The newest member of our writing team is Liz Van Lysal (@lvanlysal). Liz is the Program Outreach Coordinator for UW-Milwaukee. While all our writers are in Student Affairs, there is immense diversity, so I asked Liz a few questions to get to know her better.
Bio:
My name is Liz Van Lysal, and I’m currently the Program Outreach Coordinator in University Housing at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee. I oversee marketing and communication for five buildings housing over 4,000 residents, and help @keriduce in Neighborhood Housing with communication to off-campus students and community members whenever possible. I consider myself a social media nerd and I’m excited to be able to incorporate that interest into our communication with students and their families. I received my M.Ed. from Marquette University in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies and this summer I’m starting my doctoral studies in Leadership and Service in Higher Education at Cardinal Stritch University. Prior to working at UWM, I was the Student Organizations Coordinator at the National Communication Association in Washington, DC.
Now, on to more interesting information:
What’s the best advice you’ve received for your job?
After about three years in my position, I began to get bored. It was only when I started focusing on my career rather than my job that I was able to continually challenge myself, even if my job duties remained repetitive each academic year. I’m not sure if I actually got this advice from someone, but this recent blog post from www.higheredjobs.com summed it up well for me.
New Zealand, France, or Brazil?
France, strictly for food reasons. I’d like to experience the “French paradox” first-hand: eat copious amounts of butter and drink lots of wine, while remaining (or becoming?) super slim.
How do you de-stress?
Baseball. I’m a Milwaukee Brewers season ticket holder. I go to over 50 games a year. I like to keep score, and even a boring game can be stress-relieving as I track the outcome of every pitch. I’m also a strong believer in happy hour with my campus colleagues.
Why student affairs?
Student Affairs was the whole reason I got my first job out of college – I was President of an honor society that was hiring a coordinator. The skills I needed in that job—networking, event management, etc —were all gained in my co-curricular activities in college. Coursework taught me to think critically and write a coherent sentence, but student affairs taught me all the out-of-the-classroom skills that have become important to my professional development. I enjoy the chance to guide undergraduates as they develop those skills for themselves, and mentor them in their career path. Double bonus if they choose Student Affairs!
What one piece of advice would you give to a SA newbie?
Learn everything you can for your first 2-3 years. Then, start figuring out what you want your specialty to be. Once you figure that out, learn everything you can about that specialty, and begin contributing to the professional knowledgebase surrounding it.
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