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The Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel (HIED) program at Kent State University prepares its graduates to serve as administrators to meet the various challenges within U.S. higher education institutions. As I reflect back on my experiences as a student in the Program several thoughts immediately come to mind. First and foremost, the progressive professional growth and development as a result of technical instruction gained in the classroom and practical knowledge achieved from practica, graduate assistantship and professional experiences. It is my opinion these two distinct and essential components of Kent State’s HIED program have distinguished Kent State from the other twelve higher education/student affairs programs in the state. I need look no further than my professional experience within the department of Residence Services at Kent State to demonstrate my professional development. In August, 2006, I obtained a graduate assistantship and joined the department as an assistant residence hall director. My primary responsibilities in this position included: recruiting and training the building’s 16-member hall council executive board; advising the executive board hall council and 450 member hall council on matters including budget, policy and programming; overseeing management of hall budget, approximately $3,000 per semester; assisting in residence hall occupancy/retention, incident management and discipline adjudication and documentation; supervising and evaluating approximately four resident assistants; and interviewing potential resident assistant candidates. At the end of my first semester my immediate supervision accepted another position at a different institution. As a first semester graduate student I was unexpectedly overseeing the daily operation of two buildings housing 450 students. I received accolades and compliments from many within the department for a job well done. As such when the department found itself in a similar situation less than eight months later, I was extended a full- time temporary residence hall director position. After much thought (and some debate) I accepted the position and became officially responsible for the daily operation of two coeducational residence halls housing 450 students, primarily first and second year and international students; and training, supervising, and evaluating 14 resident assistants and one graduate student, while balancing coursework and an internship. Based on my performance, I was encouraged to apply for a full-time permanent hall director position. In July, 2008, I assumed responsibility of two coeducational residence halls housing approximately 480 students, including student athletes; and a staff of 10 resident assistants and one graduate student. Benefiting from Kent’s HIED programs’ combined approach of technical instruction and practical experience, my progressive growth and responsibilities have enabled me to: s ervice students in ways that actively foster engaged transformative learning, assist students to make ethically informed and socially responsible decisions, facilitate cultural competence, appreciation, and respect among students, and promote a responsible and responsive citizenship. A second thought that comes to mind is the recurring themes of leadership, including personal philosophy of leadership, diversity, internationalization, laws and polices, critical issues in higher education, and practical application of theoretical knowledge, which can be found in several, if not all, of the compulsory and elective courses. In my opinion, leadership had a more overarching reach then the others. Accordingly, over the course of the program, the cultivation of my leadership skills was guided by the following principles: providing direction to those whom I supervise and those to whom I answer to; communicating my expectations, coordinating duties, and supervising and evaluating my staff; and motivating those who I work and interact with. These principles, in turn, served as the basis for my personal philosophy of leadership, to: exhibit professionalism in the workplace; serve as a professional role model; observe and adhere to the four factors of leadership: follower, leader, communication and situation; know and take into consideration: myself and others; and become acquainted with my responsibilities in the position and the organization. As a student affairs practitioner I recognize these five qualities are essential in my being able to educate, advocate for, and service the needs of students. The third and final thought which comes to mind is that of participatory learning—students as co-producers of their own learning, specifically //College Student Development// and //Case Studies// comes to mind. In the HIED program each faculty member has structured his or her course so that students collaborate and actively participate in discussions and activities. I have realized the importance of this design as administrators our work should never be conducted in a silo. If our true intent is to instruct, support and service students and their needs, we must learn to interact, collaborative and anticipate how our decisions will effect, influence and impact other functional areas of student affairs. As such, having the opportunity to engage in teamwork, group discussion, critical thinking, and decision-making has enhanced our abilities as administrators to view incidents from various perspectives and respond in a timely and the most appropriate manner. I chose to return to college to obtain my masters degree in higher education administration so that I would acquire the technical instruction necessary to continue to service students who attend institutions of higher education. After earning my bachelors degree, I decided to seek real-life experience in the work force that would offer me the ability to better understand and utilize a post-graduate education; to augment my ability to handle projects with little or no supervision; to strengthen my attention to detail, patience, compassion and initiative; to maintain the personal dedication and hard work necessary to be successful. Not only did I accomplish these goals with my professional experience prior to entering the HIED program, the HIED program afforded me the opportunity to continue to gain the confidence needed to set and achieve challenging goals, developed the initiative, enthusiasm and personal skills necessary to be a successful administrator —a professional who can offer management, collaboration and education talents. I can unequivocally say, my expectations were exceeded as the instruction and practical experiences gained have augmented my knowledge, skills, values and attitude, which has made me a more effective administrator who instructs, supports, and services the needs of students.