SPAHE

SPRING 2015

UNCG
SPAHE
Newsletter
Spring
2015
GIVING ALL SPAHE STUDENTS, CURRENT AND FORMER, A WAY TO CONNECT TO UNCG

Internship Spotlights
With internship season coming up, lets hear from current
2nd year SPAHE students about their experiences!
This summer, I interned at Stony Brook University in New York. The campus is
situated on Long Island, with New York City a short train ride away, so that
presented a number of awesome opportunities for exploring the area. There were
four other interns in my office, so we formed an intern cohort (instant friend
group!). My responsibilities were as follows:
- SBU was reworking their programming model, so I helped come up with key
performance indicators and created training guides for Residence Hall Directors
and Resident Assistants learning the online program tracking/advertising platform.
- SBU was trying to cater better to their students from outside the Long Island/Five
Boroughs area ("out of area students"), so I worked with the other interns to plan a
mentorship program and overnight orientation event for these students.
- I organized roundtable discussions, icebreakers, and social events for SBU's
annual RA Conference, which includes a track for graduate and professional staff.
- I volunteered my time with SBU's Evening & Weekend Life office, and helped
them create a strategic plan by soliciting feedback, suggestions, and best
practices from offices in peer institutions.
What I enjoyed most about the experience was that the entire department was
very supportive of my development, and I was given a number of great
opportunities to grow. I forged a good relationship with my supervisor, and she
pushed the other interns and me out of the office frequently so we could explore
New York and make the most of our summer. Overall, it was an excellent
experience, and I'd recommend it to anyone!

Luke Poole, Class of 2015

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For my internship experience requirement, I spent this past

summer with Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) in
Savannah, GA. Although I dont think SCAD is the best fit for
me, I had a wonderful time understanding the many facets
of Housing & Residence Life at a private institution, while
enjoying Savannah, GA. My supervisor gave my counterpart
and I the opportunity to create training modules for the
summer team, directly supervise our staff, and sit-in on SCAD
HRLs hiring process. It was an emotional two months, but
coincidently the most amazing of my life.

Brandy Hall, Class of 2015

As 1st SPAHE students take the next step in the internship

hiring process, remember to have an open mind. It may not
be what you expect, but instead, just what you need to
learn.

This summer I had the opportunity to intern in the

New Student Orientation office at the University of
Alabama at Birmingham. It was an amazing
experience filled with so many professional
development opportunities. My absolute favorite
part was being able to help introduce UABs new
bystander intervention training to new students. In
addition to co-conducting the training, I attended
Sexual Misconduct Committee meetings to help
shape how the university trains students to identify
and respond to risky behaviors. It felt amazing to
be able to make a tangible impact on UABs
extraordinary campus. The Orientation Leaders
were amazing students full of passion, critical
thinking, and ambition. They were an inspiring
group to work with who challenged me to be a
better professional. Im so grateful for my time at
UAB!

Heather Whedbee, Class of 2015

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SPRING 2015

TPE Updates & Events

Upcoming Webinars:
Monday, January 26th, 12:00-2:00 PM, EST
Wednesday, February 18th, 4:00-6:00 PM, EST
Monday, March 2nd, 9:00-11:00 PM, EST
FYI: Upcoming Candidate Orientations via webinars.
We love to help you prepare ahead of time! The Placement Exchange is offering online candidate orientations for TPE Onsite
2015. Find out what you need to know about the onsite location and managing the experience before you ever set foot in
New Orleans.

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TPE

Alumni Spotlight

Kathleen Monroe, Class of 2011

I graduated from the SPAHE program in 2011 and accepted the Assistant Director of
Career Services position at William Peace University in downtown Raleigh, NC. This
August, 2014 I was promoted to Associate Director of Career Services. In my role at
WPU I manage our internship program, teach professional development classes, plan
and implement a Non Profit Career Fair for (ENCCA) the Eastern North Carolina
Career Association, conduct workshops on LinkedIn and writing a statement of
purpose for graduate school, and assist with employer development. This year I am
on the Executive Committee for Membership for (NCACE) The North Carolina
Association of Colleges and Employers. Previously, I served on the Executive
Committee as the Newsletter Chair in 2013-14 and on the Conference Planning
Committee in 2012-13 as the Chair of the New Members breakfast. In my free time I
love traveling locally and abroad, playing with my rescue dog, Darcy, checking out
whats new at the North Carolina Museum of Art, Crossfit, hiking, and eating tasty
food at local restaurants. Originally I am from Indiana and have a Bachelor of
Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Indiana
University at the Fort Wayne campus so I enjoy going home to see family as often as
possible.

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Alumni Updates
Sami Francis (14) has been ordained by the power of the internet as a Dudeist Priest by the
Church of the Latter-Day Dude and a clergy-person in the Church of Spiritual Humanism. She is
now registered to perform marriages in the State of Ohio and exercised this right on Nov. 22nd in
Cleveland when she officiated her cousins wedding. She hopes to see folks at NASPA 2015
NOLA or ACPA 2015 in Tampa.
Sheila Gothard (11) has a new position as Dean of Student Affairs at South University- High
Point Campus.
Kristen Harris (10) has a new position as Assistant Director of the College of Business Advising
Center and awarded ECUs Centennial Award for Excellence.
Ethan Grey Hucthison (10) has a new position as Lead Academic Preceptor for Cowell College
at The University of California at Santa Cruz.
Erin Knaul (13) helped start and was elected treasurer to the South Carolina College Learning
Center Association, a state affiliate of the National College Learning Center Association.
Antron Mahoney (07) was recognized October 2014 as Mid Manager of the Year by NASPA
Florida.
Mary Lesa Pegg, 2nd-year SPAHE student, was just named Coordinator for Networking Initiatives
with UNCG's Career Services Center. Mary Lesa will begin her new responsibilities in January.
Brandy S. Propst (12) received the NASPA Region III William Leftwich Award for Outstanding
New Professional. She also was recently appointed as the Chair of the Alumni Committee for the
NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program (NUFP) Advisory Board. She has been a member of the
NUFP Advisory Board and the Region III Coordinator for the NUFP for 3 years.
Myles Robinson ('12) has a new position as Academic Advisor in the College of Engineering at
NC State University. This year he married his wife Vanessa in September 2014 and are
celebrating their daughter Zoe's first birthday this November.
Rachel Rodney (13) was just elected President-Elect of the Washington College Personnel
Association, which I worked to co-found over the past year here in WA state!
Matt Shilling (11) in July of 2014 returned to Campus Recreation and currently serve as the
Assistant Director for Facilities for Recreational Services at UNC Charlotte. He also got married
on Nov 1st and met his wife at UNCG. She finished her PhD in Sport Psychology in May 2014
and currently serves as the Post Doctoral Fellow for the Institute to Promote Athlete Health and
Wellness. Her name is Dr. Erin Reifsteck.
Jalonda Thompson ('11), Coordinator of Exploratory Advising in UNCG's Students First Office &
SPAHE alumna, was named Outstanding New Professional by NCCPA.
Alexandra Willis (09) was promoted to the Director of the Center for Service- Learning and
Community Engagement at Austin Peay State University and most impressively now have my
own flock of baby chicks to produce eggs for the campus food pantry. They run around the
outside of the Center for SL & CE. It is awesome!
Keira Wilson (10) is now a TEDx speaker for Princeton TEDx and was recently named Staff
Person of the Year for our national partner BreakAway, for alternative breaks.

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SPRING 2015

SPAHE Program Updates

Deborah Taub and Brad Johnson ('09) recently presented "The Status of Gender-Neutral
Housing: Findings from a National Study" to the annual conferences of the North Carolina Housing
Officers (NCHO) and the North Carolina College Personnel Association (NCCPA). Their study
addressed results and implications addressing: How widespread is the practice of gender-neutral
housing (GNH) and how is it being implemented? What barriers to establishing GNH have
campuses encountered? What GNH policies have been developed?
SPAHE 2nd-year students Christina Jordan, Logan Schuerman, and Angie Loggains, and 1styear student Shakinah Simeona-Lee
all received
scholarships by NCCPA to attend its annual
[Article
Author]
conference.
The Careers in Student Affairs Conference, sponsored each year by the SPAHE Program and
TEHE, was recognized as Program of the Year award by NCCPA.
Deborah Taub was recently selected as a member of the 2016 Annual Convention Planning Team
of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA)--College Student Educators
International. The 2016 Convention will be held in Montral, Qubec, Canada and will be an
historic event for the Association as the first convention held outside of the U.S.

HESA News
Congratulations to the new HESA Executive Board!
Dora Rosser, President
Tifaney Millwood, Vice President
Evan Owen, Treasurer
Lindsay Metz, Secretary

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SPRING 2015

Do you have anything to share?

Send any updates and suggestions to Rachel Adams,
rcadams2@uncg.edu.

Stay connected to SPAHE

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