The Buzz around Campus — Looking Inside Campus Activities – Higher Ed Careers

The area of Campus Activities is more than just bringing concerts and movies to campus and planning social events. Our guest this month, Dr. Sandra Rouse, from the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA), explains that the role of Campus Activities also includes the important tasks of leadership development and professional growth. Dr. Rouse shares information regarding the work her association does to strengthen student growth, as well as tips for tackling interviews and the idea of remaining open to new possibilities in higher education.

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Andrew Hibel, HigherEdJobs: Dr. Rouse, you are the Director of Education and Research at the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA). ¹ Would you please explain what your current position entails?

Dr. Sandra Rouse, NACA: My current position entails developing educational programs; conducting higher education research; assisting in the development of our strategic plan and building collaborations with other higher education associations, institutions, and related groups.

Hibel: According to the organization’s mission statement, “NACA advances campus activities in higher education through a business and learning partnership, creating educational and business opportunities for its school and professional members.” Would you explain further how NACA works with and affects the higher education community?

Rouse: We affect the higher education community through:

1. Extensive collaborations with other groups. For example, we have on-going conversations with other CHEMA (Council of Higher Education Management Associations) groups; we implement the Student Organizations Institute with three other higher education associations (ASCA ², NIRSA ³, and ACUI ⁴); National Leadership Symposium with the National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs and scholars from across the country; and Campus Labs to educate in areas including data driven assessment;
2. Leadership development which prepares students for working in their communities and society; and by
3. Providing scholarships to support students and our associates through our foundation.

Hibel: The NACA Annual Convention ⁵ is coming up in February. What are some highlighted topics that attendees may learn that they could implement on their campuses?

Rouse: Some of the highlighted topics at this year’s convention are: Creating Learning Outcomes; Branding and Marketing Strategies; Assessing and Minimizing Risk; Implementing Successful Programming; Building Leadership Skills; Career Exploration; Campus Engagement; and Managing Funding Dollars. We will have four featured speakers: Dr. Peter Lake, Dr. Jeanna Mastrodicasa, Dr. Kristen Renn, and Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington, and our keynote speaker will be actress Raven-Symone.

Hibel: Your organization (NACA), sponsors several institutes throughout the year with one being the Huge Leadership Weekend, where students engage in such areas of growth as “citizenship and service, effective programming, ethics and character, interpersonal skills, organizational development and personal development.” ⁶ Do you think these skills are lacking in today’s college students? Why do you think these are important skills that should be taught to college students?

Rouse: No, I don’t believe these skills are lacking in today’s college students. I believe they need to be fine-tuned or refined. These are important skills because they are essential to develop good citizens and strong employees.

Hibel: Building on the previous question, what do you think the Office of Campus Activities at colleges and universities can do to promote or enhance these skills?

Rouse: Campus Activities can enhance these skills by continuing to give students opportunities for learning — students involved have hands-on experience planning major campus events, financial management, and make decisions that impact the campus population. I believe these are incredible leadership opportunities for a college student that can benefit them long after graduation.

Hibel: NACA partners with several other higher education associations to create a successful job placement process called The Placement Exchange (TPE). ⁷ This March 7-11, TPE will host its annual conference in Phoenix, Ariz., where candidates can meet employers directly for on-site interviews. As we’ve often asked this question of past guests, what are your tips on how to prepare for an interviewing event like this?

Rouse: My advice is to be prepared, research your institutions of interest and have some really good questions for the interviewers. My additional advice is to get some rest and stay healthy. TPE is intense and interviewers will notice when candidates are exhausted and not giving 100 percent.

Hibel: What about success after the event — what are your suggestions for a candidate to stand out after the event?

Rouse: I still believe a handwritten ‘thank you’ note helps a candidate stand out. In our technology driven society this could make a big difference. I would also encourage a candidate to stay positive and supportive. It can be difficult to see classmates and colleagues secure positions while still waiting on a call for an interview. I encourage them to continue to apply and celebrate the accomplishments of others as their time will come.

Hibel: The Placement Exchange has a large number of job opportunities in the area of residential life. However, TPE also focuses on many other areas of student affairs such as campus activities, judicial affairs, Greek affairs and other student affairs positions. What would you tell candidates who may not be familiar with all of the other student affairs positions outside residential life?

Rouse: I would encourage candidates to keep their options open. The skills one uses in residence life are transferable to other student affairs areas. I would suggest to candidates to examine positions for skills and requirements that may interest them. They may be pleasantly surprised at what they find.

Hibel: Changing perspective to the employer side of the table. We know that working well independently is important, but being able to function effectively in a team environment is also crucial. What type of things can an employer ask at an interview or gather from a resume that could give a sense of a candidate’s attitude towards teamwork?

Rouse: I would look for examples in the resume. What specific roles did the candidate hold? Then ask the candidate about the group dynamics, challenges and what they learned about the collaborative experience.

Hibel: In your bio it was mentioned that you previously worked in student affairs at a college. How is working at a higher education association different than working on a college campus in student affairs?

Rouse: The major difference at a higher education association is I am not working for a single department or campus population. The daily work entails talking with people across the country and around the world. A significant part of my day involves conference calls and web-based meetings. This is very different from the action and everyday activity on a campus.

Hibel: In January 2011, we interviewed ⁸ Monica Miranda Smalls from the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors, which is also a partnership organization for TPE. She explained why she loves working in the field of student affairs. We would like to ask the same of you — what is the best part of your job working in the area of campus activities?

Rouse: Definitely the people. The energy and excitement of others as well as watching the growth of students is the great reward for working in this field.