On the way to work one morning in April, I watched some of my little neighbor friends heading to the bus stop. They wore face coverings, carried heavy backpacks, and were running (uphill!) to catch the bus to school. I loved the normalcy and energy of that moment. Face coverings and all, it’s just so good to feel that something is back in rhythm.
While I will never run uphill to work, I like coming. I like our mission. I like what we do. I like that we do it. But I mostly like why we do it.
I thought we might spend some time sharing some of the real ways Student Affairs services support our students’ academic dreams, so we’ll be running a segment in each of these letters titled Our Student Affairs WHY, starting with Military-connected & Veteran Students.
Veteran Student Services at Idaho State University provides Veterans and military-connected individuals a resource for support and advocacy. Many people who join the military never intended to eventually seek a degree in higher education until they were presented the opportunity through their earned GI Bill benefit, while others sought military service specifically for that benefit. Either way, we strive to provide those we serve with a smooth transition and dedicated advocacy in pursuit of their education and future career. Spouses and children of service members also have been influenced and affected by military service. We see the opportunity to serve the family as a direct benefit to the earning service member.
While serving in the military, a great deal of responsibility can be given at a very young age. Often, multi-million-dollar pieces of equipment (planes, tanks, weapons, etc.) are placed in the care of individuals who are 18-23 years of age. Additionally, as a young service member develops in leadership, the lives of their team members may literally be their responsibility. When these well-trained and dedicated individuals leave the military and seek an education, they can feel frustrated in courses with traditional-age students and miss the level of responsibility that they had in the military. As part of our advocacy efforts, the VSSC team strives to encourage Veterans to utilize their training and leadership skills in the classroom to benefit the learning of others. We also encourage campus and community participation to help them regain and enhance the personal sense of purpose that may have been lost when separating from military service.
The most rewarding experiences while serving our Veteran and military-connected population often occur when a team of dedicated professionals “pour into” a Veteran who never thought that they would ever attend college and discover that they are very well-suited for a rigorous learning and research environment. Our team is able to provide the resources for preparation and application through our partnership with the TRIO Veterans program, a US Department of Education grant-funded program that operated within the VSSC. Their individual care and academic support provide a seamless transfer to the Peer Mentor team of Veterans in the VSSC. As Student Veterans, the Peer Mentors have a special rapport with their fellow Veterans and can encourage, monitor progress, and suggest services in a very highly effective, and connected manner.
This is just one area of service in which our staff are directly affecting the experience our students have at Idaho State. While I don’t ask my staff to run uphill to work, I do ask that, every time they walk in the door or log into a Zoom meeting or appointment, they remember why we come: to help our Bengals ROAR!
Are you aware of a need with which our staff can help? Do you have questions about the services we provide? Are you looking for a way to contribute or connect? Let us know at bengalfamilynetwork@isu.edu. We’d love to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Lyn Redington
Vice President for Student Affairs
and Enrollment Management
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Want to stay informed? Have questions you’d like to ask?
Join us at our next Town Hall for Parents, Partners, and Family.
Date: Monday, June 14
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Venue: Zoom
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The town hall will be hosted on Zoom and recorded for anyone who cannot attend. We do very much want your questions, so if you cannot attend, you can email us at bengalfamilynetwork@isu.edu. At the town hall, we will have our Student Affairs representatives ready to update you about the new summer registration and orientation events for new students, Bengal Family Weekend (a great time to come and connect with your Bengal and enjoy the hospitality of our campus), services for military-connected students, new resources for Bengal parents, partners, and family members, career planning services and student job opportunities, and much much more.
We will be offering options for English and Spanish closed captioning. We also have the ability to provide a sign language interpreter. We will be sending out a postcard with RSVP information, so if you are not sure we have your mailing address, let us know by emailing us at isu.edu/family/townhalls.
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Celebrating the good stuff
"Leadership is not about being in charge, it's about taking care of those in our charge." - Simon Sinek, Apple News
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ISU Partners with Dell to Provide Student Laptop Program |
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Idaho State University has partnered with Dell this year to provide a Student Laptop Program for incoming and current students. Dell has customized a list of discounted laptops for students that may be purchased through a dedicated online store for ISU. This program is open to all ISU student. This program provides clarity and peace of mind for students and parents with a set of recommended laptop solutions with great pricing, service, and support to meet academic needs. To shop these recommended laptops solutions, or for more information about this benefit and resource, visit: www.dell.com/IdahoStateU
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Given the changes precipitated by the return to in-person classes in the fall and the subsequent changes to the registration schedule, our Advising team felt it would be good to send students a Registration Refresher course. The following content went out in an email to students, and we will run it again in Roar Weekly (the digital student newsletter), but we wanted to keep you informed as well. Remember that if you have questions or if your student needs advising help, we are here for you. Email us at bengalfamilynetwork@isu.edu.
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Cecelia, or Cece, as we have come to know her, was born and raised in Jerome, Idaho, and graduated from Jerome High School in 2016. Like many of our Idaho State students, CeCe was a first generation student, which means that neither of her parents had completed a college degree, but they were completely behind Cecelia as she began this undertaking.
As the middle of five daughters, CeCe also had two older sisters to look up to and who influenced her pursuit of a degree. When she graduated high school, an older sister, Jenny, encouraged CeCe to follow in her footsteps by applying to Idaho State, and CeCe credits her sister’s support with helping her through the start of her own academic journey.
Initially, that journey was not easy. CeCe felt lost and underprepared when she first came to ISU. She says that she struggled in that first year because she didn’t know about all the resources that were available for her and that she wasn’t using them to her advantage. In her first year, it was Jenny’s presence that provided critical support as CeCe struggled to find her own ways to be involved and to meet people.
CeCe was determined to make her second year an entirely different experience by getting involved. She applied for and became an Idaho State Ambassador with the Admissions office. Our Ambassadors are students who provide a friendly peer introduction to campus and college. Being an Admissions Ambassador helped CeCe meet new people, opened her eyes to the resources that are available to students, and gave her a way to contribute. She loved meeting students who might be in the same situation that she was and helping them make that transition from high school to college.
Recently, CeCe was hired as an ISU Admissions Advisor/Recruiter. Her first assignment in this position is to help get some of ISU’s informational and promotional materials translated into Spanish. CeCe says she is jazzed about this project because it will help many Spanish-speaking families like her own. As an Admissions Advisor, CeCe’s territory for the 2021-2022 school year will be the Magic Valley, which she finds exciting because that was her home and she is eager to help students like herself find a college home at ISU. Remembering her own experience, CeCe is especially motivated to help other students who may feel lost or unprepared for college.
We asked CeCe about the people who have supported her academic dreams, who have inspired her through the tough times, and she didn’t miss a beat: “Overall, my family is my biggest inspiration. I want all the sacrifices that my parents went through to be worth it and to make them proud.”
CeCe is making us, her Bengal family, proud. I have no doubt that her family shares that pride!
Students interested in the Idaho State Admissions Ambassadors program can contact isuamb@isu.edu for more information.
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Access & Opportunity Exciting Year! |
It has been an exciting year for the Idaho State University Access & Opportunity Programs. Despite the challenges of establishing new programs and being thrust into a remote world without notice, our primary focus remains the same: getting students to and through postsecondary educational opportunities. Access & Opportunity Programs currently has nine federally funded Department of Education grants, totalling $3.2 million per year in funding to support underserved communities. These programs span across 250+ miles, employ 30 full-time positions, and 30+ student/part-time positions across four campus locations. The Spring semester is winding down and summer is just around the corner, there are always new and exciting events approaching in the Access & Opportunity Programs.
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