Student Officer Development Plan

1. Center for Student Engagement’s Student Officer Development Plan Nicky P. Damania Cynthia Esparza-Trigueros Nicholas Cruz Blevins Dara E. Naphan

2. University of Nevada • Established in 1874 • Nevada’s land grant institution • Nearly 19,000 graduate and undergraduate students • 46 National Merit Scholars • 145 Degree Programs

3. Center for Student Engagement • Campus Escort Service • Inkblot Marketing • Sound and Lights Department • Accounting Services • Front Desk Operations • Student Media • Advertising and Promotions • Campus Programming • Food Pantry • Student Event Advisory Board • Legal Services • New Student Initiatives • Scholarships • Legislative Affairs • Employee and Leadership Development • Clubs and Organizations • Undergraduate Research and Journal • Associated Student Government

4. Associated Students of the University of Nevada {ASUN} ASUN is made up of every undergraduate student at the University of Nevada. They provide a means for students to voice concerns and address issues at the university, local, state, national, and international levels.

5. The Question What are the various Student Officer competencies and do they improve them throughout their Public Servant Leadership tenure?

6. What competency areas need to be developed inStudent Officers?

7. What are some techniques to track development inStudent Officers? • ACPA’s Overall Professional Competences: • Advising and Helping • Student Learning and Development

8. Literature Review • Servant Leadership • A servant leader is "one who is a servant first" (Greenleaf, 2002) • Student Success in College Creating Conditions That Matter • Describes policies, programs, and practices that a diverse set of institutions have used to enhance student achievement (Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, & Whitt 2005) • The Social Change Model of Leadership Development • Theoretical leadership model that approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, values-based process that results in positive social change (Astin & Astin, 1996; Komives, Lucas, & McMahon, 2007) • Socially Responsible Leadership Scale • A statistically valid and reliable measure of that measures what it intends to measure and does so consistently (Dugan & Komives, 2010) • CAS Standards • The standards and guidelines for leadership programs stated that programs “must incorporate student learning and student development in its mission” (CAS, 2012)

9. CSE Competency Areas • Developing Professional Relationships • Understanding Teamwork • Gathering and Applying information • Problem Solving • Knowing the Rules

10. CSE Competency Items • Developing Professional Relationships • Relationships with Peers • Relationships with Faculty • Relationships with Staff • Understanding Teamwork • Understanding group dynamics • Working effectively in a group

11. CSE Competency Items • Gathering and Applying information • Transforming information into knowledge • Gathering information to make judgments • Using information to make judgments • Analyzing information to form opinions • Using judgments to make purposeful action

12. CSE Competency Items • Problem Solving • Identifying problems • Generating solutions to problems • Choosing between multiple possible solutions • Advocating for solutions • Implementing solutions • Evaluating outcomes of solutions

13. CSE Competency Items • Knowing the Rules • Applying the rules and protocols set forth • Explaining how government functions

14. Dual Assessment • 18 Self Reported Items Measuring 5 Competency Areas • Experience • Confidence • Socially Responsible Leadership Scale (established scale) • Consciousness of Self • Congruence • Commitment • Collaboration • Common Purpose • Controversy with Civility • Citizenship • Change

15. Methods • Took the Dual Assessments • Created action plans • Took the mid-year evaluation • Revisited the action plans • Retook the Dual Assessment • Assessed action plans

16. Phase 1 Case Study Step 1 In groups of 3-4, review the case Step 2 Identify 1 area of improvement Step 3 Create an innovative method to enhance one item within a competency area

17. What is your innovative plan?

18. ASUN Officers

19. Change in Competency Areas

20. Change in SRLS

21. Additional Findings • Officers overall showed greater improvement in: • Exp. and Conf. with Gathering and Applying Information • Exp. with Knowing and Following the Rules • By having the individualized action plans, Officers did show more improvement in the targeted competency areas

22. Developing Professional Relationships “When I started working with other officers it really helped me when I finally realized that they were also students that they were like me, that we were officers but we were also students. This helped dissolve the fear. It is much easier to work and communicate with others once I realized we weren’t so different.” ~ First Year Programmer “Some of the most beneficial things to me have been individual meetings with the professional staff. Also, after certain events I have somewhat “debriefed” with professional staff, and discussed what happened as well as talk about other scenarios that could have happened, ultimately talking about what could have gone better during whatever event.” ~ First Year Senator

23. Understanding Teamwork “The senate meetings where we avidly discuss issues affecting students at the University of Nevada have greatly helped me to solve problems professionally. When we are making a decision, as senators we must put aside personal interests and act for the students that we represent. This has led to a trickle-down effect, putting me in a position where I have needed to develop the ability to be a team player. In addition, I've taken the initiative to gather the whole opinion of the students on issues by tabling and asking questions to my constituents. From working on such influential projects, I've formed both professional and personal bonds with my fellow senators and other branches of ASUN.” ~ First Year Senator

24. Gathering and Applying Information “ASUN Clubs and Orgs is such a dynamic work environment that allows commissioners to have such a vast amount of discretion. I think that the conversations we have during/after funding hearings are some of the best dialogues that happen at meeting. In the current state of Clubs and Orgs, it seems the most important role is allocating funding to help clubs become successful. But, we also have to make sure that the funds we are approving are for appropriate purposes. This has most definitely been the most fulfilling part of working with CnO.” ~ First Year Club Commissioner

25. Problem Solving “I think working with my peers in a professional setting, has led to this improvement. It allows me to explore avenues that may or may not work in the real world environment without great consequences. I also have read and talked more about leadership attributes and other things that can help me be successful in other roles I play. I am getting more experience taking in others ideas and forming solutions too! This has been nothing but a valuable experience.” ~ First Year Club Commissioner “I have to find a problem and take a step back so I can try to develop a solution to that problem by looking at the needs and interests of others.” ~ First Year Programmer

26. Knowing the Rules “I ask my director and advisor when I’m not sure how to take care of something. I have learned so much through this experience. I have an understanding of how things work together and I have a sense of ownership in the process” ~ First Year Programmer “I’ve learned to structure what I’m saying when I speak to other groups. I learned that I need to speak with a purpose and I need to slow down. I need to know who I am speaking with and how I can impact the audience. When speaking to others I need to spark their interest, get their attention and then give them details of what information I want to convey to them. I need the group to trust me so that they will want to work with me.” ~ First Year Programmer

27. Advisor Observations • Motivation levels • Personal confidence • Asking more questions • Understanding transferable skills • Knowing own strengthens and weakness • Awareness of evolving leadership styles • Being more attentive • Open to receiving feedback

28. Limitations • Personal obligations • Scheduling conflicts • Self Selection • Motivation to follow-through • Commitment to their positions • Quality of Officer-Advisor relationships

29. Improvements • Auditory recording of conversations • More accountability for the officers • Incorporate other techniques • Re-developing competency areas

30. Discussion • Level of open dialogue • Sense of time commitment • Differing interpretations • Officers self-reflect • Focus on competency development

31. References Astin. A. W. & Astin, H. S.(1996). A Social Change Model of Leadership Development Guidebook Version III. The National Clearinghouse of Leadership Programs. Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. (2008). CAS General Standards, from https://www.cas.edu/index.php/cas-general-standards Dugan, J. P., & Komives, S. R. (2010). Influences on college students’ capacity for socially responsible leadership. Journal of College Student Development, 51(5), 525-549. Greenleaf, R. K. (2002). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness (25th anniversary ed.). New York: Paulist Press. Komives, S. R., Lucas, N., & McMahon, T. R. (2007). Exploring Leadership: For College Students Who Want to Make a Difference (2nd edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Kuh, G.D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J.H., Whitt, E.J., & Associates (2005). Student success in college: Creating conditions that matter. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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