Settling In

Recently I was thinking about the Renn and Hodges (2007) article about student affairs professionals' first year on the job (EOL 583) and how their article might relate to my experience. I revisited the article, looking for information about the three phases of the first year in a higher ed/student affairs/academic affairs job: Orientation, Transition, and Settling In. Although I've only been in the full-time position since January, I have been with this office since May of last year and at this point I identify with the settling-in phase for the most part.

The chart on page 374 of the article illustrates the phases and their components really well. It shows how relationships, "fit," and "competencies" evolve (generally) through each of the phases. Under Settling In - Relationships, one point is that "Relationships with students solidify." This is definitely true for me. Of course, some students never come in, but I have built a great rapport with many others. I even got a thank you note last week after one of my students was accepted to his major!

Under Fit for Settling In, one point is "Environmental awareness improves, but not always happy with institutional culture." This is true for me as well. I'm making connections all over campus and learning about how different units interact. I'm also getting a better feel for how others perceive campus interactions (sometimes good, sometimes not-so-good). Right now I still don't know enough to really have my own judgments about the workings of most other departments, but I enjoy hearing about others' experiences working with different units (what works and what doesn't work in terms of communication, etc.).

Finally, under Settling In - Competencies, Renn and Hodges list "More aware of abilities and needs for training." This rings true for me too. In fact, the other "new guy" and I have been reflecting together on our training/beginning experiences as advisors in DGS and are going to present information about new advisors' experiences and resources at the campus advising conference in May.

I'm glad I went back to this article as I emerge from my first full year at DGS. I can personally relate to it more easily now than when I read it last Fall, because now I can use it as a reflection piece in addition to a research piece.