Student Affairs NOW SA Now Productions

In this episode, we hear from scholar and educator Oiyan Poon. She talks about the inspiration and the journey of writing her book, Asian American is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family. This book is part love letter, part history lesson and academic research, and part memoir. Join us in this conversation where we discuss motherhood, solidarity, and hope for a better future.

At ACPA's 100th Anniversary Celebration held in Chicago, the hosts of Student Affairs NOW reflected on their respective journeys working together in developing, producing, and hosting a podcast as a form of public scholarship. The team shared behind-the-scenes stories of what it's like working together, discussed the expected and unexpected learnings during the growth of the podcast, and shared their reactions as Student Affairs Now reached the impressive milestone of 200 episodes in 2024. This episode was recorded at ACPA as part of a conference presentation.

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Two-year colleges, including community, technical, and junior colleges, are focused on access, affordability, and equity; workforce development and career preparation; and serving their community's needs with agility. In this episode, two former chairs of ACPA's Commission for Two-Year Colleges and a current two-year college president discuss the growing student and institutional needs with limited resources and how associations like ACPA can better support professional development and student success in this critical higher education sector.

This episode offers a deep dive into the INSPIRES Index, providing listeners with valuable insights into fostering inclusive campus environments for students of diverse worldview identities. Panelists, which include researchers, faculty, and practitioners, examine the intersectionality of efforts to address religious, secular, and spiritual identities with broader diversity initiatives and explore how interfaith initiatives can contribute to creating a more inclusive and equitable environment for students with intersecting minoritized identities.

https://youtu.be/HuYMSYjXorY













Episode Description

Chief of Staff roles in and beyond student affairs often fall under the radar, go by many different names, vary widely, and can be both misunderstood and full of promise. In this conversation, two folks who have served in this role in multiple iterations define the role, discuss the complexities, and offer insights for institutions, principals, and those exploring the role for themselves.









Suggested APA Citation

Edwards, K. (Host). (2024, March 27). Exploring Chief of Staff Roles (No. 197) [Audio podcast episode]. In Student Affairs NOW. https://studentaffairsnow.com/chief-of-staff-roles/









Episode Transcript

Adam R. CebulskiSo one way that I have heard about it from a visual perspective is to think about a Swiss army knife, where the Chief of Staff has so many different skill sets and tools at their disposal. And they're in all aspects of the organization. Right. So on some campuses, you may be talking about an operations leader. In some cases, you might have sort of the core or central functions underneath you like assessment, marketing, HR, finance, fundraising. They're really people who are agnostic in terms of a functional area loyalty, because they're really thinking about the division. They really get that 30,000 foot view, there are good relationship builders, and there are folks who overall can understand and translate the vision of a principle to action in the organization.







Keith EdwardsHello, and welcome to Student Affairs NOW I'm your host Keith Edwards. Today I'm joined by two folks who have served in and thought about the chief of staff role. This role in and beyond Student Affairs often falls under the radar varies widely and can be both misunderstood and full of promise. Thank you both for being here to share with us about your experience and your insights. Student Affairs NOW is the premier podcast and online learning community for 1000s of us who work in alongside or adjacent to the field of higher education and student affairs. We release new episodes every week on Wednesdays find details about this episode, or browse our archives at studentaffairsnow.com. Today's episode is sponsored by Huron, a global professional services firm that collaborates with clients to put possible into practice. And today's episode is also sponsored by Symplicity. A true partner Symplicity supports all aspects of student life with technology platforms that empower institutions to make data driven decisions. As I mentioned, I'm your host, Keith Edwards, my pronouns are he him his. I'm a speaker, author and coach, and I help higher ed leaders and organizations make the complex uncomplicated for leadership, learning and equity. You can find out more about me at keithedwards.com. And I'm recording this from my home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the intersections of the ancestral and current homelands of both the Dakota and the Ojibwe peoples. I'm excited to have our guests today. Let's hear a little bit more about each of you and Lesley Ann, we're going to start with you.







Lesley-Ann Brown-HendersonRight Hello, everyone. My name is Lesley-Ann Brown-Henderson, I use she her pronouns. I work at Northwestern University. I've been here for 12 years. And I am Chief of Staff here. So my official title is assistant vice president and chief of staff and student affairs.







Keith EdwardsGreat,