Recognize best practices and challenges in human resources/personnel management

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            In order to work in an inclusive, diverse, and forward-thinking campus, it important to recognize and work towards best practices when working with others and managing a team. In our Organization and Administration course, we had rich conversations around campus culture and how new professionals can positively navigate within a new office that may or may not already have their own challenges. Challenges within human resources or personnel management could include team members who have lost motivation, not agreeing with customs or traditions on campus, or having negative perspectives about upper-level administrators. For me, it is important to be happy with my work (including workplace) and to feel that my work motivates me and that it adds a contribution to the institution. If I were a supervisor or director of a department, I’d hope for similar desires from my staff members. Thus, for my Personal Development Plan, I wanted to develop a deeper understanding of creating a strong team of staff or students, where every team member feels valued and is motivated by their work. Through my plan, I watched a few inspirational TED Talk lectures, researched best practices and established my own set of best practices based on my values. Something that stood out for me from my development plan was a TED Talk lecture by Jason Fried (2010) which discussed why people don’t get work done at work. This lecture provided the perspective of having designated ‘work time’ where the whole office is engaged in work that pertains to their actual job responsibilities while being free from distractions such as engaging with coworkers and even asking work related questions. The issue was that because members of the team are often distracting each other (whether intentionally or not), work becomes more difficult to accomplish, and thus, according to Fried (2010), managers or directors should recognize the best practice of regulating a few hours in the work day to only working, free of distractions. I thought Fried brought up an interesting perspective, and from personal experience, I do feel that work can sometimes be difficult to accomplish, given the number of distractions throughout the day. Fried’s best practice would be something I would recommend to my staff, but would not force it upon them if they were not adamant about it.  I think reserving an hour or two once a week could benefit staff members with an opportunity to accomplish tasks that require concentration. However, it is also important to recognize the importance of collaboration in a student affair field. Through trial and error, and experimenting with what works well for each office dynamic, I plan to develop my own best practices when working with my team.

            Although I don’t plan on becoming a licensed counselor, I do believe the skills and best practices I learned from the Counseling class are applicable when working with human resources and personnel management. For an example, we compiled a list of our ethical standards when working with others and students within higher education. Student affairs professionals walk a fine line between being professional and a developing an authentic relationship with students. Thus, through my list of ethical standards that I value, I have established best practices that I will use to guide my future practice as a student affair professional. For an example: one of the ethical standards I had listed was: follow through with commitment and responsibilities and to be knowledgeable about recent and relevant research. Though I think the saying of ‘follow through with commitment and responsibility is easier said than done, I think as a professional who should also practice self-care, it can be difficult. I may always have the intention of wanting to follow through, but I must also be realistic. Thus, rather than always committing, I need to be realistic about my responsibilities and whether or not I can commit to other things ethically. The other standard I’d like practice is keeping up and being knowledgeable with recent and relevant research. The needs of our students are constantly changing and individual students require different support. Thus, in order to be prepared to best support all students, I want to keep up with relevant research that will support my work. In addition to this assignment, I believe through class discussions, I developed a better understanding of best practices to consider when engaging in conversation with others. For an example, it is important to engage in active listening, recognizing my own body language, and appropriate questions and the timing of when those questions are asked when communicating with others. Through this class and a few active listening training, I have learned the importance of active listening and how difficult it is. This is something I’d like to get better at and will continue to practice as I engage in my one-on-one conversations.

 

G. Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability in changing circumstances, employing decision-making and problem-solving skills

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            My internship with the Center for Civic Engagement serving as a site leader for the Ashland trip provided me numerous opportunities to demonstrate my ability to adapt, make decisions and utilize my problem-solving skills. While planning for the trip, my co-lead and I had to make decisions that will impact our group and our overall experience. For an example, we made decisions on what type of service we wanted to do, which area of environmental justice we wanted to dig deeper into and how we’d navigate group reflection activities. As highlighted in my Reflection Paper, I can sometimes stress easily and rely heavily on others when making decisions. Something I will work on in my future as a student affair professional is remaining calm and collected during stressful situations and employ decision-making skills more independently but still considering the perspectives of others. Being responsible for a group of students is similar to being responsible for a group of staff; I plan to take what I learned as a site leader and continue my practice of understanding different perspectives and being transparent about possible issues. An example of this is being frank about my level of understanding. Often times, I think students view teachers or professionals as people who have all the answers. And from my Alternative Break experience, I was honest and said: “I’m not the expert, but I’m here to guide, support and learn with you.” To relate this back to my role as a professional, I want to let my students know that I may not have all the answers, but that I’m here to work with them to find them.  

            Serving as the Special Events Chair for the CSSA-SA has also provided me opportunities to make decisions (such as where graduation was going to be held, whether or not we should pull the graduating class in regards to food or guest speakers). Although I did not like making a decision on my own, especially for a high stake programs event such as graduation, I was able to ultimately decide and execute the day as needed. As far as planning for this event, I had to be flexible given that I was on a tight student funded budget with limited direction in regards to the planning process. I had to reach out to people I knew on campus for resources that I would not have had otherwise. My role as Special Events chair provided me real hands-on experience on organizing events and implementing projects that impacted a large group of individuals whether on or off campus. From this experience, I recognized the value in getting to know the different resources on campus, and how I could be the most cost efficient. As a future student affair professional, it is important for one to know of all the different resources (for you as a professional, knowing about departments such as catering, borrowable items, etc. as well as different resources that support students, such as Counseling and Psychological Services, Educational Opportunities Program, Academic Advising, etc.). By becoming more knowledgeable about the campus, I can better demonstrate my ability to problem solve, make decisions and support the members of my team.

            Another example I believe I demonstrated flexibility, adaptability in changing circumstances and problem-solving was during my internship with the Emerging Leaders course serving as the teaching assistant. Because our class often struggled to verbally share during class discussion, we had to problem solve and think of alternative ways to teach and assess whether the class understood our materials. As outlined in my Reflection Paper, it is important to be able to be flexible and adjust teaching or facilitation style (whether that was doing pair share first or having students reflect via free write) was something we needed to do, in order to ensure students were learning while being comfortable in class. When multiple students would not attend class, we had to adjust our curriculum as it sometimes involved the entire class to participate.  By being able to problem-solve on the spot, we were able to continue with our curriculum and adjust it based on the needs of our students. Something I enjoyed doing and would recommend doing is doing ‘mid-term check-ins’ whether it is with my team or the class I’m facilitating in. This involves checking in with the group (whether verbally or through email communication) on how the class is feeling, and if changes need to be made to make this experience more impactful for everyone. I think this can sometimes be intimidating for professionals or faculty to do, as it does put you in a vulnerable spot. However, I think there is a lot of value in ensuring your students or staffs are getting the most out of the experience, even if that requires me to be vulnerable or more transparent. Being able to adapt is important in a field where it seems like it is always changing, such as student affairs.