Student Affairs professionals often serve as the heartbeat of a college campus, shaping transformative experiences for students at every stage of their educational journey. In the latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field, host Dr. Jill Creighton is joined by Colleen Maeder, Director of Student Services at Miracosta College's San Elijo campus. Together, they deliver an insightful discussion on the unique value of student affairs—especially within community colleges. This episode masterfully details Colleen Maeder's multifaceted career spanning both two-year and four-year institutions, public and private, on both coasts. Dr. Jill Creighton highlights how Colleen's trajectory allows her to offer a "bird's eye view" of why student affairs work truly matters. One major theme centers on the personalized and community-focused approach at community colleges. Colleen Maeder emphasizes that student affairs at these institutions must deeply reflect the local community's needs—whether serving traditional-aged students, adult learners stepping back into education, seniors, or those facing significant basic needs challenges such as food or housing insecurity. "Everything we do should be a reflection of the community that we are in," she explains, illustrating the importance of adaptability and empathy. Another critical topic is the evolving role of technology, specifically Artificial Intelligence. Both Colleen Maeder and Dr. Jill Creighton recognize AI's double-edged potential: while it evokes new concerns about academic integrity, it also offers opportunities for innovation in supporting and reaching students. Despite challenges, the human element of care and personal connection remains irreplaceable. Building trust and fostering belonging remains at the core. Many community college students have faced systems that let them down, making it vital for student affairs professionals to be truly present. Colleen Maeder discusses the imperative for in-person support, consistent follow-through, and programming tailored to diverse populations and needs. The episode also addresses a persistent challenge: effectively communicating the value of student affairs. Too often, student affairs professionals are "really, really bad at this," Colleen admits. She calls for improved storytelling—sharing real, transformative moments and personalized successes—to enhance understanding both within and outside higher education. If you're searching for inspiration, practical insights, and a celebration of the deeply human work at the heart of student affairs, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to hear firsthand stories and advice from passionate professionals who are shaping the future of higher education—one student at a time. TRANSCRIPT Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:02]: Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the Field, the podcast where we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to seasoned experts brought to you by naspa. We curate free and accessible professional development for higher ed pros wherever you happen to be. This is season 13 on the value of student affairs. I'm Dr. Jill Creighton. She her hers your Essay Voices from the Field host. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:27]: Today on SA Voices, we're welcoming Colleen Maeder. Colleen earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Lemoyne College and a Master of Science in Community Counseling from Syracuse University. Her journey in higher education began as a resident Director at Binghamton University and the College of New Jersey. She later discovered her passion for community colleges while serving in the conduct office at Kingsborough Community College in New York City. Colleen transitioned to the private sector at New York University, where she advanced to Associate Director for Student Conduct and Restorative programs, focusing on Title IX conflict resolution and restorative practices. Her career then took her to the west coast where she served as Associate Director for Student Wellbeing at Santa Clara University, supporting non clinical mental health and basic needs. Today, Colleen is the Director of Student Services at Miracosta College's San Elijo campus and Deputy Title IX Coordinator. Her portfolio includes student life and leadership, student government conduct, Title IX behavioral intervention, and basic needs support. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:19]: Outside of work, Colleen enjoys yoga, running, hiking, and traveling with her partner. Colleen, welcome to Essay Voices. Colleen Maeder [00:01:26]: Thank you so much for having me today, Jill. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:28]: It is just such a pleasure to have you on the show. For our Essay Voices listeners. I used to host a different podcast for another professional association, and Colleen was our audio engineer and co producer on that show. She and I pretty much had no idea what we were doing when we started it, and by the time we were finished, we had produced 45 episodes. That was an oral history of that corner of the profession. And so it's really lovely to be reunited with you in podcast land. Colleen Maeder [00:01:51]: I am thrilled to be here and I can't believe we did. So you said 45 episodes? Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:54]: Something like that? Yeah, about 45. Colleen Maeder [00:01:56]: That is an insane amount of episodes. But it was an awesome experience to do and learn something I never tried before. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:01]: And even though Colleen has spent so many hours behind the scenes doing editing, this is her first time in front of the mic. So we're glad to have your voice included in the story of the student affairs profession. And we always like to get to know our guests first by asking you, how did you get to your current seat? Colleen Maeder [00:02:17]: Absolutely. So I think I started as mosted where I was a resident assistant in undergrad for my junior and senior year and didn't quite know what I wanted to do. So I decided to go to grad school, which was the common thing back then. And I got my master's in counseling and was unlucky to graduate right in 08 during the crash that took place and decided to work in res life because that's what I knew, that's what I liked, that's where I felt at home. So I became a residence director at Binghamton University. I had the experience of overseeing a residence hall that was a break housing building. So it was open all year, it never shut down. And the main students that it held were international students and student athletes. Colleen Maeder [00:02:58]: So very unique combination of students there to manage in a residence hall and living together in suites. From there I went to the College of New Jersey, which is a public school, four year school in New Jersey, of course, where I was a resident instructor for several different buildings there. Absolutely loved it and had a phenomenal experience working with our Office of Student Conduct and was really able to start with the assistant director at the time, Elizabeth Gallus Mediation Program, and just kind of fell in love with that world, fell in love with student and how do we become educational? How do we resolve conflict without getting to student conduct? And from there that led me to my first experience outside of residential life, which was at Kingsborough Community College where I was a student conduct officer. Really unique, normal title, Student conduct officer. You don't hear that a lot. And it was this community college in Brooklyn. The claim to fame that I used to tell people was we had a beach on campus, loved it there, did a lot of work, really, really enjoyed the community college experience, which we'll get back to where I am right now. But from there I switched and went to nyu, so New York University, right in the heart of New York, and worked in their student conduct office where I met you. Colleen Maeder [00:04:09]: I mean, we started the podcast and really was there all the way through Covid 2021. Loved the experience and I was in the student conduct office, but I focused heavily in the world of Title nine. I did a lot of work with our Office of Equal Opportunity, oversaw hearings, started a conflict resolution process, did a lot of conflict resolution training. So a very unique position in the world of student conduct that I haven't seen many other place. Loved NYU but really wanted to get out of New York City after Covid. So in 2021 I had the opportunity to work at Santa Clara University, which is up in the Bay Area south of San Francisco as the Associate Director for Student Wellbeing in the Dean of Students office. And it was non clinical mental health. Absolutely. Colleen Maeder [00:04:51]: Loved it. It was a bucket list item for me to work at a Jesuit school. Cause I went to a Jesuit undergrad and I was lucky enough to meet my partner in the Bay Area who was transferred down to San Diego, which is how I got to Miracosta. Currently the Director of Student Services at our San Leo campus and I'm also a deputy Title IX coordinator here. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:05:10]: One of the things I love about your experience is that I think you're one of the few in the profession that have transitioned from a two year institution to a four year institution, to a two year to a four year and back to a two year. And you've also worked at both public and private institutions. So you've got this incredible diversity of experience in student affairs, which gives you kind of a bird's eye view in a unique way of why student affairs matters and why it has mattered over time. So this season we're focusing on the value of student affairs and I'm wondering if we can hone in a bit on your community college experience. And can you talk to us about what you can say about the community college experience as a professional compared to your experiences at four years? Colleen Maeder [00:05:51]: Absolutely. And I have been lucky enough to work at two different community college experiences. In some way they are very, very similar in the sense that student affairs at a community college needs to actually represent the community where you are. So my college is located in North County, San Diego right now. Kingsborough Community College was located in Brooklyn. Everything we do should be a reflection of the community that we in. So who are the students that we're serving? What are their needs? What are we worried about? How do we help them be able to come to our campus, get to our campus, be able to take classes, whether it's online, hybrid or in person. What does that look like? What does the student experience look like? When I was at Kingsborough, this was pre Covid, right after Hurricane Sandy. Colleen Maeder [00:06:36]: That's going to look very different than a post Covid world. But we are really trying to what are the current needs to what our community is? And what do we think the current needs are going to be 5, 10, 15 years from now? And what do we need to do as student affairs to make sure that we are meeting not just the needs of our current students, but planning for the future because we should grow with our community. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:57]: Having a beach on campus sounds really interesting until you realize there's a hurricane coming right at Your campus and the water level of your campus is right on that beach. Colleen Maeder [00:07:04]: I started directly afterwards. We had a nice. There was a lot of flooding. I was told after that experience. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:07:10]: Absolutely. So when you think about your current student population, can you tell us who they are? Your university or your college has multiple campuses. So who are the students that attend Miracosta and what are the needs that you're meeting as a community college student affairs squad that maybe you're seeing the four years not doing? Colleen Maeder [00:07:27]: Yes. So I will say Miracosta is a proud hsi. I'm very cautious saying that on a podcast right now, given the current political context. But we are a very proud hsi. We really want to make sure that we are serving all of our students. So we have anything from. We have the traditional student age population. We have adult students who are making the difficult choice to say, you know what, I'm going to step back from maybe my employment to go to school to better myself, to be able to then get a better job, to support my family. Colleen Maeder [00:07:56]: We are working with students who. We have a large population of seniors who come back and take classes. We have a high level of basic needs and food insecurity that we are helping with our students at. We have a black and Latinx population that we are supporting and wanting to continue to grow and nurture all of these populations because they are what makes up North County San Diego, and we are here to support them in having our students reach their dreams and succeed in whatever avenue they want, whether it is an associate's degree, an associate's degree to transfer. We do have a bachelor's program on campus. We have many certificate programs through our tci, which is our certificate location. So really finding the. What is it? What do we need to do to be able to support our students in whatever their goal is? And that's gonna look different depending on the student population, depending on the time of year, and depending on what their go. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:08:48]: With such diverse student needs, with ranges of populations from students that are earning their first degrees right out of high school to those adult learners that you've mentioned, how does a student affairs division organize itself to meet needs on such an individualized level while still kind of stratifying across administration like we know we have to. Colleen Maeder [00:09:06]: Absolutely. So I think some of it is just open lines of communication. It's not being afraid to pick up the phone and ask questions or say to a student, you know what? I'm not the person to help you, but I'm gonna connect you with this person in this office, and I'm gonna do that one handoff. Whether they're currently on my campus, walking them to that class, walking them to that office, whether it's sending that E introduction. I think it's also in terms of future planning, which Miracosta does this really, really well, is what does the future look like? What are kind of the signals that are going on outside of higher education that we need to pay attention to? How do we continue to support and what does that look like? How are we using our benefits? I think there's a lot of negative viewpoints right now on AI and how that's going to impact the workforce. But is there a way that we can utilize AI to better reach our students, to provide supplemental education, to be able to get them answers or help them through a process where we know higher education is complex? How do we make it less complex and easier for someone to understand, especially if they are first generation or returning to education and they've been gone for two decades, three decades? So what are we doing right now to make it easier for our students? And this is something where our division, we are across multiple campuses. We get together the senior leadership in our division once a month to be able to talk about some of these things. And I haven't always seen that on other places I've worked at. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:10:32]: You mentioned AI as a potential tool. I'm currently teaching a master's class on technology competencies and AI integration and student affairs. How are you all figuring that out on your campus? Colleen Maeder [00:10:43]: So I think the key word is figuring it out, and I think it's trial and error. I think it's one as professionals should be trying different AI tools so that we understand what the benefits are, but also what are some of the concerns? How do we have conversations with students from a purely basic level? I do student conduct right now, and we have academic integrity issues that are almost all coming from the use of AI. How are we teaching our faculty, teaching our staff, teaching our students to use AI appropriately? And I think the issue is no one has figured that out yet. So we're kind of figuring this out as we go. And I've tried the past month or two to try things with AI to see what students are using to understand kind of that perspective. And I think we have to also be early adapters of that. I'm not as early as other people, but I am learning it. I'm trying to figure out how to use it appropriately or use it when it can be an added benefit, but when you need to stop using it. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:11:41]: We had Dr. Claire Brady on last season and she just wrote the NASPA AI report. And one of the things she said on the podcast is that higher ed is in danger of getting stuck in the academic integrity segment of AI without thinking about all of the other things that Gen AI could be doing for our campuses. I think that's such an important message. But I also understand that there are instructors and professors out there who are doing kind of keystroke analysis too, and having students like show their progressive videos of them writing their essays instead of of seeing a copy and paste of a ChatGPT essay or something like that. But it's an interesting lesson in cognitive development. I also saw a study recently that there's cognitive decline in people who use regular aigen for kind of solving problems rather than trying to think through the problem themselves first. So we've got a lot to kind of negotiate through how AI can benefit us, but I think it's not going to be able to replace that human element of care and that human element of empathy that we really employ in student affairs more than any other skill. Colleen Maeder [00:12:37]: Absolutely. And I went down a little bit of a rabbit hole the other week when I was doing some research for a work project about loneliness and just how much loneliness can be tied to social media and AI. If you're just gonna rely on AI, you're losing the human interaction of engaging with someone to find out that answer to think critically about. Oh, here is all this information. Am I gonna challenge it? I'm just gonna automatically assume that it's correct. And we know AI is not always correct. So how are we balancing using that while understanding the loneliness is on our eyes and the impact that it has to our marginalized communities as well as education, social media. And it's just so this interconnected web of everything, this is a total aside. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:13:17]: But I also read something recently where someone had married an AI chatbot or something to that effect, and then the company that ran the chatbot shut down or was bought and the AI was no longer being updated. And so that person essentially lost their relationship. And it's an interesting question to on how you define a relationship with an algorithm at the end of the day. So, total aside. But I know if these things are in the media, that our students are also experiencing them. Colleen Maeder [00:13:43]: Absolutely. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:13:43]: Colleen, you've spent time at both the two year experience and the four year experience, and you've talked a bit about how the two year experience is a lot more personalized and tailored. I'm wondering how you are different as a Professional when you're in each type of environment. Colleen Maeder [00:13:57]: Yeah, I think that's a great question. Where it's my values haven't changed with whether I'm working at a four year public, a four year private versus a two year. But I think it's how you go about and how you interact with students and with others while also trying to navigate. Most two years are public institutions and there's a lot, at least in California you have ed code. So you're constantly of what is current ed code, what is the law as well as in how do you serve students and how do you work with them on that. And I think I'm gonna speak in very broad strokes. I think sometimes the needs at a community colle are much more basic than when you're at a four year private institution that is primary residential for the first year or two. I think at a community college it's you have to build trust. Colleen Maeder [00:14:43]: I think there's a mistrust of higher education. There's why is higher education important? And I think the students who tend to go to four year schools at first know that there is an inherent benefit of going to college. Going into higher education where I feel like at a community college sometimes it's this, okay, I know I need to get the degree, but how do you explain to them the services that we have can help you do better, can help you succeed. So sometimes it's like we're the safety net. When you are at a community college or four year institution and you don't have enough food on the table, you're not going to do as well as you would if you had enough food and nutrition. If you are worried about where you're going to sleep at night, if you're worried about the safety of your family, if you're worried about an eviction, that's all going to impact you in the academic state. So it's how do you really build that connection to have students trust you, trust the institution you're at enough to be able to help them succeed. And I think that can be a struggle sometimes. Colleen Maeder [00:15:41]: It's really trying to build those connections because we know what the issues are in our community. We have to help students overcome some of those issues and kind of lift them up to be able to support them in that. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:15:53]: When you're talking about students who have high food security needs or housing security needs, you're probably also talking about people who have had the system work against them a lot in their lead up into being into your college. And so you're Asking those students to trust a system when systems have never been there for them in the past. What strategies are you using to help them engage with the system and then get them to work with you so you can support them? Colleen Maeder [00:16:19]: You know, I think the first thing is you have to actually be here in person. And I know remote work is wonderful. I've had. I worked remote during COVID I've had the opportunity at previous institutions to have one or two remote dates. But people don't want to talk to someone on the phone. They don't want to talk to someone via email. They want to actually see someone. They want to know that this person cares and that they're not being treated as a number. Colleen Maeder [00:16:42]: And I think that can be really difficult at times is how do we have this connection? How do we show up in person? How do we keep showing up? I think one of my biggest frustrations is if you have this mission and vision and these hallmarks of what your division should do, what your school should do, what your community college district should do, where are you actually following, following through on that? And I feel like these buzzwords that people say, well, you actually have to put that into action. You actually have to do that. And I think it's little by little, it's being visible on campus. It's following through on what you say that you're going to do. If we're going to say we're going to fund something, we're going to fund something. If we're going to say we're going to be there for students, we're going to be there for students, and really communicating that and rebuilding a lot of that mistrust that has been caused throughout the system. I think it's showing them and acknowledging we know not only this is potentially a cost to you, but it's also a cost in the sense that if you're going to class, you're not going to be at work. If you're going to class, who might be watching your children, if you have children, if you're going to class, if it's an online, we're assuming you have a safe space to take a class. Colleen Maeder [00:17:48]: We're assuming you have access to Internet. And I think it's a lot of these. How do we make sure we can get all of that to students? And this is something where Miracosta. I'm very, very privileged to work at an institution that believes in mission and vision and actually follows through on that. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:18:03]: Anything interesting, innovative or exciting happening at Miracosta, that maybe other student affairs professionals Would love to hear about. Colleen Maeder [00:18:10]: Yeah, I think one of the things I just did was they have a CANVA course for open up to all faculty and staff and it's all about futures basically. What does the future look like? How do we pick up? And I mentioned this previously on these signals that might be coming up that we want to pay attention to. Not quite sure if it's going to lead somewhere, but if it does, an example is rewind. 10, 15 years ago with AI, there was an opportunity for all of us to get more on board with this. And what does that look like? What are our fellow colleagues across the world doing in higher education? I think it's paying attention to. We know right now in higher education that there is going to be a dwindling K through 12 population. We know that. How are we planning for that? I think that we know right now that mental health, at least for teens, that 18 to 24 year old, they're going through a mental health crisis. Colleen Maeder [00:19:00]: So are we staffing up our counseling centers? And what are we doing to help students feel like they actually belong on our campus? What programs are we doing? How are we connecting with students? How are we connecting students with other students? So it's all about what are we kind of looking at? What are the signals at play and then what do we do about it? And it's paying attention to the little stuff to then have that help develop whatever that strategic plan is going to be. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:19:25]: How are you all creating belonging when you know you have a population that's maybe on campus just for the moment they're taking class, or a population that's attending kind of all hours of the day, you might have students that are only there in the morning or students that are only there in the evening or only certain days of the week. Colleen Maeder [00:19:38]: Our campus, at least at the main campus, we have offices open until at least 7 o' clock at night. And I think that plays a big factor is having some of those extended hours. I think we're taking a look at how do we reach student populations that we might not have done a great job in the past. So we have an adult population, an adult population in the 30s, 40s and 50s. How you program and how you reach them is going to look very different than an 18 to 24 year old population. We have a high rate Latinx students. What are we doing to program towards them? We are an hsi. We can say we're an hsi, but we should be doing a whole host of things because we are a designated hsi. Colleen Maeder [00:20:15]: We are here to serve our students. And I think that is what gets lost sometimes. Where we are here solely for our students. Students, yes, it is great to be employed but if our students aren't successful then we're not doing our jobs. And I think it's constantly going back to we are here to serve our students and to help them get that. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:20:33]: Degree to change gears a minute. As a person who's been at both kind of that traditional four year and that two year institution, what advice would you give for a four year professional who wants to transition to community college work? And what advice would you give to a two year professional who wants to transition to a four year. Colleen Maeder [00:20:47]: So that's a great question. One you should just do it. I think people get very, very comfortable in. I've always worked for a public four year institution. I'm only going to stay at public four year institutions or I've only worked at a community college. That's where I'm comfortable. I think if you want that experience, put yourself out there and do that and do your research. I think that. Colleen Maeder [00:21:08]: Well, I will say right now, I think across the board every institution of higher education right now is struggling with budget and funding. So I think that is a commonality right now. But when you go from a public to a private, a community college to a private for budgets can look very, very different. How you spend money looks very, very different. I think that public schools have a little bit more leeway at times when it comes to some things versus a community college where community colleges, we are public institutions. That means that we can have protests on campus, that people can come onto our campus and we can't ask them to leave unless they are actively violating and becoming disruptive. They have a right to be there. And that can be very frustrating. Colleen Maeder [00:21:47]: Especially if you've only ever worked at a private institution where it looks a little bit different. And some of the things you can do at a private institution you can't always do at a public institution and vice versa. But I think when it comes to a community college, if you want to work at a community college and I would encourage everyone to have that experience because I have loved it. I wouldn't have returned to a community college experience if I didn't enjoy my first time at one. But I think it's understanding that community college students may have greater needs and you're reaching them on a different level. At the same time you're going to have a greater impact than sometimes always working at a four year institution or a private institution. And I think it's understanding that students will come and go. It's not this trajectory of you start your first year on campus, you become a second year, then a junior and then a senior, and then you graduate. Colleen Maeder [00:22:38]: You might know someone who's working through to get their associate's degree and it takes them five or six years because they're living their life as they do this. And I think the celebrations become greater at a community college. I think being able to see students who really took the initiative, not that you don't take the initiative at a four year institution, but I think sometimes the risks are greater for community college students because they're not always the traditional students that has the family support. They're actually making that decision to go to school full time as well as work a full time job, as well as trying to raise a family. And it just looks a little bit different and you need to be cognizant of that. But I encourage anyone, if they're thinking about wanting to work at a community college, to absolutely take the risk, apply for that job. It is a phenomenal experience. And just as the flip side, I think people sometimes like, oh, I've only worked at a community college experience. Colleen Maeder [00:23:30]: I don't have that four year experience at a residential campus. Take the risk. It is a great experience. And I think the more experiences you get, the stronger it makes you as a professional to be able to support all students. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:42]: I'm going to transition us into our theme questions for the season. So we've been asking all of our guests the same three questions on the value of student affairs. Our first question is, when you think about the value of student affairs, what comes to mind first and why? Colleen Maeder [00:23:55]: So I really thought about this when you sent me this question because I don't know if we necessarily always talk about the value of student affairs. I think we talk around it, but we don't actually talk about the value of student affairs and the importance of student affairs. And I think for me it is, we are here to help students and individuals grow and develop both inside the classroom. So the academic sense as well as outside of the classroom. When you think of student affairs, depending on the institution you're at, it can include anything from advising to health services, to counseling and psychological service to public safety, college, police, athletics, career, internship, your basic needs, your residential life and housing, student conduct. It can be so wide ranging that we are kind of that. I'm not saying that lifeboat that can help students along, but also that springboard to help students try something new. I think it's that leadership opportunity that some of our students get. Colleen Maeder [00:24:50]: You know, our student government, our clubs in orgs, that experience there helps them figure out how they work in a team. What is this going to look like when they have a professional job and they have to work as a team? What does it look like when we're able to. We have food pantries on campus, we're able to provide food to a student to help them get through the next day or two so they can focus on their classes. What does this mean to the student athlete to also have strong academic counseling as well? It's this bullet both and, and I think this is where student affairs really is the supplemental experience to the academic that is just as important sometimes where we want them to get the degree, but we also want them to have this experience and have the services they need. So if they do struggle, we can help them overcome those struggles and get to that finish line. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:25:38]: Our second question is, can you share a specific story or moment when you saw the value of student affairs come to life? Colleen Maeder [00:25:44]: I can't identify one moment, but I can identify the feeling I had during those moments. And it's this feeling of a student saying to you, I don't know if I would be here. I don't know if I would have been able to finish this class. It's the thank you for not giving up on me when everyone else did. It's the parent saying, thank you for being there for my student when I couldn't be. And it's this underlying feeling of I made that in something that student affairs did change the trajectory of this individual's experience to help them succeed. And I think it's the underlying things that we do that we don't realize we do on a daily basis, but all of us do so well. And it's across the division of student affairs that without that service, that connection, that relationship, that student might not have been able to do what they needed to do at that time. Colleen Maeder [00:26:37]: So for me, if I had to pick an experience, I worked with a student for two years at a prior institution and they really struggled adjusting their college life for a variety of reasons. And the student ended up writing a story and framed one of the characters around how they viewed me. And that was really like, this is why I do what I do. And I have to this day, and it's up on my wall right now, I have the drawing of the character as well as kind of the tagline next to the character that kind of reminds me of this is why student affair is valuable. It's this relationship, it's this connection. It's helping that student feel like they belong. And that for me is important. And that is why I think that we continue to do what we do. Colleen Maeder [00:27:20]: It doesn't matter if you work in career services. It doesn't matter if you're in athletics or campus safety or student conduct. We all do this for the reason of helping students. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:27:28]: And our final question, what do you think student affairs needs to do to be better understood and better seen in today's educational environment? Colleen Maeder [00:27:35]: We need to tell our story better. We are really, really bad at this. And I can say that even just answering the two questions before, and I was like, I know, I know what the value of student affairs is. I wouldn't have spent, I think it's 17 years of my professional life in student affairs if I didn't believe in it. But we don't tell our story well. We don't explain to non higher education folks, quite frankly, we don't explain to faculty half the time the value and the importance of student affairs. And I think this is only become more and more important as we see the attack on higher education continue, as we see budgets get cut as our future students determine whether or not they want to come to college. And I think that is huge. Colleen Maeder [00:28:16]: We have to do better at telling our story and who we are and not just saying, oh, come get a degree, because if you get a degree, you're getting a higher paying job. Well, that's not necessarily reflective in the data anymore. So we need to do better in the. And we needed to better about telling those individualized stories so students can see. I can see myself here, a faculty member can say, I can see the value of what student affairs brings and I understand the importance to that. So that to me is kind of we just need to do better telling our story. And also we need to change a little bit faster with the times. I think higher education is very reactive. Colleen Maeder [00:28:51]: Instead of being proactive as you're talking. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:53]: About telling our story, I think that's probably the number one thing I've heard repeatedly from all of our guests this season, which tells us it must be true. And if you're listening to this episode, but did if you didn't catch our episode with Dr. Ana Gonzalez, Dr. Lori Reaser and Dr. Michelle Murray, please go and listen to that one because they Just Co authored NASPA's latest report, the Human Dimension of College why Student Affairs Matters. And that also includes a toolkit that's right on the NASPA website where you can input your own data and use that as an external storytelling device for your senior administration that aren't in student affairs, for your local council people or whoever else you need to be telling the story to that's not internal. Because the number one thing I've heard over and over this season is that we're okay at telling our story to ourselves. We're pretty good at telling our story to our students, but we are terrible at telling our story externally, even to our own families. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:29:42]: So there's just so much that we can do there. So I appreciate you reaffirming that message for us anytime. Colleen Maeder [00:29:48]: I always laugh when people are like, how's school going? And I'm like, well, I haven't been in school for a very, very long time now, but work is going really well. Thank you for asking. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:29:56]: It's time to take a quick break and toss it over to producer Chris to learn what's going on in the the NASA world. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:30:02]: Thanks, Jill. So excited to be back in the NASA world, and there's a ton of things happening in NASA. We're getting really close to the early registration deadline for the NASA Annual Conference. The early registration Deadline ends on December 17, 2025 in Kansas, Missouri. We'll celebrate the essential heart work of student affairs and higher education. So we hope that you'll come together with us to uplift students, communities and each other at the 128th gathering of the Association. Interesting fact about Kansas City Kansas City earned its Heart of America nickname because it sits at the geographic center of the contiguous United States. And just as student affairs professionals create inclusive campus communities, Kansas City has built its identity on bringing people together. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:30:51]: From smoothie jazz, filling historic clubs to legendary barbecue that put Kansas City on the culinary map, this city celebrates both heritage and future, much like NASA honors our profession's roots while innovating for tomorrow. So at this national conference you have some opportunities, some opportunities to come out and be able to explore the city. Whether it's at the Nelson Atkins Museum or learning more about the Kansas City Current, which is pioneering the future of the Women's Professional Soccer League, or visiting the Negro League's Baseball Museum Museum, which honors athletes who changed the game and American history. These among many, many opportunities to learn and to grow and reconnect with friends and colleagues. The NASPA Annual Association Meeting is one you will not want to miss again. The annual conference is March 7th through the 11th in Kansas City, Missouri, and we hope to see you there. There's a new book coming out from NASPA that you can order today. Basic Counseling Skills for Higher Education Professionals Identifying and Addressing Men Health Concerns is a book that is being brought to you by Rebecca Schultz and Maureen Kenny. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:32:05]: When college students are in a mental health crisis, they often turn to a peer or a trusted faculty or staff member first. As the number of students struggling with mental health issues continues to rise, higher education professionals are called upon to do even more. Basic Counseling Skills for Higher Education Professionals equips college and university leaders leaders with the basic knowledge and skills to address and respond to students with mental health concerns. The authors provide foundational information on the signs and symptoms of the most common mental health issues educators are most likely to encounter in their daily work, as well as guidance on how and when to intervene. With a focus on empathy and core listening skills, this essential resource empowers professional professionals to make effective and positive interventions. As mentioned, this book is available for order right now. I highly encourage you to check it out for yourself. You can go online to the NASPA website under Research and Publications and go to the NASPA Bookstore to find out more. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:33:07]: Also, the early registration Deadline for the 2026 Symposium on Military Connected Students is coming up on December 19th. The 2026 NASPA Symposium on Military Connected Students is the Association's premier event event designed for student affairs practitioners supporting military connected students. The Symposium is your exclusive opportunity to share evidence based practices from your campus or organization, learn from leading researchers in the field, and engage with other professionals committed to supporting military connected students. This three day symposium features keynote sessions, research, policy and best practice presentations and workshop style sessions. Sessions to help campus professionals develop or enhance their programming and services for military connected students. We invite you to connect with colleagues, participate in engaging sessions and learn from dynamic plenary sessions. As mentioned, the early registration deadline is coming up on December 19th. The conference is February 17th through the 20th in Norfolk, Virginia. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:34:13]: You can find out more on the NASPA web website. Every week we're going to be sharing some amazing things that are happening within the association. So we are going to be able to try and keep you up to date on everything that's happening and allow for you to be able to get involved in different ways. Because the association is as strong as its members and for all of us we have to find our place within the association. Whether it be getting involved with the knowledge community, giving back back within one of the the centers or the divisions of the association. And as you're doing that, it's important to be able to identify for yourself where do you fit? Where do you want to give back each week. We're hoping that we will share some things that might encourage you, might allow for you to be able to get some ideas that will provide you with an opportunity to be able to say, hey, I see myself in that knowledge community. I see myself doing something like that, or encourage you in other ways that allow for you to be able to think beyond what's available right now to offer other things to the association, to bring your gifts, your talents to the association and to all of the members within the association. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:35:29]: Because through doing that, all of us are stronger each and the association is better. Tune in again next week as we find out more about what is happening in naspa. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:35:40]: Chris, thank you so much for another phenomenal NASPA world. We always appreciate you keeping us informed on what's going on in and around NASA and Colleen. We have reached our last segment, which is our lightning round, and I have seven questions for you in about 90 seconds. Are you ready to roll? Colleen Maeder [00:35:56]: We're gonna go with it. Let's go. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:35:57]: Question number one, if you were a conference keynote speaker, what would your entrance music be? Colleen Maeder [00:36:01]: Anything by Taylor Swift. I will just own it. I am a Swifty and I no shame in saying that anymore. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:36:07]: Question two, when you were five years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? Colleen Maeder [00:36:10]: I had always wanted to do something in the criminal justice system. A criminologist, a detective. That did not end up happening. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:36:17]: Number three, who's your most influential professional mentor? Colleen Maeder [00:36:20]: So one of the people I look back at being really influential and I do not keep in touch with them as much as I should. And you actually know this person is Delmi Lindoff. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:36:27]: Delmi Lindof, Dr. Lindof is the VPSA at Pratt Institute in New York. It's the Institute of Art and she's an amazing professional. So. Hi Delmi. Number four. Colleen Maeder [00:36:35]: Hi Delmi. Miss you. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:36:37]: Number four, your essential student affairs read. Colleen Maeder [00:36:39]: I will say anything. Restorative justice. I think that if you are going to be in student affairs, you have to be well versed in restorative justice and restorative practices. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:36:47]: Number five, the best TV show you've been binging lately. Colleen Maeder [00:36:50]: So I'm the type of person that binge watches TV shows I have watched over and over and over again. So it would be the West Wing, which I always return to every couple years. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:36:58]: Number six, the podcast you spent the most hours listening to in the last year. Colleen Maeder [00:37:02]: NPR up first and NPR Politics Now. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:37:04]: And finally, number seven, any shout outs you'd like to give, personal or professional? Colleen Maeder [00:37:08]: Huge shout to my current team here at Miracosta, both the Sanaleo as well as the team up on the Oceanside campus that I work with, as well as shout out to two people at my prior institution, Ashley and Natasha, who are my support system, which I think everyone should have, is that support system that gets you through when the going gets tough. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:37:28]: Colleen, so glad to have your voice on this side of the podcast. You've done an amazing job representing the Community College Experience Experience today. If anyone would like to get a hold of you after this episode airs, how can they find you? Colleen Maeder [00:37:39]: Absolutely, you can reach me at C Maeder M A E D E Riracosta. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:37:45]: Colleen, thank you so much for sharing your voice with us today. Colleen Maeder [00:37:47]: Thank you so much for having me, Jill it was an experience to be on the other side of a podcast. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:37:56]: This has been an episode of Essay Voices from the Field brought to you by Nest naspa. This show is made possible because of you, the listeners. We continue to be so grateful that you choose to spend your time with us. If you'd like to reach the show, you can email us at [email protected] or find me on LinkedIn by searching for Dr. Jill L. Creighton. We welcome your feedback and your topic and guest suggestions always. We'd love it if you take a moment to tell a colleague about the show and leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you're listening Listening now. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:38:26]: It really does help other student affairs professionals find the show and helps us to become more visible in the larger podcasting community. This episode was produced and hosted by Dr. Jill Creighton. That's me. Produced and audio engineered by Dr. Chris Lewis. Special thanks to the University of Michigan, Flint for your support as we create this project. Catch you next time.

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