Values Conference

Presenters: Dr. Crystal Kreitler and Torin Havelka

Location: Houston Harte University Center, C.J. Davidson Conference Center 100

Values: Integrity, Diversity & Inclusion, Significance, Community, Commitment

Speaker Bios

Dr. Crystal Kreitler

Dr. Crystal Mata Kreitler, a professor of psychology, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree from Angelo State followed by a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Texas Christian University. Kreitler has been teaching at ASU for 11 years. She is the author of over 20 articles, a research methods textbook and has delivered over 30 conference papers. She served as the faculty senate president in 2019 and earned the Rodgers Distinguished Award for faculty excellence in 2021. Kreitler enjoys advocating for the vulnerable and helping students develop their leadership skills. Kreitler currently serves the Texas Children’s Commission via a higher ed workgroup that advocates for children and teens in foster care. She also serves as a board member for the local Children’s Advocacy Center, the Laura Bush Institute and the Symphony Guild. She and her family are members of Sierra Vista United Methodist Church.

Torin Havelka

Torin Havelka is a first-year graduate student in the master of science program in industrial/organizational psychology program at ASU.  Havelka completed a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2022. Prior to pursuing higher education, he served as an infantryman in the United States Army from 2016 to 2020. During his time stationed at Fort Stewart, GA, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, Torin operated as an explosives specialist, quartermaster and sniper. Since exiting military service, he has been involved in several aspects of education and student experience helping to ensure all can succeed in the classroom. Upon graduation, Havelka hopes to enter the field of human resources where he can apply his knowledge and desire to support others in the workplace. 

Summary

This presentation will detail the findings from a study that explored the extent students are familiar with the five Angelo State University Core Values: Integrity, Diversity & Inclusion, Significance, Community and Commitment, as well as students’ perceptions of the Core Values and ASU’s success at upholding them. This study also investigated the level of students’ engagement among faculty, students’ perception of the quality of their relationships with faculty, their engagement in the classroom, and their perceived amount of Pupil Voice held. Pupil Voice is the degree of student engagement derived from students perceiving that their suggestions and ideas are respectfully received by their educational institution. The primary research questions in this study were: Are students able to identify the five ASU Core Values? To what extent do students perceive ASU’s success at upholding their Core Values? How do students perceive the quality of their relationship with ASU and the quality of their relationship with faculty? To what extent are students engaged in classes? To what extent do students perceive their Pupil Voice to be received by ASU, and to what extent do students feel engaged as a part of ASU’s decision-making process?

Learning Outcomes

1. Outline and describe areas of success in implementing the ASU Core Values from a student perspective.
2. Outline and discuss areas for improvement in implementing the ASU Core Values from a student perspective.
3. Outline and describe the perceived student relationship with faculty, engagement in the classroom, and the relationship between students and the university.

Learner Assessments

1. Through small-group discussion, participants will be successful in problem solving of areas for improvement in implementing the ASU Core Values for students.
2. Through small-group discussion, participants will be successful in problem solving of areas for improvement in the perceived student relationship with faculty, engagement in the classroom, and the relationship between students and the university.

Presenter: Dr. Kerri Mikulik

Location: Houston Harte University Center, Room 203

Value: Community

Speaker Bio

Dr. Kerri Mikulik is the executive director of admissions, strategic partnerships and dual credit at ASU. She has been with ASU for 12 years in a variety of roles and has served as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Prior to her time at ASU, she served as the student services coordinator at Howard College with a variety of responsibilities, and as an academic advisor at Texas A&M University. In her current role, she supervises recruitment and dual credit operations at ASU. Her team is responsible for organizing recruitment events on campus, representing ASU at high schools, community colleges and other events to recruit future Rams, and establishing transfer agreements with community colleges. Her team also includes dual credit operations, which oversees the admission, enrollment and advising of over 3,600 Texas high school students taking ASU dual credit courses.

Summary

The ASU Office of Admissions is often seen as the recruiter of the university, but it truly takes a village to recruit students. This session will highlight ways in which members of the Ram Family are vital to ASU’s recruitment initiatives. Our Core Value of Community highlights how the Ram Fam pulls together to engage in purposeful teamwork and unifies to strengthen our purpose. Recruiting future students is a great example of how all members of the institution are needed to achieve our enrollment goals. While the admissions team is often a first contact for many prospective students, many more points of contact are needed to recruit that student. Our prospective students and families love to hear from current students about their experiences. Our visiting families also appreciate meeting the faculty members who will teach their students and connect them with future internships and jobs.

This session will share survey results and feedback from recruitment events that highlight the impact different departments and individuals have on our recruitment initiatives. Attendees will also leave with strategies to use in a variety of roles to recruit students. These practices include telling memorable stories of the student experience and how our Core Values are illustrated in those stories, making prospective students feel important, and asking questions that allow you to direct your conversation.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify ways to contribute to a positive environment for our prospective students and their families.
2. Understand how every individual and position can impact a student’s decision to attend ASU.
3. Exhibit impactful recruitment practices, like storytelling and asking questions to direct conversations.

Learner Assessments

1. Through written exercises, participants will identify ASU stories to tell to prospective students at events and in the community.
2. Through mock conversations, participants will demonstrate understanding of leading conversations with questions.
   

Presenters: Dr. Kinsey Hansen and Dr. Gina Shipley

Student Presenters: Audra Strickland, Blaize Leatherwood, Kam Wiese, Lindy Ochoa and Miranda Franco

Location: Houston Harte University Center, Room 201

Value: Integrity

Speaker Bios

Audra Strickland

Audra Strickland is a senior exercise science major with a minor in health science professions from Granbury. During her time at Angelo State, she has been involved in Sigma Kappa and is currently the Sisterhood Chair. In that capacity, she plans a retreat and other events to further the bonds of the girls in the chapter. She loves working on events to help her chapter, and she has now also found her way to Student Transitions. This is her first year with the Fab Five and working closely with Jessica Gooch. Following graduation, she plans on becoming an occupational therapy assistant.

Blaize Leatherwood

Blaize Leatherwood is a senior accounting major from Dublin. He is president of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity and has worked with Orientation Programs for about two years, one year as an orientation leader and one year as a student orientation manager. This is his first year working with the Fab Five and Student Transitions. Following graduation, he plans to get a Master of Professional Accountancy (M.P.Ac.) to become a certified public accountant and work in either public accounting as an auditor or in industry accounting.

Kam Weise

Kam Weise is a junior history major with secondary teacher certification from Cranfills Gap. He is active in numerous campus groups and programs, including Student Government Association, Kappa Delta Rho, Greek Council/IFC, History Society, ASU Men’s Club Volleyball and RAMbassadors, as well as the Order of Omega, Phi Alpha Theta and Kappa Delta Pi honor societies. He has been working with Jessica Gooch on Ram Round-Up for two years, and this is his first year working with Student Transitions. After graduation, he plans to pursue master’s degrees in history and higher education, and possibly a doctorate. He hopes to become a university professor, or possibly a principal or superintendent.

Lindy Ochoa

Lindy Ochoa is a junior political science and philosophy major from Vernon. She holds the membership accountability position on the executive board of the Delta Zeta sorority, is treasurer of the Political Science Association, and is a member of the Political Science Honor Society. This past summer started her first year as an orientation leader, and now works as a Fab Five member within Student Transitions. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend law school with the hope of partnering with a nonprofit organization that combats sex/human trafficking.

Miranda Franco

Miranda Franco is a senior kinesiology major from Sundown. She is involved in several ASU student organizations and initiatives, including the Sigma Kappa sorority, First-Generation Rams, the RAMbassadors and Ram Round-Up. Within Sigma Kappa, she is the Panhellenic delegate, and she is also on the Executive Board for First-Generation Rams. As a RAMbassador, she gives group tours to prospective students interested in coming to Angelo State, and she also works admissions event days for prospective students. This is her second year working with Jessica Gooch and helping plan the Ram Round-Up freshman orientation camp, and she is also a member of the Fab Five working with Student Transitions. Following graduation, she plans to earn her ASU master’s degree in coaching, sport, recreation and fitness administration.

Summary

As student employees for the Office of Student Transitions, the Fab Five are focused on providing exceptional experiences for students through signature programs, such as New Student Orientation, Ram Round-Up and RAMbunctious Week. These five students will share their viewpoints on how the Core Values, particularly Integrity, are seen in their everyday tasks, but also in the highlighted programs.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify how the Core Value of Integrity is seen in the Office of Student Transitions.
2. Understand how student leaders and student employees apply the Core Values to their roles.
3. Apply similar methods to their own roles on campus.

Learner Assessments

1. Participants will have the opportunity for a Q&A session with our student presenters.
2. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss how the Core Value and the methods shared may look in their own roles on campus.

Presenters: Jaelyn Knight and Ashton Morris

Location: Houston Harte University Center, Room 201

Value: Community

Speaker Bios

Jaelyn Knight

Jaelyn Knight is a senior from San Angelo who is pursuing her ASU Bachelor in Science in exercise science. She is scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2023 and will continue her education in Angelo State’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) program. She has received academic honors every semester at ASU and believes she can provide a unique perspective on how her generation learns.

Ashton Morris

Ashton Morris is a senior from Midland who is pursuing her ASU Bachelor of Science in exercise science. She is scheduled to graduate in May of 2023 and will attend Parker University’s Doctor of Chiropractic program in August. She has received many academic honors and feels as though she can help today’s professors understand the way this generation of students learns.

Summary

Students of this generation are perceived as lazy and unmotivated individuals who go through the motions. However, laziness did not start with this generation, it has always been a problem. But at some point in our lives, we aren’t deemed lazy anymore. Do we stop being lazy simply because we grow out of it, or is it because we obtain that intrinsic motivation and desire to succeed, and find the passion that fuels our self-determination? Self-Determination Theory is an approach to human motivation and personality that uses traditional empirical methods to highlight the importance of humans’ evolved inner resources for personality development. Using this method, three needs were identified that are essential for facilitating optimal functioning of the natural propensities of growth, social development and personal wellbeing. The three needs are competency, relatedness and autonomy. (Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L.). As students of this generation, we hope to shed some light on the strategies that we have seen to have worked in getting the class to fully engage in lectures. While the students may not be intrinsically motivated, the extrinsic incentives (Kreps, D. M.) used by the professor made a huge difference in class participation. One of these incentives is having an ice breaker at the beginning of each class to loosen up the room. Another is creating groups in class that have to work together to answer questions posed by the professor. This helps to generate a class discussion and gets everyone involved. Finally, encouraging students to come to office hours, not only to talk about school, but about life, to show them they have your support. We aim to explore more extrinsic incentives that work to generate an environment that delivers excellence through continuous improvement.

Learning Outcomes

1. Asses teaching strategies that encourage participation to benefit higher education.
2. Recall the extrinsic incentives and summarize their benefits.
3. Describe why being motivated to learn is important.

Learner Assessments

1. Through small-group discussion, participants will be successful in communicating to one another the tools they use in the classroom to keep students engaged.
2. Through a Kahoot, participants will demonstrate an active understanding of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations.

Presenters: Christina van Ittersum and Erica Hidalgo

Location: Houston Harte University Center, Room 201

Value: Diversity & Inclusion

Speaker Bios

Christina van Ittersum

With almost a decade of teaching experience with international students at the collegiate level, Christina van Ittersum is excited to help foster inclusive learning environments by cultivating an appreciation of diversity through educating others on intercultural communication. She believes that inclusivity is essential to developing caring and ethical leaders.

Erica Hidalgo

Master Sgt. (ret.) Erica Hidalgo spent 20 years as a Korean linguist in the U.S. Air Force. She earned her B.A. in anthropology from Hawai’i Pacific University and her MBA from Florida State University, and she will graduate this May with her doctorate in education from Baylor University. She currently teaches World Cultures and Cultural Competence in the ASU Department of Security Studies and Criminal Justice. Her expertise in Korean language and culture, combined with her academic background in education, make her particularly qualified to present on qualities particular to Korean students in the classroom.

Summary

International students enhance the diversity and cultural experience of everyone at Angelo State University. It is our responsibility to create a community of inclusivity and belonging. This session will focus on how faculty and staff can better engage in meaningful dialogue with international students. Attendees will:

• Learn and apply Hofstede’s (1997) theory of cultural dimensions.
• Gain an understanding of the international student experience.
• Ensure assignments and rubrics are culturally responsive.
• Be equipped with basic knowledge of Korean culture and language.
• Practice creating inclusive classroom environments.

Learning Outcomes

1. Attendees will have a framework to analyze the cultural backgrounds of international students.
2. Attendees will gain an understanding of international students at Angelo State, specifically Korean students.
3. Attendees will evaluate their own rubrics and grading policies and how they might apply to international students.

Learner Assessments

1. Attendees will participate in questions and discussion to analyze their prior experiences and how they might modify their interactions in the future.
2. Attendees will be given a worksheet with sample scenarios to apply the framework they’ve been given to evaluate students from other cultures.

Presenter: Paige Harris

Location: Houston Harte University Center, Room 203

Value: Commitment

Speaker Bio

Paige Harris is a senior exercise science major from San Angelo. She is scheduled to graduate with her ASU bachelor’s degree in May and has already been accepted into the Angelo State Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) program that she would complete in May of 2026. She grew up in a very loving family with two older brothers who both graduated from Angelo State. She acknowledges that she grew up in a committed family, and that quality has helped her prepare this presentation for you.

Summary

Characterizations of Gen Z students tend to be stereotypical. People often hear and say that Gen Z students cannot commit to anything, whether it’s a hobby, major or relationship. These reactions to Gen Z may be more descriptive of a person’s internal frustrations when trying to lead this demographic. Faculty and staff can turn away students without even noticing. Having a closed-off aura can turn students away. If a student needs to talk about something, needs advice or just needs a helping hand, you should be there almost all the time. Staff should also be happy to give advice about college or life, and they should give the best advice they can to students. Mentoring is just as important as advising. That it is a matter of effectively engaging Gen Z students in their everyday lives and in their college careers. Faculty and staff should try their best to seek out relationships with their students. They should check in on students throughout their college process. We can find ways to get to know students in little ways. The word “advising” has a lot more to it than the work itself. You are also mentoring students on how those classes will help them in their lives. All of these things help us to reach our goal in the future, whatever that goal may be. Angelo State faculty, staff and students can help our whole campus make commitments in our everyday lives and for our bright future.

Learning Outcomes

1. Assess and characterize how commitment is seen in an average college student.
2. Interpret and summarize how leaders can help students make commitments.
3. Outline and describe how these needs and skills intersect.

Learner Assessments

1. Through small-group discussion, participants will be successful in solving issues related to differences in student personalities.
2. Through role-play scenarios, participants will demonstrate active understanding of problem solving.

Presenter: Dr. Paige Trubenstein

Location: Houston Harte University Center, Room 203

Values: Community, Diversity & Inclusion, Significance

Speaker Bio

Dr. Paige Trubenstein (or Dr. T) is an Angelo State alumna who graduated from ASU in 2015 with her Bachelor of Science in psychology. She attended the University of California, Riverside, where she obtained her master’s degree in developmental psychology in 2017 and her Ph.D. in developmental psychology in 2020. She eagerly returned to ASU as a faculty member in the fall of 2019, and she teaches multiple undergraduate and graduate courses in general, developmental and environmental psychology, as well as research methods and statistics. Her dissertation research investigated the effects of social capital and living environment (rural or urban) on intelligence. Her current research interests are in community gardens and how community gardens can serve as a catalyst for the development and maintenance of social capital in local communities. On a personal note, Dr. T loves animals and worked for several years as a veterinary technician at a local vet clinic before starting at ASU. She also loves gardening and is currently enrolled in the Texas AgriLife Master Gardner Program.

Summary

This presentation will demonstrate how having a campus community garden addresses many important topics, such as food insecurity, sustainability and student recruitment, while aligning with many of our Core Values, including community, diversity and inclusion, and significance. Gardens act to meet relevant community needs, create relationships though intentional acts of kindness, and pull us together to engage in purposeful teamwork. A recent study using data from over 400 food pantries demonstrated that although 85% of individuals who utilize food pantry services agree that it is important to have access to fresh produce available at the food bank, only 52% of individuals said fresh produce was always available at their local food banks (Caspi et al., 2021). A garden would allow for fresh, healthy produce to be sustainably produced on campus, by students for students, and would support a culture of equity, participation and belonging. Gardens provide a space for participation and belonging among students, faculty, staff and the San Angelo community. Students and faculty would work together, preparing for seasonal rotations, and then gathering and transporting produce from the garden to the food pantries. Additionally, the garden would serve as a recruitment tool for potential students who may not otherwise have considered ASU. Lastly, ASU students would be encouraged to grow produce from different cultures to encourage diversity within the garden and inclusion among the students.

Gardens construct a legacy and reputation of dynamic impact beyond ourselves by nurturing positive growth of the self and others and igniting innovation. A garden would benefit individuals who utilize the food pantries, as well as members of the Ram family who are passionate about gardening and sustainability. A garden could serve as a catalyst for inspiring sustainable practices across the ASU campus while demonstrating to students and the community that ASU is engaging in innovative practices.

Learning Outcomes

1. Define and describe what would be needed to construct a community garden on ASU’s campus.
2. Define the food needs of current students and what can be done to support those needs.
3. Outline and discuss a plan for moving forward with a community garden.

Learner Assessments

1. Through small-group discussion, participants will be successful in identifying what would be needed to construct a community garden on ASU’s campus.
2. Through small-group discussion, participants will be successful in outlining and discussing a plan for moving forward with a community garden on ASU’s campus.

Presenter: Chuck Waddington, Head Volleyball Coach, Assistant AD for Marketing and Promotions

Location: Location: Houston Harte University Center, C.J. Davidson Conference Center 100

Values: Significance, Commitment

Speaker Bio

Chuck Waddington just completed his 15th year as the Head Volleyball Coach at Angelo State University. He graduated in ’93 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) with a BS in Physics and received his MEd from Florida Southern in 2006. In his time at Angelo State, his teams have won 6 Lone Star Conference championships, been named the LSC Coach of the Year 4 times and the South Central Region Coach of the Year once in 2016. He has mentored 23 All Americans and 3 Academic All Americans. In the spring of 2021, his team won it’s first National Championship. He pushes his teams to be competitive on the court, competitive in the classroom and committed to committed to community service. His teams have been to 10 NCAA Tournaments and 15 straight LSC Championship Tournaments. In 2018, along with his coaching duties, he became the Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Promotions within Athletics. He and his wife Mandi will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary this summer. Together, they have 3 children; Bailey (24), Jaxsen (17) and Riley (10).

Summary

Successful teams and organizations usually have at least one thing in common: they do their best to create and maintain standards that allow for both individual growth and team success. In my world, I call these Championship Standards. These can be performance benchmarks, behaviors and organizational beliefs that influence every decision that goes into that team’s development. Things like recruitment/hiring, player/personnel development and organizational growth all depend on a commitment to these standards to make the greatest impact on both the team or organization and the surrounding community.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will learn what it means to be a Belles volleyball player.
2. Participants will have a better understanding of the commitment it takes to maintain these standards.

Learner Assessments

1. Participants will learn the importance of developing standards within their teams/organizations and how to go about creating them.
2. Participants will learn how finding the right people for their organization vs. the best people can impact their success.

Presenter: Dr. Nicole Lozano

Location: Houston Harte University Center, C.J. Davidson Conference Center 100

Values: Community, Commitment

Speaker Bio

Dr. Nicole Lozano (she/her) is an assistant professor of psychology with primary teaching responsibilities in the counseling psychology program. She leads the Cultivating Advocacy, Relationships and Equity (CARE) Lab at Angelo State, using feminist and intersectional qualitative research methods to explore people’s relationships with gender, parenting, trauma and reproductive decision making. Her research is community based, and she works closely with agencies in Texas and abroad to understand their research needs. Additionally, she has secured approximately $250,000 in grants for a variety of research work, including exploring STEM education, medical empathy in reproductive health care, creativity and parenting, and developing feminist teaching practices. In addition to her research, she maintains a part-time clinical practice in Nebraska via telehealth services, focusing on high-functioning clients experiencing depression, anxiety and perfectionism. She also supervises clinical students in working with a variety of psychological issues. Because we are more than our work, it’s important to note that she is also a beginning knitter, keeper of chickens and collector of quotes. Her stack of books to read is more then she can ever get through, yet she’ll never stop trying.

Summary

Self-care has never been more needed in society than now. However, many people misunderstand what self-care is and, particularly as researchers, the importance of balancing self-care with the work we do. This discussion will operationalize self-care and identify ways that people can increase self-care amidst the demands of life.

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate the importance of creating community.

Learner Assessments

• Small-group discussion focused on the difficulties with creating community and community care.

Presenter: Dr. Paul Swets

Location: Houston Harte University Center, Room 201

Values: Integrity, Diversity & Inclusion, Significance, Community, Commitment

Speaker Bio

Dr. Paul Swets is the dean of ASU’s College of Science and Engineering. He holds a B.S. and a Ph.D., both in mathematics, from the University of Texas (1989 and 1995, respectively). He has taught classes at Austin Community College, the University of Texas, Indiana University and Angelo State University since 1989. He is married with five grown children and two granddaughters.

Summary

A values-based culture does not start from the top. ASU’s Values Journey certainly included definitive input from faculty and staff, starting with our front-line team members. However, although it doesn’t start from the top, a values-based culture cannot succeed without support from administrators at every level.

This session is about how the College of Science and Engineering is implementing programming and support to encourage and reward our values-based culture among the college faculty, staff and students. RAVE – “Recognizing ASU’s Values Everyday” – is just one of the more public initiatives the college is undertaking this year to enhance and support the university’s Core Values Journey.

We’ll discuss how unit leaders can support a values-based culture in their unit, in ways large and small, in ways that cost money, and also in ways that require nothing but time and initiative. What these approaches have in common is a leadership commitment to the Values Journey and leadership support for a values-based culture in the unit.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify unit leadership’s role in supporting the Values Journey.
2. Access opportunities to support a Values Journey in their unit.
3. Discuss programming and support their units could implement in support of the Values Journey

Learner Assessments

• None

Presenter: Jessica Gooch

Location: Houston Harte University Center, Room 203

Value: Integrity

Speaker Bio

Jessica Gooch has been part of the Ram Family for nine years and has served in various roles within the Division of Student Affairs. Currently overseeing two departments, the Office of Title IX Compliance and the Office of Student Transitions, Jessica balances both policies/procedures and high-energy programmatic initiatives. She is student-centered, and focuses on leadership and developing community. Through programming, individual conversations and ongoing support, she hopes to be a resource for the students she comes in contact with. Jessica is an active member in San Angelo, such as serving as a board member of the Young Professionals of San Angelo, and was recognized as one of San Angelo’s 20 under 40 professionals for 2022. Outside of work, Jessica enjoys hiking and exploring state parks with her husband and three children. 

Summary

Applying Federal and State regulations within Title IX and Sexual Misconduct, along with the Texas Tech System and ASU policies to the Values Based Culture on campus. The Office of Title IX Compliance strives to be an office that supports students, provides educational components in order to help make campus safe, and is committed to providing and strengthening an educational, working and living environment where students, faculty, staff and visitors are free from sex discrimination of any kind.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify how integrity is seen in the Office Title IX Compliance
2. Understand how everyone on campus has a responsibility to act with integrity, as it relates to reporting
3. Identify resources and services the Office of Title IX Compliance provides to the campus community

Learner Assessments

1. Participants will have the opportunity to have a Q&A session with Title IX Coordinator
2. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss how the value and the methods shared may look in their own roles on campus

Presenter: Jennifer Engle

Location: Houston Harte University Center, Room 201

Value: Diversity & Inclusion

Speaker Bio

Jennifer Engle has been an instructor and adjunct instructor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the ASU College of Education for five years. Prior to that, she served as a secondary English teacher and instructional coach in Texas public schools for 16 years, and as an instructor of English at Howard College for two years. She recently completed the requirements for a Doctor of Education in curriculum and instruction with a specialization in curriculum studies at the University of South Carolina. Her research interests are online learning, cultural competence, andragogy, and training and development.

Summary

Faculty in higher education have a responsibility to devote efforts toward improving their own cultural competence as leaders to recognize biases and embrace reflective thinking concerning race, ethnicity, culture and other aspects of individuals’ identities (Phillips, 2015). Individuals must understand their own identities and how it manipulates the lens through which they see others (Lehmann, 2016). Frawley et al. (2020) note that in this way, faculty should enact the role of an agent of change, seeking social justice and compelling their students to do so, as well. Failure to consider cultural competence impacts the efforts to influence improvement based on diverse needs (Jani et al., 2016). Instructors must move past tolerance and consider the importance of equity, inclusion and diminishing barriers in creating a socially just environment (Lantz-Deaton, 2017; Lehmann, 2016). Because they experience culturally diverse encounters in their classes, departments and colleges (Arbour et al., 2015), they need to take a culturally intelligent approach to appropriately and effectively act in intercultural encounters and express positivity and acceptance toward cultural differences (Salazar & Agüero, 2016). To embrace this endeavor, professional conversations are an appropriate place to begin. In the fall semester, the curriculum and instruction faculty participated in a workshop focused on culture, bias and diversity with the goal of improving their individual cultural competence. The feedback provided through an anonymous survey showed an overwhelmingly positive response that, through the guided activities and collaborative discussions, growth had occurred. More importantly, the comments revealed that the initiative had stimulated a desire to both learn more and continue the conversations. This presentation will provide an overview of the workshop sessions, the specific feedback provided by participants, a recap of the conversations, artifacts from the sessions, and an opportunity to participate in one of the activities.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify components of effective professional conversations within a group.
2. Outline activities and topics that can collectively influence individual cultural competence.
3. Develop an action plan to incorporate professional conversations about cultural competence.

Learner Assessments

1. Through involvement in activities, participants will demonstrate an active understanding of facilitating professional conversations with colleagues.
2. Through online collaboration, participants will collect resources related to cultural competence.

Presenters: Dr. Kinsey Hansen, Dr. Gina Shipley and Mary Moreno

Location: Houston Harte University Center, C.J. Davidson Conference Center 100

Value: Community

Speaker Bios

Dr. Kinsey Hansen

Dr. Kinsey Hansen earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She knew after her first day on the job in higher education this was the field she was meant for. After working in private universities she had the privilege of serving in administration at community colleges, developing a greater passion for serving students. She earned a Doctor of Education in Higher Education with a specialization in Community College Administration and currently serves in what she refers to as the best job ever: assistant professor for Angelo State University. She teaches in the Student Development and Leadership program, is the program coordinator for Administrative Leadership and is the quality matters coordinator. She loves partnering with Dr. Gina Shipley and working to enhance resiliency among all students, but particularly focuses on special populations and collaborates to better serve individuals experiencing poverty and basic needs insecurity.

Dr. Gina Shipley

After earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio and enjoying a career in local government, Dr. Gina Shipley discovered her passion for education as an academic advisor at the secondary level. Always having her eye on a post-secondary career, she pursued a Master of Education in Student Development and Leadership in Higher Education from Angelo State University, and then went on to earn a Doctor of Education in Leadership in Higher Education from Hardin Simmons University. Currently, she serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Angelo State University. Shipley’s teaching assignments primarily focus on courses addressing social, cultural, diversity, equity and inclusion issues, as well as leadership-focused courses. Her research interests include collaborating with Dr. Kinsey Hansen to study basic needs insecurity among college students and working alongside colleagues to create solutions to promote success for students who are facing food and housing insecurity.

Mary Moreno

Mary Moreno earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism/Visual Communication from Angelo State University and quickly began her career as a graphic designer. After becoming a highly awarded designer and running a successful photography business, she set her eyes on her alma mater, ASU. Starting as the Office Coordinator for the Multicultural and Student Activities office, she discovered a passion for higher education and helped to facilitate the rapid growth and promotion of one of ASU’s amazing resources, the Ram Pantry, which currently serves over 200 students per month. Moreno currently serves as the coordinator of Multicultural Programs and is pursuing a Master of Education in Student Development and Leadership in Higher Education. She loves partnering with members of the community to spread awareness of the Ram Pantry and pours into research to better understand food insecurity and how to best help students overcome this hardship while navigating through college. 

Summary

Originally established to meet the increasing prevalence of food insecurity, the ASU Ram Pantry has flourished as a source of community among the ASU Ram Family. The Ram Pantry has grown into a collaborative support initiative, promoting an inclusive sense of place and purpose for students, faculty, staff, alumni and the region. In the past 15 years, the number of food pantries on college campuses across the country has skyrocketed by 6,500%, in large part due to global financial crises. The need at Angelo State has mirrored the state and nation in rates of students identifying as food insecure. During this session, we will discuss the history of our Ram Pantry, the broad base of support throughout our campus and beyond, services provided to our students today and goals for future support.

Learning Outcomes

1. Define food insecurity
2. Examine the causes and effects of food insecurity on college campuses
3. Explore the past, present, and future of our ASU Ram Pantry
4. Apply each of the tenets of the ASU core value of community to the impact of our Ram Pantry

Learner Assessments

1. Reflect upon current perceptions of campus food pantries
2. Synthesize Ram Pantry data to inform new perspectives
3. Engage in dialogue within small groups
4. Recommend potential solutions to address food insecurity at ASU

Presenter: Hannah Hoelscher

Location: Houston Harte University Center, Room 203

Value: Significance

Speaker Bio

Hannah Hoelscher is the Campus Visit Specialist with the Office of Admissions. After graduating from Angelo State with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science in 2017, she pursued a different career path before finding herself back at Angelo State in a full-time capacity in 2020. Starting as an admissions counselor, Hannah recruited future Rams at local high schools before moving over to the events team in 2021. Currently, she supervises tour guides while also overseeing the student organization, RAMbassadors. RAMbassadors is a recruitment organization made up of 50+ student leaders on campus who assist the office of admissions at recruitment events, giving group tours, sitting on student panels and much more. If you asked Hannah, she would tell you that she never anticipated working with college students in this environment. However, they have all tremendously changed her life in the best way possible.

Summary

When you work at ASU you are a recruiter by default, even if “recruiter” is not at the end of your job title. Recruitment is a team effort and takes a true village to get a student enrolled and here on campus. We always have great feedback on our RAMbassadors and other students that assist on event days. Prospective students and families want to hear from current students who are in the thick of college. They want to know what their experience is like, and we want to be transparent about that. You are going to hear from students who have real stories on why they chose ASU, why they continue to choose ASU, who and what has impacted them while they are here and what that game-changing moment was for them when they realized this is where they were meant to be. We will also discuss how important of a role you play as a faculty or staff in this decision-making process and how you can continue to play a role in our recruiting initiatives.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify that even the smallest encounters make the largest impact
2. Understand that the Core Values among us have helped students stay here at ASU
3. Create an environment that allows for great stories to develop and be told

Learner Assessments

1. Participants will have the opportunity to have a Q&A session with our students who have spoken
2. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss different recruitment strategies or share why they chose ASU and how that plays a part in the values we have today (they might be alum with a story or someone who works here and still chose ASU)