Post written by: Craig Dillaman

A co-worker on campus recently asked me “what is it that we do here?” Initially I was perplexed with the question. Were they referring to the purpose behind the mission of the college? Did they have questions about how a certain department functioned? So I asked for clarification, “what do you mean by ‘what we do here?’” My co-worker explained their question, “what is the purpose behind student affairs and its role on a college campus?” Ahh, I got it, why does a college have professionals working long and odd hours in areas that don’t directly relate to students academic needs? Flashbacks from my graduate school comps came to me and I replied “we are here to educate students in the areas of life that their coursework doesn’t; we are to prepare our students for their “adult” life after college.
Simply put, students can learn just as much outside the classroom about life and societal expectations as they do about their career inside the classroom. How someone deals with a loud or abrasive neighbor in the future can be learned in their residence hall today. Being part of a student club or Greek organization can establish leadership skills that could be used in any career choice. Helping students understand how important their emotional growth is can be detrimental to how they interact with others not only now, but in the future as well. Organization, time management, seeing the big picture, responsibility; these are all skills that can be established and honed during their time in college. These are just a few examples of “what we do here.” The question now is “how do we do this?” Stay tuned for more on that…