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| New Student Affairs administrative team members to help improve student life By Andy Elder, Student Affairs Writer As part of Student Affairs' Strategic Plan 2005-2008, Vice President for Student Affairs Vicky L. Triponey stated that Student Affairs staff "will engage fully in a renewed focus on shaping and strengthening a challenging and supportive learning environment that supports and enriches the experience for our students and enhances our sense of community." With just that snippet of Triponey's charge as a guide, two new Student Affairs staff seem exceptionally qualified to help define the division's new mission and vision. Dr. Michael Gilbert, Assistant Vice President for Campus Student Services, and Dr. Felicia McGinty, Associate Vice President for Student Engagement, both possess the depth and breadth of experience and knowledge to spearhead the Strategic Plan's implementation. Gilbert comes to Penn State most recently from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst where he had served in a variety of roles since 1994, most recently as Director of Housing Services. He previously served in student affairs positions at Northwestern University, North Carolina State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Illinois State University and Michigan State University. He was an adjunct professor in the College of Education at UMass where he also earned his Ed.D. in Higher Education Policy, Research and Administration. Additionally, he has a master's degree in Student Personnel Services from Michigan State University and a bachelor's in Political Science from the University of Vermont. Gilbert, who assumed his new position on Aug. 1, readily admits he's had a favorable impression with almost all things Penn State in his six weeks at University Park. "I have been very impressed with the physical beauty of the campus. I'm really taken with the beauty of the place. I'm still seeing the campus with fresh eyes, but I'm pleased with how lovely the campus is," he said. "One of the things that drew me to Penn State was the high-quality, high-performing administrative team within student affairs. I was hopeful to have that impression confirmed. My perception is that my instincts were correct on the quality of the staff, especially Vicky Triponey." Gilbert said he believes his nearly 25 years spent as a student affairs administrator will serve him well in his new role. "One of the ways I see myself contributing to the development of the new vision is based in my background in this work," Gilbert said. "This kind of work has been by career training. I'm joining a strong, diversified administration team. My job will be to consider and identify the undergrad experience." McGinty comes to Penn State most recently from the University of Maryland Baltimore County where she served as Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs. She previously served as Director of the New Student Experience at Montclair State University. She also held various student affairs positions at Northern Arizona University and Central Arizona College. She was a part-time professor at all three institutions. She earned her Ed.D. in Education Leadership, her master's degree in Education and Counseling and her bachelor's in Criminal Justice, all from Northern Arizona University. Like Gilbert, McGinty has nothing but positives to report after a little more than a month on the job. "It's great. I'm having a wonderful time. I really like it," she said enthusiastically. "It's a very large, complex institution, but it has the feel of a mid-size university campus. The students know each other and are engaged. I'm impressed." For years, McGinty said, colleagues had told her positive stories about Penn State. So, when she learned of the opening, her interest was piqued. "When I read the job description, there seemed to be a lot of similarities with the work I was doing at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. When I visited the campus, that was the biggest selling point. Over the years I had heard wonderful things about Penn State. It has a wonderful reputation," she said. "And when I had the chance to interact with the staff and students, I was taken aback. I was overwhelmed at the level of commitment to this institution. It is a very special place." McGinty brings more than 17 years of student affairs administrative experience to University Park. For more than half of those years, she also taught a range of topics. That breadth of experience, McGinty said, has helped prepare her for the months and years ahead in her new position. "I have an opportunity to impact the level of student engagement. I've only been here a month, but the students seem fairly engaged. It's a large place with a little over 700 active clubs and organizations. The lion's share of students seem to be involved in something. I want to strengthen that engagement beyond the peripheral. I want to see students truly engaged in various aspects. I have an opportunity to help enhance the sense of community, which is a strength that I sense," McGinty said. "This is a place where students are relatively engaged. They have a sense of ownership. They take pride in being here because it is a special place. That's a good thing. I'm starting off in a good place. We're good, but we can be better. We need to work at figuring out how we strengthen the things we're doing very well. It's a challenge, but it's not impossible."
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Updated September 19, 2005