Pre-Conference Workshop: Your Value Propositions & The VPSA Role

Teri Bump, Vice President for University Relations, American Campus Communities

You don’t know what you don’t know about ambition, achievement and success. What drives you and inspires you to stay on track for leadership roles? The Center for Talent & Innovation has provided research outlining the 5 value propositions most of us want from our work. We want to:

1. Flourish
2. Excel
3. Reach for Meaning & Purpose
4. Empower Others & Be Empowered
5. Earn

To ensure that the most talented stay on track it’s time to share our success stories and the joys and rewards of leading. When those in the academy perceive that leadership roles will fulfill these five values and satisfy their aspirations it motivates them to stay the course. With all the changes ahead in higher education we need our very best to stay on track. Discover and embrace a new narrative of influence, agency and impact in the VP role for you. Let’s talk about what you value, your perceptions of the top job and discuss the realities and benefits you can strive for and enjoy.

Navigating the Resource Landscape

Joel Perez, Vice President and Dean of Students, Whittier College

Even before you step into your role you will need to consider the resources (budget, personnel, etc.) you will be inheriting and how to manage what you have and advocate for what you need. This session will provide you with questions you should be asking prior to stepping into a VPSA role and how to navigate these conversations once in your role.

Strategic Leadership: Becoming a Strategic VPSA

Richard Walker, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services, University of Houston

Strategic leadership is about transforming an organization through its vision and values, culture and climate, and structure and systems. Utilizing Richard L. Hughes, Katherine Colarelli Beatty and David L. Dinwoodie’s book Becoming a Strategic Leader: Your Role in Your Organization’s Enduring Success (2014) as a framework this session will explore the skills, competencies, and understanding of application that is necessary to become a strategic leader and thus a strategic VPSA.

Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst: Crisis Intervention and Prevention

Joel Perez, Vice President and Dean of Students, Whittier College

The Vice President for Student Affairs Officer is regularly seen as having primary expertise in representing student interests and needs to various constituencies. Establishing credibility and maintaining strong relationships is critical in working with members of the C-suite, the university’s governing board, community members and the student body. This is particularly evident when controversial issues arise. This session will provide valuable strategies on developing and managing strong relationships in your role as VPSA.

Navigating Institutional and Campus Politics: Conveying a Strong Executive Presence

Rose Pascarell, Vice President for University Life, George Mason University

The Vice President for Student Affairs Officer is regularly seen as having primary expertise in representing student interests and needs to various constituencies. Establishing credibility and maintaining strong relationships is critical in working with members of the C-suite, the university’s governing board, community members and the student body. This is particularly evident when controversial issues arise. This session will provide valuable strategies on developing and managing strong relationships in your role as VPSA.

Cultural Influences on Leadership: Exploring Marginalized and Privileged Roles

Rose Pascarell, Vice President for University Life, George Mason University

What does it mean to bring your ‘authentic self to the table’ as the most Senior Executive Officer? What is the impact of your various identities on your leadership capabilities? As universities increasingly grapple with issues of diversity, inclusion, equity, freedom of expression, and the influence of national political movements on campus climate, how can the VPSA carry out the responsibility to represent all student interests while staying conscious of one’s own experiences and biases? This discussion will help you think through these questions and provide strategies for understanding the VPSA role from this perspective.

Afternoon Dialogues: Round One

Join the faculty in these engaging afternoon dialogue sessions centered around topical areas based on feedback from participants’ applications. The final topic will be decided on-site by participants. Faculty will help facilitate conversation and prepare to engage around a topic of your choosing, learn from other participants.

1. Building partnerships cross campus partnerships: Barbara Lo Monaco
2. Transitioning from a mid-level position to the VPSA role: Rose Pascarell
3. Fundraising / Development in the VPSA role: Richard Walker
4. Mentorship and why it’s important: Joel Perez
5. TBD on-site by participants: Tammara Durham

Afternoon Dialogues: Round Two

Join the faculty in these engaging afternoon dialogue sessions centered around topical areas based on feedback from participants’ applications. The final topic will be decided on-site by participants. Faculty will help facilitate conversation and prepare to engage around a topic of your choosing, learn from other participants.

1. Building partnerships cross campus partnerships: Barbara Lo Monaco
2. Transitioning from a mid-level position to the VPSA role: Rose Pascarell
3. Fundraising / Development in the VPSA role: Richard Walker
4. Mentorship and why it’s important: Joel Perez
5. TBD on-site by participants: Tammara Durham

Leading Change

Barbara Lo Monaco, Vice President for Student Affairs, Salve Regina University
Richard Walker, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services, University of Houston

Leading change is key to the VPSA role and one of the greatest challenges senior administrators face. Whether one is building a new vision, reorganizing a team or department, or responding to external pressures, change is often accompanied by resistance and anxiety. This session will provide strategies for managing and leading change as well as concrete examples from the facilitators’ own experiences in team-building and institutional change.

Tammara Durham, Aspiring Chair

Vice Provost for Student Affairs

Tammara Durham joined KU in 1998 as assistant director of the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center. She served as director of the University Advising Center from 2004 to 2011. Durham was named vice provost for student affairs at the University of Kansas in May 2012 after serving as interim vice provost since September 2011. Prior to that, she served as associate vice provost for Student Success since January 2011.
As the vice provost for student affairs, Durham is the senior student affairs officer for the main campus in Lawrence and is responsible for student life, support and leadership programs, student auxiliary services and student-supported wellness programs. The Office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs coordinates and develops student support services and programs and serves as an advocate for student needs across the university community that contribute to overall academic success.
Durham received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southwest Missouri State University and her doctorate from the University of Kansas in higher education administration.

Barbara LoMonaco

Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. Barbara LoMonaco has been named vice president for student affairs at Salve Regina University. Previously,
LoMonaco served as vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky., where she is also professor of anthropology.
“Barbara LoMonaco brings both academic and student affairs experience to the Salve Regina campus community, not only as a proven manager but as an innovative programmer,” Gerety said. “She is an advocate for students from all walks of life and her leadership will be invaluable as we continue our commitment to foster student engagement and success.”
“I am inspired by Salve’s mission and its power to transform the student experience,” LoMonaco said. “My first interactions on campus told me that Salve is a special place, and I am excited and honored to become part of the community.”
LoMonaco began her career in higher education in 1996 as professor of anthropology at Transylvania, where she created the anthropology major. A Bingham Award-winning professor, she has taught more than two dozen courses, including Human Origins, Healing and Culture, Urban Anthropology, Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective, and Refugees in the Bluegrass, among others. She also taught Anthropology of Food, a class based on her interest in sustainability and producing her own food.
Appointed in 2012 as the chief student affairs officer at Transylvania, LoMonaco guided implementation of many new initiatives to bolster enrollment and retention strategies, among them a living/learning community plan, an expansion of counseling services, a First Generation Student program, the Pioneer Leadership program, and programs to boost bystander intervention, alcohol education, and awareness of diversity and inclusion concerns.
Her extensive faculty service record includes a number of positions directly related to student life, including leadership roles on the Alcohol Task Force, Judicial Council, Selection Committee for Student Orientation Leaders, Sexual Grievances Judicial Board, RA Selection Committee, and the Transylvania Scholarship Committee.
LoMonaco earned her B.A. in philosophy, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees, both in cultural anthropology, from Southern Methodist University.
LoMonaco is also a certified addictions counselor and therapist who worked in community mental health and private practice for five years in Chicago.

Rose Pascarell

Vice President for University Life

Rose Pascarell is Vice President for University Life at George Mason. She has held several leadership positions in the university as Associate Vice President for University Life, Associate Dean for Campus Life, and Associate Director of the Women’s Studies Research and Resource Center. Ms. Pascarell’s leadership work in University Life has focused on increasing student engagement and academic success, and the building of just communities.

Ms. Pascarell has worked on campus climate and multicultural/diversity issues for the last fifteen years. Her teaching and workshops focus on race, class, gender, sexuality, and the formation of just community through the examination of difference.

Ms. Pascarell earned a B.A. in Sociology, Criminology, and Conflict Analysis at the State University of New York at Albany. Her M.A. in Sociology is from George Mason.

Joel Perez

Vice President and Dean of Students

Dr. Joel Pérez has been appointed Vice President and Dean of Students at Whittier College, following a national search. He will officially join the College in March 2015.
Pérez comes to Whittier College from Seattle Pacific University, where he has served as Dean of Students for Community Life, overseeing all aspects of residence life, student programs, and multi-ethnic programs. Prior to that, he was at George Fox University where he most recently served as the Dean of Inclusion and Student Leadership Programs/Chief Diversity Officer.

“With the appointment of Dr. Joel Pérez, the Whittier College community is gaining someone who cares passionately about student success, who fully embraces our mission, and who has the character and experience to serve as an exceptional Vice President and Dean of Students,” said President Sharon D. Herzberger. “With his wealth of different experiences building co-curricular programs at a variety of private colleges, I am confident that we have found the right person to spearhead the College’s area of student life.”

From the start of his career, Pérez has led efforts on all the campuses he has served to create a more inclusive community. This has entailed mentoring students as well as developing programs designed to assist all students in being successful in their academic pursuits. Pérez is no stranger to Southern California as he held posts at Pomona College as Associate Director, Smith Campus Center and Student Programs and at Chapman University, where he was Resident Director.
Pérez holds a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University, a master’s in education from Azusa Pacific University and a bachelor’s degree from Biola University.

Richard Walker

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Dr. Walker has more than 30 years of experience in higher education, at both public and private institutions.  Prior to becoming the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs for the University of Houston System and Vice President for Student Affairs for the University of Houston in September 2011, he was with the University of Miami for 24 years, where he worked in a variety of progressively responsible positions – Assistant/Associate Dean of Students, Director of Student Life, and Assistant/Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. Previous universities at which he worked are Central Missouri State University and Middle Tennessee State University.
Dr. Walker received his Ed.D. degree in higher education leadership from the University of Miami. He earned a Specialist in Education degree in education administration and supervision from Middle Tennessee State University, a Master of Education degree in education administration and supervision from Memphis State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in history from Middle Tennessee State University. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education Management Development Program.
Dr. Walker served as an adjunct faculty member and practicum supervisor for the Higher Education program in the Department of Educational and Psychological Studies in the School of Education at the University of Miami. He currently serves as an instructor for the Higher Education program within the Educational Psychology department in the College of Education at the University of Houston. His research area of interest is the relationships among student leadership experiences and learning outcomes.
Dr. Walker is involved in Student Affairs professional associations and has served as the national president, executive vice president, and conference chairperson for the Association of Fraternity Advisors. He is a past treasurer for the Association of Fraternity Advisors Foundation Board of Directors. Currently he is a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, the American College Personnel Association and Association of College Unions International. He is a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and previously served as the Chairman of the National Extension Advisory Committee and the National New Member Education Committee.
Enhancing student success and the student learning experience through the integration of curricular and co-curricular opportunities has been a focus of Dr. Walker’s career. This has been achieved by building strong campus and community relationships and collaborations.