Dunn, Michael

UVM ScholarWorks

The Vermont ConnectionVolume 31 Think Globally, Act Locally, CarePersonally: Connecting Personal and ProfessionalDiscoveries in Student AffairsArticle 20January 2010Looking Back at 30 Years…What I Have LearnedMichael DunnFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvcPart of the Higher Education Administration CommonsThis Reflection is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Education and Social Services at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in The Vermont Connection by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contactdonna.omalley@uvm.edu.Recommended CitationDunn, Michael (2010) "Looking Back at 30 Years…What I Have Learned," The Vermont Connection: Vol. 31, Article 20.Available at: http://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc/vol31/iss1/20 • 169Looking Back at 30 years…What I Have LearnedMichael DunnIt has been 30 years since Keith Miser, The University of  Vermont’s former Dean of  Students, asked me to assemble The Vermont Connection (TVC). Beyond developing a vehicle for professional writing, it was a way for UVM HESA grad-uates, who were scattered all over the country and world to stay connected. From its modest beginnings—which involved begging graduate students, UVM faculty, and staff  to contribute—this publication has grown into a top-notch profes-sional journal with an extensive selection and editorial review process.In the fall of  1979, I began the Student Development in Higher Education track at UVM with approximately 20 others. Although I have not kept tabs on all my friends over the years, my estimate is that there are only five to eight of  us still working in the field. So, almost 30 years later, beyond the significant innovation in the way we interact with the world—email, iPods, Facebook, and of  course, the Blackberry—I have developed the following personal and professional “tru-isms.” One of  the most important things I have learned is that your professional life will mirror your personal life. Being honest, fair, competent, and compassion-ate is a good way to conduct your life.What I’ve learned….1. It is always about the students—do not make it about you.2. Listen more, talk less. As a young professional, I thought I knew more than I did.3. Develop your team; pay attention to your relationships with colleagues, and make student leaders feel valued.4. Be bold and take initiative, but honor campus traditions—if  they are posi-tive.5. Lead a balanced life—work is important, but…6. Say “what if ” or “why not” instead of  “we can’t because.”7. Acknowledge others, both personally and professionally; we did not get to where we are without the help of  others.Michael Dunn, Bachelor of  Science from UVM in 1977 and HESA ’81, is Director of  New Student Programs at Radford University in Virginia where he has worked since 1985. He is married to Peggy Mahaffy-Dunn also HESA ’81.  They have three children, Zachary, Carly, and Adam – one a college graduate, one in college and one soon to be.  His professional work with new students and raising his own family has kept him “in touch” with the way 18 year olds think.Dunn170 • The Vermont Connection • 2010 • Volume 31 8. Pay it forward—help others as you were helped.9. Take the responsibility of  supervision seriously. Like a good classroom teacher of  young children, one bad supervisor can color one’s apprecia-tion of  the profession.10. Be intentional—adopt a plan and then adapt it.11. Do not underestimate your impact on those you serve—colleagues, students, and alumni/ae. Remember the final scene from “Mr. Holland’s Opus”? It is a wonderful movie about a teacher’s personal and profes-sional journey through life.12. Keep it in perspective. Respect student affairs work, but recognize its place in higher education, the community, and the world.I am fortunate to work with many outstanding student leaders who serve on my campus. Like many of  you, my undergraduate leadership experience was the impetus for entering a graduate program in student affairs. Often when I counsel them, I let them know that I have genuinely enjoyed almost every aspect of  my professional career (there were a few days I could have done without). But in the end, when I recognize that 30 years later I still look forward to each day at work, is that not a wonderful testament to my decision to enter the world of  student development?

Looking Back at 30 Years…What I Have Learned

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Looking Back at 30 Years…What I Have Learned

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