Running head: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW1

What You Need to Know EDLD 6792

Lisa Newhouse
Western Michigan University

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

What You Need to Know

In preparation for beginning my Capstone at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC),
I reviewed a number of articles on community colleges, and predominantly accessibility is the
number one factor that was mentioned again and again in relation to community colleges.
According to Renn and Patton (2011), a major mission of community colleges is to create
access to higher education for anyone who desires the opportunity (p.246). It is the concept of
accessibility that was the most striking to me during my experience at GRCC. Accessibility is
what drives the work, the pace, and the professional and personal skills needed to work in a
community college. In this reflection I will discuss skills that I believe are necessary to work at
a community college and the rewards you can expect as a student affairs professional working in
this type of institution.
The Work and Professional Skills Needed
GRCCs mission states that they are an open access college that prepares individuals to
attain their goals. Accessibility is at the core of this mission and the academic programs that are
provided: associates degree, certificate credits, vocational training, remedial courses, transfer
credits, English, reading, and writing courses for students with English as a Second Language
(ESL), and personal interests, are broad and flexible and reflect this accessibility. Due to the
expansive range of academic programs, there is an even larger spectrum of diversity present in
the student body. On any given day, you could work with students from a variety of
socioeconomic levels and a variety of races, ethnicities, gender, or sexual orientation. In
addition, the student could be a traditional 18-23 year old, a 45 year old worker wanting to
change their career, a 34 year old ex-convict with a GED wanting to pursue higher education, or

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

a 70 year old working on obtaining an associates degree. The point is you never know who
could be standing in front of you requesting assistance.
In order to work in this type of college environment, you need to develop professional
skills that will assist you in serving the student population effectively. Having a strong
foundation in student development and identity theory is essential when working with such a
diverse student body, however it is even more important to approach your work with authenticity
and humility. According to Reynolds (2009) student affairs professionals need to accept that
they do not know the unique experiences and perspectives of individuals from diverse cultural,
religious, racial, social class, and sexual orientation backgrounds (p.119) and acknowledge that
the work is continual and you may never arrive at a place of competence, but rather are always
working on it. Therefore, recurrent reflection of your biases, unconscious or conscious, is
needed in order to be authentic in your work and interactions with students of different race,
culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other identities that are not the same as your
own. A commitment to this process will be needed by individuals interested in working in the
community college environment.
The Pace and Personal Skills Needed
Accessibility is also the driving force behind the pace at GRCC, which can best be
described as hectic. According to Hirt (2006), professionals at a community college are not only
expected to meet the demands of a broad array of learners, but they accomplish this through
fewer offices and with fewer professionals. Based on my observations at GRCC, many offices
were short staffed or staffed by one individual, requiring individuals who are self-directed and
able to work independently. Additionally, departments were frequently combined and providing
an array of services, requiring staff members who could perform multiple roles. For example,

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

my time at GRCC was spent in the Enrollment Center, which consisted of admissions,
enrollment management, and financial aid. This was a one stop environment that provided a
large variety of essential student services in one location. This type of design is not only very
accessible for students, but it contributes to an extremely frenetic work environment. The
amount of students coming into the enrollment center on any given day typically ranged between
150-250, and the amount of professional staff available to assist the students ranged anywhere
between 5 and 7. In order to do well in this type of environment you need to not only enjoy
working in fast pace environments, but more importantly you need to be able to multi-task and
work with little direction or independently. In addition, you need to be a team player and be
prepared to jump in and help fellow co-workers. If you are going to get stuck on whether or not
the job aligns with your job description, then you probably are in the wrong environment.
Rewards
There should be no question that the work will be demanding and frenzied at times,
however if you enjoy working with autonomy in a team environment, a community college may
be the right fit for you. However, I believe it is the intrinsic rewards that you obtain from
working at a community college that present the greatest reward. During my short time at
GRCC I was overwhelmed with the realization of how significant my work was with individuals.
During interactions with prospective or current students, the needs that a majority of these
students had and the obstacles they have to overcome in order to pursue higher education was
revealed on a daily basis. I was extremely cognizant that each new skill I taught them or
resource I connected them to, was vital in their ability to continue their studies and pursue their
dreams. My time in the Enrollment Center provided me an opportunity to work with student
populations that truly have no other access to higher education. Realizing how impactful and

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

meaningful each interaction with a student may be, can be very rewarding for a student affairs
professional who decides to work in the community college.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

References
Hirt, J.B. (2006). Where you work matters: Student affairs administration at different types of
institutions. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
Renn, K.A. & Patton, L.D. (2011). Campus ecology and environments. In J.H. Schuh, S.R.
Jones & S.R. Harper (Eds.), Student Services: A Handbook for the Profession (5th ed.,
pp. 242-256), San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Reynolds, A.L. (2009). Helping college students: Developing essential support skills for student
affairs practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.