Getting Involved by Running for the Ryerson BoG

"Get Involved!" is a common phrase told to college and university students to get the most out of their student experience. When new professionals have sought my advice on how to move their career forward I often remind them to "Get Involved" in your career by presenting, volunteering or taking on additional responsibilities to learn, network and develop professionally. 

I decided it was time to try getting involved in my career in a new way by putting my name forward to represent staff on Ryerson's Board of Governors. The election campaign begins today and I thought I would share the statement I prepared for my staff colleagues:

Ryerson's reputation and influence on the community has risen a great deal in recent years. We are becoming an increasingly important player in Canada and around the world. I am excited to be part of this change and believe that it has important implications on Ryerson staff. For this reason it is essential that staff representatives make strong contributions at the board level and I believe I am the person to make these contributions.

My work at Ryerson began in 2005 but I also have the advantage of having worked at the University of Guelph, McMaster University and Georgian College. While at Georgian I was responsible for creating the first student housing department to open the college's first residence. This experience set me up well at Ryerson to establish the new Student Community Life cluster of four units in 2008.  

Outside of work I gained my MA in Education with a focus on post-secondary education administration. Furthermore, I represented my Ontario and Canadian student housing colleagues on two boards over six years; four years at the provincial level and two years internationally. I am the only person to serve at the international level who was the Ontario region President. My peers in both organizations recognized my efforts with awards: one for innovation and vision and the second for helping to globalize our profession.

Serving at the highest level of leadership at Ryerson demands someone who has experience, perspective and an ability to tackle complex issues. Working at other institutions, creating departments, serving on professional boards and being recognized for my contribution gives me the background to be a strong staff representative. Vote for Glen Weppler in this election so I can represent staff and engage with other board members who share the common goal of making Ryerson a great university.

Best of luck to everyone who has put their name forward for a position. 

Leveraging Junco's Infographic - The Relationship between Facebook & Student Engagement

Facebook can positively influence student engagement according to Rey Junco's December post Facebook and student engagement infographic. 

To help student affairs and faculty colleagues appreciate the power of social networking I have found myself referring to this infographic many times over the past couple of months. Two simple figures I have shared include the fact that students sign into Facebook nearly six times a day and that they spend over 100 minutes per day on the site. This resource is full of great nuggets of information that can be used to showcase the influence that social networking has on student engagement.

Several student affairs colleagues I've spoke with have heard about Junco's blog which has been great to discover as he has a lot of good information posted. Check it out if you have not read it: http://blog.reyjunco.com/