Very humbled on Friday to be recognized by my colleagues in the College Personnel Association of Kentucky (CPAK) with the Fred Rhodes Outstanding Service Award. The award recognizes an outstanding professional who has made significant professional contributions or achievements on a campus, or at the state or regional level.
As a professional journeyman, I have followed the road to wherever it has lead me professionally in student affairs allowing me to work at six different institutions all over the country. Each opportunity has given me the good fortune to work with some wonderful people that have helped me become the professional that I am today. It has not always been easy but it has always been rewarding. Currently I am blessed to be working at the University of Louisville with wonderful staff and students that I have the pleasure to serve and lead each day.
For me, being a student affairs professional has always been about more than providing services and presenting programs – it is about impacting the student experience. It is the passion to make the experience richer, deeper and more meaningful each day that drives me to work each day to be a better professional. Our ability as professionals to impact student’s lives should never be under estimated. Student affairs professionals are the people who engage students, who challenge and support students and who ignite the passions of students. We are the ones who help student succeed when there is no one else for them.
Over the last several years I have watched professional friends and colleagues who I have known my entire professional life retire from the field. These are professionals I have respected, admired, sought council from and received encouragement by them. They are the ones who build the foundation for my professional journey. I hope that my work is building the next level of that foundation for current professionals. The journey continues . . .