Students are best motivated when they are empowered to make their own decisions, according to Geoffrey Edwards, EdD, new director of Retention and Student Services at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
“There is a careful balance that staff need to maintain in order to provide enough support and information for students, while allowing students to do the work themselves and make the decisions they feel are best for them,” said Edwards, who assumed the post effective July 1. “Do what you enjoy and capitalize on your skills, and allow SIUE to help you delve more into those interests and make new discoveries.”
Helping to motivate students and assist them in achieving their goals is at the crux of the what the Office of Retention and Student Services does, according to the new director.
“In order for our office to be successful, we have to be available for students from the beginning of their experience to the end,” continued Edwards. “In working together across departments, connecting services to provide smoother transitions and supplying consistent information, we better serve students to make their goals a reality. We need to do our best, so students see a place where everything is designed with their success in mind.”
Success looks different for different people, and its meaning can change along the way, he noted, which is why the Office of Retention and Student Services will also adapt to students’ needs.
“It is understandable that life happens, and sometimes our goals change,” offered Edwards. “One’s definition of success can change over time, and that means that constant re-evaluation of personal and academic goals is necessary. We have a great team of faculty and staff to help students work through those decisions.”
Edwards said he joined the SIUE community, because he wanted to make a difference in the lives of students and was impressed with SIUE and its recent efforts to increase retention rates.
“SIUE has had a strong focus on helping students make it through their first year,” he observed. “We are doing a lot of things right to provide support to our first-year students through programs and initiatives that focus on students getting involved on campus, being successful academically and improving their learning skills.
“SIUE has continued to improve its reputation and profile over the years. It is a diverse place that attracts students from different areas for different majors and academic outcomes. It is clear that SIUE meets students where they are and is committed to working with students to achieve personal goals, while educating them on how to become agents of change in their community and world. The jobs of the future are still being created. We live in a rapidly changing world, and students need the ability to adapt to those changes in order to thrive.”
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Geoffrey Edwards, EdD, director of Retention and Student Services at SIUE.