Abridged Day in the Life…

What Makes Cascadia Community College Unique

Now only ten years old following the institution's opening in 2000, Cascadia Community College, which shares a co-located campus with the University of Washington Bothell, has quickly become a truly world-class institution.  Throughout the college's decade of operation, they have been part of the League for Innovation's Vanguard Learning College Project, and they were recently ranked the #2 community college in the United States by The Washington Monthly.  In that same national journal, the college was featured in an article entitled "Built to Teach:  What your Alma Mater Could Learn from Cascadia Community College" that described Cascadia's active and collaborative approach to teaching and learning.  The college's core values of global awareness and environmental sustainability have been infused into the college culture in many ways, including a growing international education program, the largest on-campus urban wetlands restoration project in the Northwest, and one of the first publicly-funded LEED Platinum buildings in the country.  Within student affairs, the college's focus on innovation and excellence has led to the creation of a one-stop student services center that has become a regional model in the Pacific Northwest. 

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• Richard Carvajal

Pathway to My Current Position

If you would have told me when I was in college that I'd someday work as a student affairs administrator for a community college, I would have thought you were crazy. While the NASPA NUFP program had helped introduce me to the field of student affairs as an undergraduate, I had never attended a community college, nor did my mentor and I ever discuss it as a career option. I guess I was not alone, since not a single member of my master's program graduating class accepted a job at a two-year institution. And yet, here I am, working as a senior student affairs officer for my second community college. So how did that happen?

After receiving my master's degree in college student personnel administration from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, I accepted a job as the Director of Housing & Residence Life for Eureka College, which is a small, private liberal arts college in central Illinois. Known for being President Ronald Reagan's alma mater, Eureka exposed me to many aspects of college administration. Because of that experience, I have often recommended that new professionals in this field who enjoy wearing lots of hats and who want to advance in their careers quickly should work at small institutions. While an entry level position at a large university often allows someone to develop expertise in one portion of student affairs administration (e.g., housing, student activities, financial aid, etc), working as a small college director or assistant director lets you do a little bit of everything. That was certainly the case for me at Eureka, where I gained experience in facility planning and management, staff supervision, budgeting, student discipline, student government, programming, and much more.

From there, I moved on to Coker College in South Carolina, which is another small private liberal arts college, and there I served as the Associate Dean for Student Services and oversaw the college's student development program (i.e., student activities, the student center, multicultural affairs, orientation, work study, disability support, etc.). Once again, I benefitted from an amazing opportunity to lead and manage a wide variety of student services, and I was well on my way to achieving my goal of becoming a chief student affairs officer for a small four-year institution.

However, shortly after beginning my doctoral work at The University of South Carolina to further prepare me for the next career step, two unanticipated events changed everything. First, my wife, who had just completed the coursework for her doctorate in English literature, got a call from the person in charge of hiring faculty at a local community college. That individual had been given my wife's name by a mutual friend, and he called to see if my wife might be willing to apply for an opening on their faculty. It was her goal to work as a faculty member for a baccalaureate-degree granting institution, and she pursued her doctorate to enable her to do so. After discussing the call, we decided that it wouldn't hurt her to work at a community college while she finished her dissertation. Of course, we had every intention of having her move to what we called "a real college" after her degree was in hand. But then, a funny thing happened. She found that she really liked where she was at and the students she was helping. She would regularly come home excited to have been able to mentor a student who had overcome many obstacles and even more odds to achieve success. Additionally, while I was working with students who could afford the $20,000 plus annual tuition of a private college, she was working with students who reminded us of us – namely, of students who had come to college willing to work extra jobs and do whatever it took in hopes of finding a new opportunity.

The next event occurred when I enrolled in my first semester of doctoral coursework.  With my wife having just completed her classes, we agreed that it was now time for me to start, and after being accepted, I went in for my first meeting with my advisor.  Like many in my doctoral program, I planned to take classes part-time while continuing to work full-time.  Coker College and the small town we lived in was 70 miles one-way from USC, and so I was certainly interested in taking advantage of any opportunity for distance education that might be offered.  As a result, my advisor suggested that I enroll in The American Community College, which just so happened to be the only distance education course offered that semester.  I agreed in order to avoid the long drive even though I thought the topic of the course was unrelated to my own career path. 

As the course progressed and I learned more about the history and mission of our two-year institutions, and as I started hearing the amazing stories of student success from my wife who had just begun her new job, I reassessed why I had entered this profession.  I realized that what first drove me to look at a student affairs career was a desire to help students who reminded me of me – those who were just looking for an opportunity to make something more of their lives.  Where else, I concluded, could I make a more impactful difference than within a community college? 

As a result, I have spend the last seven years working as a senior student affairs officer within what has become the entry point into American higher education for literally half of all students.  The training and experience I gained working for small, private liberal arts colleges certainly has been applicable to what I and my staff do now, and we've seen more and more people move back and forth in their careers between the two- and four-year system.  As for me, after making the leap, I first spent three years at Independence Community College in Kansas, and I've spent the last four years as the Vice President for Student Success at Cascadia Community College in Washington state.  Simply put, I love my job, and I love the difference that I and my colleagues are able to make for our students.  I will definitely spend the rest of my career working within the two-year college system because it is such a good fit for me and for what I hope to contribute, and I would encourage any new professionals in our field who value student development and who believe in the importance of college access to consider joining me.  Trust me.  You'll be glad that you did! (back to schedule)

A Day in the Life…

7:40 a.m.	A typical Tuesday commute, I'm in my car and listening to sports talk radio.  Some people hate their commute; I, on the other hand, enjoy having the time to think about what's really important in life, like why can't the Seattle Mariners score a run. (back to schedule)
8:05 a.m.	I drop off my coat, sign some purchase orders, prepare a quick outline for that afternoon's staff meeting, and check in with my assistant.  We discuss my schedule for the day, and she asks when I'd like to meet with a vendor that we've been in contract negotiations with for a new online tutoring service.  She says we can fit it in next week if I skip lunch that day.  I say, "sure."  By the way, nobody who does what I do could be successful without a great executive assistant.  Mine is the best, and as I tell the other vice presidents on my campus, "You can't have her!"  =D (back to schedule)
8:30 a.m.	I try to devote at least a little bit of time each week to walking around my area to see my staff and be seen by them.  Sometimes it's just a quick, "how are things at home," and sometimes I hear important ideas for how our processes can be improved.  Regardless, I learned early doing this job that it's crucial that I remain visible. (back to schedule)
9:00 a.m.	I serve on the Executive Committee for the Washington State Student Services Commission, which is made up of the vice presidents of all 34 community and technical colleges in our state.  This time is devoted to our monthly Executive Committee teleconference, and we use it to plan for the upcoming spring meeting.  While this takes a lot of time, I've found that the connections I build with colleagues who do what I do is definitely worth the investment. (back to schedule)
10:00 a.m.	It's time for a student discipline meeting.  I oversee the enforcement of our code of conduct on campus, and we are absolutely seeing an increase in cases.  In particular, as the cuts in state budgets have limited the availability of social services, we are seeing more students attend community colleges who have some history of mental illness.  This particular hearing is with a male student with just such a history who has been stalking a female student. (back to schedule)
10:30 a.m.	After more than a year of work, the President's Diversity & Equity Task Force that I chair is in the final stages of preparing for the opening of our new Diversity & Equity Center.  As a new community college, it's really sad how little we've been doing in this area to create a welcoming environment for all students, but we have finally gotten campus-wide support to move forward with a new program.  I really think this is going to make a big difference for students!  At this meeting, we go over job descriptions and our proposed budget. (back to schedule)
11:30 a.m.	Next, it's off to a reception to say goodbye to one employee and welcome to another.  In a strange twist, our student life director is leaving the college after accepting a position with a local university.  Meanwhile, his replacement (who conversely chose to come to a community college after working in a similar role at a four-year college) has already started, and so we are acknowledging them both at the same reception. (back to schedule)
11:55 a.m.	At Cascadia Community College, we like to say that "Community" is our middle name.  As a result, our employees really get involved in our community.  I represent the college on a local Chamber of Commerce, and today's is their monthly lunch meeting.  Therefore, the next 90 minutes are spent enjoying a rare actual sit-down lunch and some great conversation with business leaders.  One of the people at my table has a daughter who attends Cascadia, and it's therefore a great opportunity to re-sell her on her daughter's college choice by telling her about our national ranking and unique learning model. (back to schedule)
1:30 p.m.	I'm back on campus, and it is time for the part of my job I call "staff crap." This is one of those things I never learned about in graduate school, but it's a very real part of any administrator's day. I'm meeting with our Director of Human Resources to talk about a personnel issue. Whether it's a union issue, a poor employee evaluation, or someone is just mad at a co-worker, you wouldn't believe how much time is spent on "staff crap." Take the time to manage these issues well, and your staff, your students, and you will all be happier! (back to schedule)
2:00 p.m.	I meet regularly with what I refer to as my Leadership Team. This group is made up of my direct reports, and they help me with everything from strategic planning to budget development to the revision of procedures. Today's meeting begins with an update from one of our members on the college's strategic enrollment management (i.e., SEM) initiatives. Specifically, we have a good discussion about how we hope to improve the learning outcomes of our College 101 course with the goal of improving retention. Before ending the meeting, we prepare for the upcoming presentations that some of them will make to our college-wide Budget Council as part of our institution's annual budget development process. (back to schedule)
3:04 p.m.	After getting out of our Leadership Team meeting, I'm a few minutes late for the Faculty Assembly meeting. Luckily, I'm not the only one, and I enter the room with a few of our faculty members who have just gotten out of class. The lines between student affairs and instruction that can sometimes clearly exist at a four-year institution are often a little more blurry at a community college. Some of the programs that might normally be under student affairs elsewhere report to the Vice President for Student Learning here, and some of the areas that might normally be under her fall to me. I really like that about a community college, because most everyone here seems to understand that we are all teachers who play an active role in student development. Therefore, I regularly attend this meeting that is likewise attended by most of our full-time faculty (not uncommon at a small college). At today's meeting, a member of my staff goes over the changes to this year's Commencement program, and a few faculty members also have some questions about the information our academic advisors give to students regarding class waitlists at the beginning of the term. Overall, this is a good meeting, and I love the collegial relationship I'm able to have with faculty and the other administrators who attend. (back to schedule)
4:30 p.m.	In my role, the students that I get to know are usually our very best or our at least perceived very worst. Students visit with me when they are in trouble (e.g., student discipline, academic suspension, failure to pay a bill), or I get to know them when they become student leaders. Today is a good day because I get to spend an extended period of time getting to know our next crop of student difference-makers. Student Government is about to have its elections, and today is the second candidate forum. Two forums occur each year, and I try to attend both. While I tend to stay quiet at the first one, I always ask each of our candidates a question at this one. More than trying to test them, today's questions are really designed to open up their eyes to what it truly means to be a student leader. I challenge them to think about the time commitment, the responsibility that comes with being a representative, and the major issues that are likely to come up in the next year. Last week, I had asked our student government advisor if I could have a few minutes with all of the candidates when the forum is over, and so I use that time today to thank them for being willing to get involved. I share some positive reinforcement my NUFP mentor once shared with me. "There are a lot of students walking around this place who have the ability to be student leaders," he said, "but there are very few who have the guts to put their name on the ballot." It's a thrill for me to be a part of this experience for these students, and I can tell how excited they are to potentially serve their fellow students. (back to schedule)
5:55 p.m.	I've got a meeting later tonight, so I run home, throw down a quick bit to eat (thanks, honey, for making dinner!), and spend a little quality time with my kids asking them about their day. (back to schedule)
7:00 p.m.	Back out the door, and it's off to a school district foundation board meeting. I represent the college on this community foundation, and somehow I was dumb enough to agree to co-chair their upcoming charity auction. OK, to be completely honest, I love being involved in the community, and I really like that my work at a community college not only allows but encourages that involvement. (back to schedule)
8:45 p.m.	I walk in the front door, grab a slice of cake from the kitchen, and join my wife in the family room for some down time. After eating my cake and quickly checking email on my laptop (did I mention how many e-mails I get every day? =D), my wife and I enjoy an episode of HGTV's "House Hunters International" while we dream about one day getting away from it all, too. (back to schedule)