This year, three students who are very involved with campus life—Jeremiah Brown ’23, Gabrielle Phillips ’24, and Paul Wang ’24—have each received a fellowship to explore this kind of work as a career.
The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) runs an undergraduate fellowship program (NUFP) for students who are both interested in student affairs and are from historically excluded backgrounds, including those who have a disability, identify as LGBTQ, or are from underrepresented groups.
Dean of Students Kristina Bethea Odejimi and Associate Dean of Students Michael Pulju introduced Brown, Phillips, and Wang to the fellowship program after recognizing that they showed an interest in and knack for campus leadership.
When Odejimi was a busy undergraduate at Denison University—with positions in residential life, admissions, fundraising, and student activities (all while playing varsity basketball, being in a sorority, and majoring in sociology/anthropology and Black studies)—she remembers being surprised to learn she could build a career in something she loved to do. “It was a director of alumni relations who said, 'Have you ever considered a career in student affairs? And I said, ‘Oh! It’s a career?'” she recalled.
"There are a few moments in a young person's life that are truly transformational," Odejimi said, giving a nod to the administrators and faculty she met as a student whom she credits for much of her success and persistence.
When Odejimi presented the idea of starting a NUF fellowship program at Bowdoin, Senior Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs Janet Lohmann said she immediately endorsed it. "[Kristina's] drive, her commitment, her passion for how to think about the pipeline of student affairs professionals was, candidly, something I had never thought about before. And so I supported it, I encouraged her, and I told her I would assist in any way I can."
Not only is student affairs a career path, it is also an evolving field with a variety of opportunities at universities, colleges, and high schools. Many administrators obtain higher degrees in the field. Those working in the profession report high job satisfaction and have good prospects for advancement, according to the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.
Brown said Odejimi steered him to the NASPA undergraduate fellowship, and he decided it was the right fit for him. At Bowdoin, he’s worked for Residential Life, the Office of the Dean of Students, Office of Admissions, the Department of Sociology, and Institutional Research, Analytics, and Consulting.
“For me, education has always been emphasized in my family, and now, being in college, it is easy to see why it has been emphasized—it's a unique and important experience,” he said. “And thinking about the role a college degree can play overall in society, it seems like a cool place to impact lives in a meaningful way.”
As a sociology major, Mellon Mays fellow, and Beinecke Scholar, Brown views the career path of school administration through the lens of his academic training. “If we’re thinking about improving society, we need to offer these educational experiences to disenfranchised groups. And when disadvantaged people enter higher education institutions, there needs to be equitable processes," he said. "It is exciting that society is in the midst of all these changes, and being an agent in those change processes as a higher education administrator would be really rewarding."
As a head proctor for residential life this year, Phillips became aware of the variety of jobs in student administration and the important role these professionals can play in students' lives. She's particularly interested in becoming a dean of a college or university, or head of a residential office.
What draws her to this work is the chance to help others and make authentic connections, she said. "You have direct contact with students, and students are often vulnerable with you because the problems they talk to you about have to do with life adjustments," she said. "It takes a good amount of listening, and I feel like students are more real with you when you're in this kind of role."
While Brown and Phillips are more certain that higher education administration is a career for them, Wang said he's still figuring out what he wants to do. But he chose to apply for the fellowship after being impressed by the staff he's met in student affairs at Bowdoin, including those in the Outing Club, Residential Life, and the Office of the Dean of Students.
"My interest largely stems from the amazing people I've met—these are really great people, so there must be some uniting factor!" he said. And while he's still "lukewarm" about entering student affairs, he said he's "grateful for the people who have steered me toward investigating the field."
The NUFP requires that each fellow be mentored by an administrator at their home institution (Odejimi and Associate Dean of Students Michael Pulju serve as mentors to Brown, Phillips, and Wang). It also offers a leadership development program and a summer internship at public and private universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges to expose fellows to different models of higher education.
Behind every type of school, however, there is a common experience. Being part of a student affairs staff on any campus, Odejimi said, means you can "provide students with an awesome experience. There should be challenges and there should be growth—and sometimes there's grief, and there's going to be frustration—but there definitely should be joy."
Speaking specifically about her colleagues at Bowdoin, she praised them for their dedication and expertise. "They are deeply committed to bettering the lives of students," she said, "and creating moments of learning and joy in all that they do."
