This month we are spotlighting Karen Arthur – Director of Student Services, College of Business Administration at Central Michigan University!

 

What has your career path been like up to this point?

I have to say that part of my career path includes what I call “key undergraduate experiences.” I was a Resident Assistant (RA) at Bowling Green State University when I learned about higher education. The RA role required a one credit class that introduced us to the idea of support networks. My Residence Hall Director happened to be a Central Michigan University (CMU) alum. I was also undecided after doing a gap-year abroad in Austria before starting my freshman year. My college experiences shaped the way I approach students.

I eventually studied K-12 German to go into teaching. My interest in training and development stems from my teaching degree.   In 1997, I began my position at CMU in general academic advising. I was earning my master’s degree in counseling at CMU when I completed a one-year internship and split my time between advising and my internship in the university’s Counseling Center. I took a career counseling class and also taught a career exploration class that utilized Strong Interest Inventory and Meyers-Briggs assessments. I went on to work with the orientation program and trained student mentors.

In 2002, I completed my counseling degree, and I started a ten-month advising position in the College of Business Administration. I was Director of the Business Residential College and when our Director of Student Services retired, I stepped in as interim for two years. I was eventually hired in that role in 2014.  

What brings you joy outside of work?

Outside of work I spend time with family and friends. I like to be creative. I enjoy music, being outdoors, and baking! 

Your colleagues who nominated you highlighted your work on the CMU Academic Advising Retreat calling it a “transformation for CMU professional development.” Could you describe that event and its purpose and evolution?

The purpose of the retreat was twofold. It began as a full-day professional development (PD) for our academic advisors and then we merged it with a vision of our admissions team to allow transfer and CC advisors to come learn about CMU and participate in a mini-conference as well.

This is absolutely a team effort. Our PD workgroup brainstorms presenters and topics. It was not my brainchild so I can’t take credit for the event design, but I enjoy working as part of the team.

At the time, I couldn’t wrap my mind around who would want to help with this and how many faculty would want to step up and submit proposals related to working with students. I have enjoyed getting to know the presenters and meet the many people who have made this event work.

The event is now held annually each fall and open to any Michigan community college advisor who would like to join. Just contact advising@cmich.edu. 

Your colleagues who nominated you described you as a “relied upon resource for ideas” and said despite your college-based role that you “prioritize the success of students and advisors across campus.” How do you approach solving problems? What motivates you to go above and beyond when setting your work priorities?

I love brainstorming and wordsmithing. I always want to try and go big with an idea to do something brand new or different. When talking about students who are at risk, I want to think big and bold. I like to think about the obstacles, who is available to help us, and where a student is at. What is it they need? Are there behaviors related to them being overwhelmed? Can we require something that will teach new behavior? This can be a challenging age group and sometimes we need folks who will say, “yes this is something you need to do.”

I learned years ago that getting students to attend programming is tough. I like to bring ideas back to my staff for feedback to make sure there is cohesion. We are better when we are working together, and people aren’t afraid to speak their mind. I learn from my staff and like to have an open collaborative communication style.

What motivates me is seeing when things work and students learn, grow, development, and gain confidence. We tried something new during orientation where we had seven stations in the building staffed by folks from the college and orientation mentors and students went around in small groups with a checklist to hear a few details about each location in our building and what is offered in that part of the college. We put ourselves in the shoes of someone who comes for a recruitment event, and we didn’t want to do the same thing as their college tour, but this gave them the chance to learn where they are going and learn that they have choices of what to engage in. It simulates the first-year experience. We try to slow the fire hose of info they receive and give them what they need, when they need it. They had excitement when we asked for feedback afterwords because they got to discover everything in our building on their own.

I love teaching and learning. I loved learning from dynamic speakers and faculty as a student. I can still tell you some of the information and stories my faculty taught 20 years ago because it was engaging, so I try to be engaging. 

What has been the highlight of your experience with MIACADA so far?

There is value in having a state group. Not every institution is able to send advisors to a national conference. We know trends we see in the state. We all share concerns about enrollment, but people aren’t afraid to share some of their best kept secrets. We can connect with colleagues who care about students in our state and can share their ideas. We have more in common than we often realize, and sharing is valuable. 

What advice would you give to new advising professionals entering the field?

I think it is important for new advisors to know colleagues in different areas of their campus and build rapport. They feel like they need to catch up and know everything about their position, but they should have a parallel plan to meet faculty, introduce themselves to other advisors, start sharing stories with others, and keep a record of the work they are doing to more clearly see the progress they are making. Invite others to sit in on your appointments and give feedback or try a role play and consider the wording you use. As a new advisor you can be so focused on details of learning policies and there is also something to be said about your approach and communication style. I still love my job and if you can do that after 28 years, there is something to be said about collaboration with the people committed to doing great work around you.