Student Affairs

Apr/16

Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG)

by Joe Sabado under About Me, Career, Personal Thoughts, Student Affairs

Setting big dreams is fun, isn’t it? My wife and I commute to work together, and there are days when we discuss all the possibilities ahead of us. We figure it doesn’t cost us anything, and if we’re going to dream anyway, we’ll dream big beyond our imaginations and realities as we see them now.

Personally, the last few months have proven to be fruitful so far. Some of what I consider Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG) have come/or are in the process of becoming realities. BHAG is a term I came across from the book called “Built To Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” by Jim Collins. The idea behind BHAG in this book is that visionary companies used bold and daunting missions to stimulate progress. I just recently read the book, so I didn’t know this term even existed, but it seems the goals I had set for myself would qualify as BHAGs. They may not be audacious goals for other folks, but these goals certainly are for me.

These personal BHAGs may not have been in the form I originally envisioned them, but they’re close to what I had in mind. In addition, some of these goals are personally scary for me. I figured I would have to conquer my fears as I encountered them. Another important note – these goals needed the help of other folks to make them happen! They would have never happened without folks who believed in me and the ideas themselves.

Here are some of my BHAGs that have become realities:

A seat at the Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAO) table in my role as IT Director. I became a member of my campus’ Student Affairs Executive Team in December. In this blog post, Case for Technology Leadership at the SSAO Table, I wrote about the value of having someone in a senior technology management role at the table who can bring technical expertise and perspective as strategic decisions are made.

A campus-wide IT leadership/management professional development program. With the support of our new CIO, Matt Hall, we have begun planning for a campus-wide program to promote community-building, leadership/mgmt, and technical training for IT professionals. Along with our CIO, we have a team consisting of IT Directors as well as HR managers that’s in the process of formulating our goals and program activities. This is an idea I proposed in this blog post – Cohort-Based IT Leadership Program for Higher Education.

NASPA Technology Knowledge Community (TKC) Chair. This is a position that seemed out of reach for me and one that I may not be qualified for, given the significance and scope of the TKC. However, as mentioned in this post (Sharing Our Vision at #NASPA16: Updates from the TKC Chair), I think I can contribute to advancing technology in student affairs by broadening the scope of conversation and those involved in the discussions through the chair position. With the help of an amazing team, the community members, and the current chair, Lisa Endersby, I can’t wait to see what we’ll do in the next couple of years!

A webcast on student affairs and technology. A couple of weeks ago, the opportunity to do a webcast finally happened with the webcast “What AVPS and Mid-Level Professionals Need to Know About Technology” with Eric Stoller and Stephanie Gordon. It was a challenge for me, given that I am not always sure of how much I know about the topic and how I may come across on a live discussion when folks are watching from all places.

Lose 45 pounds in 10 months. Never in my wildest dream would I ever think I’d accomplish this. After all, I’ve tried in the past to lose weight, but for various reasons, I just couldn’t make it happen. Here is a blog post, How I lost 20 Pounds in 3 Months, of what I found to work (written three months after I started the weight loss attempt).

As I had mentioned, my wife and I have a list of BHAGs, and those shall remain a secret to us, and who knows if they’ll ever come to fruition. It is fun, though, to work towards them and to think about the possibilities. Professionally, I see the next three years as potentially significant for me. With a mixture of luck, preparation, and the help of many folks, I hope they’ll happen.

What are your BHAGs?

Photo of goldfish with shark fin courtesy of: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZwxYtFWwAIclAj.jpg

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Feb/16

What Defines a Student Affairs Professional?

by Joe Sabado under Student Affairs

What is a student affairs professional? This seems like an easy question, yet I haven’t found a definitive answer. When I see questions such as “do student affairs professionals need a Master’s degree?”, I wonder even further about what folks are referring to as professionals. In a typical student affairs organization, there are different classifications of jobs that make up the organization. For example, in UCSB Student Affairs Division, there are more than 30 units, and folks are assigned to different roles within these units. For example, in student health service, we have physicians, medical assistants, administrative assistants, business officers, and storeroom staff. We also have an IT unit consisting of technology professionals and administrative staff. In our Disabled Student Services office, we have advisors, adaptive technology staff, and administrative staff.

Given the sample of roles in our division mentioned above, I think that not everyone in the division needs Masters’s degree to do their jobs. However, I must ask, “if student affairs professionals need a Master’s degree, what qualifies them to be a student affairs professional?” That a staff works in a student affairs organization, does that qualify them to be considered a “student affairs professional”? Are there particular roles within student affairs organizations that are “professionals,” or does one need some educational credential to be considered one?

What do you think?

Click on the image above to view the pdf version.

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Feb/16

The Benefits of Building/Managing Your Digital Reputation

by Joe Sabado under Student Affairs, Technology

Reputation can be defined as people’s perceptions of a person’s character. In the realm of digital space, including social media, reputation is built on 1) the content a person produces or shares (tweets, blog posts, photos, videos, …) and their interactions with others (digital footprint) and 2) what others share about a person (digital shadow). Eric Qualman coins the terms digital footprint and digital shadow.

This post is about some of the benefits I’ve received by having an intentional digital presence through my blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, Slideshare, and Facebook. When I joined the social media platforms I mentioned a few years ago, I could never have imagined the folks I would meet, which led to professional collaborations and opportunities that have come my way. I’ve also developed some friendships along the way. I share the following list to illustrate how a person such as myself, who, in my opinion, is no different than most folks in my professions (student affairs, higher ed IT), can benefit from having a positive presence online.

Elected as NASPA Technology Knowledge Community Chair (2017-2019).
Hired as a consultant by two universities to lead an external program review team.
Co-present sessions on social media at a couple of conferences.
Invitation to NASPA Technology Summit in Washington, DC.
Invitation to contribute an article to NASPA Leadership Exchange Magazine.
Invitation to co-author a chapter on Student Affairs technology.
Accepted as an assessor to a UC Leadership program based on my blog posts about leadership.
Invitation to speak to student affairs grad students on digital reputation.
Invitation to be a guest on a podcast to talk about student affairs technology.
Opportunities to speak on digital reputation and alternative professional development for multiple groups at UCSB.

When I share my perspectives online, I’m not always sure how others receive my message. Even with the best and clear intentions, my messages are received in many ways. Given that realization, I’ve developed principles that guide how I present myself and interact with others online. Some of my main principles include:

Be honest.

When folks, including my Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, our campus CIO, my colleagues, students, my family and friends, and other professionals I respect follow me on social media, I better be consistent and honest with what I share.

Be kind in how you relate with others.

Even when I’ve disagreed with others, I always try to maintain respect as I would like to be treated with the same kindness. One of the limitations of social media is that one does not get the full context of what is being shared or how a person may act.

Aim to provide value to others.

I started primarily writing about my personal and professional interests with my blog. I’ve found my blog to release my frustrations related to my experience as a person of color and share my visions of what I think student affairs and technology may hold in the future. While I still primarily write for myself, I’ve found that others do relate to the topics I write about. I get messages from folks who tell me how a blog post prompted them to re-frame their thoughts or how they can relate to my experience, specifically about racism and discrimination.

Another way I’ve found myself to be of value is by connecting folks from different circles of my life. Just like I do in conferences or parties, it’s fun to be able to introduce friends and colleagues who may share interests and then gently step away so they can have the space to continue the conversation themselves.

I do have some missteps from time to time, and I don’t always follow my principles; I’m human, but I strive to apply the principles I mentioned above.

I hope my post has convinced you (if not already) that building/maintaining a positive digital presence does have some benefits. Please let me know if I could provide you with some ideas on getting started.

How about you? How are you managing your digital presence, and what principles do you use?

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Jan/16

Social Justice and Information Technology

by Joe Sabado under Student Affairs, Technology

Social justice and higher education information technology (IT) are topics typically not associated with or discussed. However, given the impact and the role of information technology in the daily lives of students (as well as prospective) and the campus community, social justice as a lens on how information technology is designed and implemented should be considered more. Social justice, in the context of this post, relates to distributive and procedural. Tyler and Smith (1998) define distributive justice as the “distribution of limited goods and resources based on principles of equity, need, or equality” and procedural justice as the “influence during the decision-making process.” As information technology professionals, we must ensure the systems we implement promote access to higher education and enable students to be successful in graduating and meeting their goals in attending college. We must think beyond our privileges (race, ability, socio-economic background, education, etc.) and consider the impact the systems we provide may have on those from underrepresented and disadvantaged communities.

As I think about my experience as a first-generation college student in 1991, the process of choosing which school to attend, and how intimidating and confusing the admissions application (including financial aid) was back then, I only wonder how much more complicated the process is now for students and their families. Not only do they need to understand the application process in itself, but they must also navigate through multiple websites to get the information they need to decide on which school to attend, submit their application, apply for financial aid, reserve orientation sessions, apply for housing, and many more steps depending on their backgrounds. Even at our university, we can and need to do better in consolidating/integrating our websites (currently with different navigation, design, and information structures) so applicants should not have to access several websites during the application process. I brought up the situation above because it relates to access to higher education. How many students from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds with low digital literacy are disadvantaged by how confusing the systems are, which could lead them to give up or provide wrong information, which may lead to negative consequences in the future?

Another population that may be disadvantaged by careless design/implementation is students with disabilities. Websites that are not designed with accessibility in mind have negative impacts on these students. Imagine having a blind student complete an application form on a website that is not accessible. Not only would it be frustrating for the student, but it also would prevent them from completing the required process to be admitted to the university. In another example, what if a disabled student cannot use a website form to provide personal/medical information for accommodation (notetaking, proctoring) that may prevent them from receiving the services they need to compete and succeed academically?

About procedural justice, I cite examples of judicial affairs and financial aid information systems to highlight the importance of information systems in providing a fair process. Students accused of academic or behavioral misconduct and must go through the judicial process are in critical moments in their lives. As such, judicial affairs officers and those involved with the case must have all the required and accurate information to determine the outcome fairly. Imagine a poorly implemented judicial affairs system that incorrectly presents wrong information about the student to the judicial affairs staff. What if that incorrect information was used to determine the outcome?

I also mentioned the financial aid information system as another system that may impact procedural justice. As with the judicial affairs information system above, financial aid officers must have the required and accurate information to decide on the amount of financial aid to award to the students. Given the high cost of college attendance (tuition, room & board, books, etc.), the amount of financial aid offered may mean the difference between a student attending college or staying home. All information available to financial aid officers must be accurate and readily accessible.

The examples provided are just two of many I can cite to illustrate the impact/role of information technology in social justice. As I mentioned above, social justice and information technology are often neither discussed nor associated with them. However, as information technology professionals responsible for providing these systems, we must be aware of how these systems impact students and ensure they promote access to higher education and enable students to succeed.

As I mentioned above, social justice and information technology are often neither discussed nor associated between them. However, as information technology professionals responsible for providing these systems, we must be aware of how these systems impact students and ensure they promote access to higher education and enable students to succeed.

Reference:

Taylor, S.H. “The Impact of College on the Development of Tolerance.” NASPA Journal, 1998, 34, 281-295.

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Dec/15

My Professional Reading List 2015

by Joe Sabado under Career, Information Technology, Leadership, Professional Development, Student Affairs, Technology

Another year of professional growth and learning. A significant amount of my time went to my MBA (IT Mgmt Specialization) course work in 2015; I could not devote as many hours to reading about other topics I enjoy, such as higher education and student affairs. Nevertheless, I still managed to enjoy reading the books below. As it was with my professional reading lists for 2013 and 2014, most of the books below are kindle books I read through my iPhone and iPad. The beauty of mobile learning. Please feel free to ask me for any recommendations.