Vice President for Student Affairs Donna Allen speaks to Honors Seminar students
Dr. Donna Allen visited both
Honors Seminar classes today. As Vice President for Student Affairs she is in
charge of a large number of areas (22) all of which deal with students and
their lives on campus. Among those areas are the Cafeteria, Housing, and Communications.
She said her purview covered nearly everything but administration, business and
financial affairs, human resources, and academics. All of her services, she
added, were geared toward increasing student success. She also serves as the
final court of appeal for student disciplinary issues.
When asked, Allen related her circuitous path to her present position. She began her educational career at a two-year college and then transferred to Delta State University. She later revealed she had played varsity women's basketball. After, she attended Kansas State University where she earned a master's degree in counseling and student personnel services. She earned her doctoral degree at the University of Arkansas in higher education administration.
Her working career began as a Kindergarten teacher, a position she felt forced to leave after she reported suspected child abuse. The child's parents inferred that the report had come from someone in the school and the system supervisor ordered Allen to never again file such a report without first coming to see him. Allen felt she could no longer work under such restraints. So, she moved into higher education at the College of the Ozarks in their Student Support Center.
After she and her husband moved to South Central Arkansas, she began her long career at SAU. She first served as counselor and then Director of the Counseling Center. Later, she was invited to teach in the College of Education, eventually serving as Dean of the Graduate School and later in her current position as Vice President of Student Affairs. It was, she said, not a career path she had planned for or anticipated.
Allen then moved into the meat of her presentation. She began by referencing the work of Vincent Tinto, a noted expert on student retention and learning communities. Tinto, she said, claims that 70% of what students learn takes place outside of the classroom. She affirmed the importance of the student’s academic career and obtaining a strong knowledge base. She then touched upon a number of other important issues for students: social media presence, citizenship, work ethic, personal attributes, honest, integrity, creativity, and leadership. She added that students needed to take advantage of their years in college to analyze and improve their personal attributes and to learn how to make good decisions. She followed by emphasizing the need for students to learn how to get along with others.
She concluded by urging students to use the co-curricular transcript SAU offers. That documented transcript lists all co-curricular activities and can be an invaluable asset (in addition to traditional academic measures) for securing a job or a position in graduate school.
When asked, Allen related her circuitous path to her present position. She began her educational career at a two-year college and then transferred to Delta State University. She later revealed she had played varsity women's basketball. After, she attended Kansas State University where she earned a master's degree in counseling and student personnel services. She earned her doctoral degree at the University of Arkansas in higher education administration.
Her working career began as a Kindergarten teacher, a position she felt forced to leave after she reported suspected child abuse. The child's parents inferred that the report had come from someone in the school and the system supervisor ordered Allen to never again file such a report without first coming to see him. Allen felt she could no longer work under such restraints. So, she moved into higher education at the College of the Ozarks in their Student Support Center.
After she and her husband moved to South Central Arkansas, she began her long career at SAU. She first served as counselor and then Director of the Counseling Center. Later, she was invited to teach in the College of Education, eventually serving as Dean of the Graduate School and later in her current position as Vice President of Student Affairs. It was, she said, not a career path she had planned for or anticipated.
Allen then moved into the meat of her presentation. She began by referencing the work of Vincent Tinto, a noted expert on student retention and learning communities. Tinto, she said, claims that 70% of what students learn takes place outside of the classroom. She affirmed the importance of the student’s academic career and obtaining a strong knowledge base. She then touched upon a number of other important issues for students: social media presence, citizenship, work ethic, personal attributes, honest, integrity, creativity, and leadership. She added that students needed to take advantage of their years in college to analyze and improve their personal attributes and to learn how to make good decisions. She followed by emphasizing the need for students to learn how to get along with others.
She concluded by urging students to use the co-curricular transcript SAU offers. That documented transcript lists all co-curricular activities and can be an invaluable asset (in addition to traditional academic measures) for securing a job or a position in graduate school.
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