Feb 13, 2026
The latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field kicks off Season 14 with a truly inspiring conversation with incoming NASPA Board Chair, Dr. Darryl Holloman. Hosted by Dr. Jill Creighton, the episode dives deep into the evolving landscape of higher education and what it means to work in student affairs today.
Dr. Holloman brings over three decades of experience to the table, spanning roles at HBCUs, PWIs, and across governance, academic administration, and talent management. His journey to Vice President for Student Affairs at Spelman College is a testament to the power of mentorship, professional exploration, and seizing unexpected opportunities.
The conversation focuses on the value and challenges facing student affairs professionals, particularly in a period marked by ongoing turmoil—post-pandemic disruption, shifting enrollment, and threats to DEI initiatives. Dr. Holloman emphasizes the need to move beyond accepting the “new normal” and instead frame current challenges as “new possibilities,” encouraging professionals to be both forward-ready and future-ready.
At the heart of his vision is the “North Star Project,” an initiative designed to reclaim public trust and redefine the purpose of higher education. This multifaceted endeavor includes three key arms:
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Rebuilding Public Trust Survey: A national study examining how those outside higher ed perceive colleges and universities, pushing for deeper understanding beyond the usual Gallup poll data.
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New Professional Task Force: A focus on early-career professionals, listening deeply to their needs, and developing skill-building opportunities—like real-time badging systems—to help retain talent and strengthen the student affairs pipeline.
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NASPA Commission on HBCU and Community College Pathways: An effort to amplify the voices of HBCUs and community colleges within NASPA’s governance, reflecting their crucial roles in access and mission-driven education.
Dr. Holloman’s personal values—knowledge, God, family, humility, and hard work—shine throughout the discussion, reinforcing the importance of aligning purpose and professional philosophy.
If you’re looking for insight into the future of student affairs, practical strategies for professional development, and a fresh take on the value of our field, this is a must-listen. Tune in to hear how Dr. Holloman and NASPA are charting a new course, and discover ways to get involved in shaping the next chapter.
Listen to the episode and join the conversation!
TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:01]:
Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the Field, the podcast where
we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to
seasoned experts. Brought to you by NASPA, we curate free and
accessible professional development for higher education
professionals wherever you happen to be. This is Season 14,
continuing our conversation on the value of student affairs. I'm
Dr. Jill Creighton, she/her/hers, your SA Voices from the Field
host. Welcome back to Student Affairs Voices from the Field. We are
thrilled to kick off our current season with Dr. Darryl B.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:33]:
Holloman, who is a distinguished leader in higher education with
over 3 decades of experience in student affairs, academic
administration, institutional advancement, governance and board
relations, and human talent management. Dr. Holloman has worked at
several regional and nationally recognized higher education
institutions where he supervised collectively over 300 employees
and overseen budgets of over $300 million. Dr. Holloman's extensive
experience strategically vision and unwavering commitment to
student success and institutional excellence make him a
transformative leader in higher ed. He currently serves as the VPSA
at Spelman College, but he's held senior-level positions at Georgia
State University, Columbus State University, and Rutgers
University-Newark. He's held faculty appointments at each
institution, including full-time faculty appointments at the
University of Arkansas-Little Rock and the institutions
aforementioned. His contributions continue to inspire and shape the
future of academic communities.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:23]:
Dr. Holloman has several articles and book chapters to his credit.
His research examines the way that disadvantage manage groups,
develop, and demonstrate their agency in educational systems,
particularly within urban school settings. He's the co-editor of
the book entitled From Boyhood to Manhood: Deconstructing Black
Masculinity Through a Lifespan Continuum through Peter Lang Press.
His most current manuscript is entitled In the Middle: Leading as a
Mid-Level Professional in Student Affairs, which was published by
NASPA. He's an active member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church, and he
lives in Atlanta with a spouse of 32 years, Glenn Williams, and
their two sons, Delbert and Delvin. But most importantly, and why
we have him on pod today as he is our incoming NASPA Board
Chair.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:04]:
We hope you enjoy this conversation. Darryl, welcome to SA
Voices.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:02:08]:
Thank you so much. I'm glad to be here.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:11]:
We are absolutely honored to have you as our season premiere for
this season of SA Voices here in spring of 2026, and you are
joining us in a long and illustrious line of NASPA Board
Chairs-to-be. It's one of our favorite episodes to record in the
springtime. Last, last year we had Mike Christakis on who is just
finishing up his full year as Board Chair. And in just a couple of
weeks now, that gavel will be passing your way. So this episode is
one where we like to introduce you to the NASPA membership, what
you hope that your leadership will bring to the association over
the next year, and messages for our NASPA membership. So before we
get into all of that, our favorite question to start the show off
with is how did you get to your current seat, both at Spelman and
at NASPA?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:02:59]:
Well, I got to Spelman. It was a really interesting journey because
I was serving on the board of a local charter school. And the guy
that we hired as a CEO said, hey, I really want you to meet my mom.
And his mom works at Spelman. She's still on my staff at Spelman.
And he's, you know, we just, let's go to lunch. And so we went to
lunch. And at that time I was AVP Dean of Students at Georgia State
University.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:03:23]:
And I was starting to think about, you know, where would I go to be
a vice president for student affairs? I have this lunch and at the
end of the lunch, my colleague said, "Hey, you should apply at
Spelman. We have an opening." And at that time, I said, "Oh, okay,
sure, I'll look at it." But, you know, Spelman is an all-women's
HBCU in Atlanta. I've not ever worked at an HBCU. I've not worked
at a liberal arts college, small college, and definitely an
all-women's college. And so I applied. I applied with 6 very
wonderful women. Half of them I knew very personally. And then I
got the call that I had the job, which totally caught me off guard
because it was— was not in the trajectory of where I thought my
career was going.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:04:07]:
I had worked— done most of my work at large, larger public
institutions, predominantly white institutions. And so I got the
job. I have had a tremendous, tremendous experience here. I got to
NASPA 30 years ago. I had a dean of students, Dean Curt Kepler, who
hired me. I was a student worker, and then he hired me on as a
staff. And he said I should go to this thing called a new
professional institute. And at that time, NASPA had this nationwide
platform, onboarding new professionals, and it was at UGA, and it
was so impactful that it led me into a lifelong volunteer
commitment with NASPA, and it's been extremely rewarding, and I've,
I've just done so many things, have so many opportunities, have an
upcoming book in the middle, co-edited with Gigi Segubin and
Spencer Platt, that'll be coming out in the spring.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:04:57]:
So there's so many wonderful opportunities to NASPA, so I've just
been really blessed professionally and in my volunteer
activities.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:05:04]:
What have you done in NASPA in terms of volunteerism, leadership,
contribution before deciding to run for board chair?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:05:12]:
So I had a wonderful opportunity from one of, one of my colleagues,
Danita Brown-Young. And Danita, she called me, she said, hey, I
think I want you to be my member at large, and I want you to focus
on how can NASPA better support HBCUs. And so I joined the board.
We did surveys, like some really great work around that, but that
really gave me gave me some great insight into how NASPA runs as an
organization, the work that it does, the commitments that it makes,
and, you know, kind of the engine in the car. And so that was very
powerful for me to be able to have that experience as a member
board chair. Prior to that, and this was really a great experience
for me, I had joined the NASPA Foundation Board, and those two in
tandem have been really helpful to help me understand not just in
NASPA, but how organizations run, how nonprofits run, how boards
run, the decisions that have to be made. And so it's just been a
wonderful experience. And outside of presenting and doing some of
the other stuff, those have been the most significant governance
opportunities that I've had at NASPA.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:19]:
And now let's think about what is ahead. So again, in just a couple
of weeks here, we'll be seeing you in Kansas City. The board will
be convening, the membership will be convening for our annual
learning opportunity at conference. What are you thinking about
going into this transition?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:06:35]:
So, you know, we are in such turmoil right now in higher ed. You
know, we followed the pandemic. It was very, very much a disruptor.
And then now we're just faced with a lot of challenges, enrollment
cliffs, DEI leaving many of our institutions that have become such
a part of our fabric, funding in so many ways, federal funding
being taken. So it's a real difficult time. And I think I keep
hearing people talk about this is our new normal. This is our new
normal. And I want to really challenge us to start to think beyond
that and to think, how do we turn our new normal into new
possibilities? And how can we be more forward-ready and
future-ready? And I think the best way for us to do that as an
association is to really lean into our memberships.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:07:23]:
I think sometimes when you work in student affairs, we have such an
emphasis on students, and that should be, that's important. That's,
that's our lifeblood. But if we are not in really good spaces in
terms of our our own professional development, our own training,
our own understanding, if we are not having holistic wellness, then
we can't do the work that we need to do. We don't have the capacity
to do it for students. And so my idea is kind of wrapped into what
I'm calling the North Star Project. The North Star historically had
been seen as a symbol in African American communities as that
guiding point, that place that took you from oppression to a place
of freedom and enlightenment. And so, um, The North Star Project is
all about reclaiming the purpose and public trust of higher
education, because I do believe there's a lack of trust in higher
education. And so I have three arms of the North Star Project.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:08:17]:
One is a national study that is being conducted by Tim Bono, who is
my member at large. And we really, through the Rebuilding Public
Trust national survey, we want to get an understanding of how
people outside of higher ed view us. And so we're kind of expanding
upon the Gallup poll. The Gallup poll tells us there's a lack of
confidence in higher education, but we want to drill down a little
bit deeper and know why. Because I think a lot of times in higher
ed, we preach to the choir and we're talking to one another and we
really don't know often what are the perceptions of individuals who
maybe not have even attended college. And so to be stronger, I
think we need that information. And so Tim Bono will be doing that
national survey. Survey on the trust in higher education, the
confidence in higher education.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:09:07]:
Very excited about that. I've seen the survey a bit to get the
results and see what happens. The next thing is, as I mentioned
earlier, something that impacted my career. And so I'm really
looking to bring together a group of people under the new
professional task force to get a better understanding of
professionals that are coming in with 1 to 5 years of experience.
And I think we have a flood of new professionals that think
differently about the work, that perceive the work differently. In
my generation, I'm a Gen Xer, my generation has a tendency to keep
saying like, why don't they just do like we did? But it's a
different time. They're presented with way different challenges,
having to make decisions in a very different way and under a lot of
pressure. And so I'm really interested in seeing how our
association can pour into our new professionals.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:09:57]:
And so the New Professional Task Force is all about strengthening
the student affairs pipeline because what What I'm hearing now are
senior-level people who are just really, really burned out. I
jokingly say we're all a lottery ticket away from not being vice
presidents of student affairs. And then I think you have mid-levels
who see the stressors that the VP does and they don't wanna do it.
And they're like, I'm fine. Like, I'm, I'm gonna stay in this role.
I'm good. I don't need to be the vice president. And then you have
new professionals who are coming in with a different set of
expectations.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:10:32]:
And so I think starting at the front end of the pipeline will help
us to guide people to those senior-level positions. And the last
thing is a NASPA commission on HBCU and community college pathways,
because I think these institutions provide a lot of opportunities
for students. Many are access-driven, deeply mission-driven. And I
think what I'm seeing definitely at HBCUs is a resurgence of high
school students who are interested in HBCUs. They're kind of seeing
some of the ultra micro-aggressions the oppressions that are
occurring in society, and they're looking for space that affirm
them and validate them. And so HBCUs play a critical role in being
able to do that. And so I think it's critically important in the
alignment with HBCUs is really focusing also on community colleges.
Our country is really beginning deep discussions about
affordability and what that means.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:11:28]:
And we've been talking about that in higher ed for like the last 20
years of affordability. And you can't have a conversation about
affordability and being able to manage loan debt in higher
education without also thinking about community colleges and the
works that occur within community colleges. I'm extremely excited
about this initiative because I think our association has an
opportunity to better understand the needs and the engagements at
HBCUs and community colleges and really figuring out how we not
only have these members as participants, but how do we get them as
well into governance structures. Cultures. I'll use, for example,
HBCUs. I don't always want to be the only HBCU voice in the room
because we're all so very different. About 103 HBCUs, all
institutions with different types, different missions, and that
brings a different type of voice into the room. So the North Star
Project really is comprised of three arms.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:12:29]:
It is rebuilding public trust survey, trying to gather and gain
information about how people view us on the outside. Pulling
together a group to look at the new professional task force, which
is about strengthening student affairs pipeline. And the last is
the NASPA Commission on HBCU and community college pathways. So we
get a better understanding of how we can support this sector of our
field.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:12:53]:
I really like your theme of it being the North Star and being our
guiding light for the profession and helping us find some direction
as professionals. And I'd like to take these one by one. The first
project being that external survey, who are we surveying to ask
about the perceptions of higher education?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:13:09]:
So we are specifically looking for folks who are— that don't work
in higher education, that may not have attended higher education.
And so it is the segment of the population that probably have the
most questions about higher education and the value of higher
education. But we're also in that survey will be included people
who graduated from colleges. And so I think there are segments of
our population who have— we've been required to get graduate
degrees. And I think there's some frustration about that, right?
You've gone to college, you've spent a lot of money, and then
you're not working in your major. You're not working in the field
that you thought you were, and you have all of this college debt
and this degree that you may not be having the best usage of. And
so it's gonna be a combination of people that are completely
outside of higher education. So it won't be us speaking to us.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:14:05]:
It will be really gathering the ideas and perspectives of people
outside. So for one of the questions that I can remember, we are
looking at college presidents asking the question about senior
leaders in higher education. Do people even know what a college
president is supposed to do? Do you have perceptions about that?
But I think we may be— college presidents may be out of sync with
what society is expecting of a college president. And so we just
want to get some cleaner insight, deeper insight into the work that
we do. It's almost like a 360 for higher education.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:14:40]:
I think that's an interesting statement that maybe the general
public doesn't know what a university president does, but I also
wonder often if internally within our organizations, we all know
what a college president does, especially if we're several
hierarchical layers removed from that position. We've talked to
several college presidents on the pod who have been former VPSAs,
and I think our student affairs folks, we all know what a VPSA
does, but that college presidency is a little bit mystical
sometimes. And some of the presidents that we've spoken to are
focused on fundraising, some are focused on legislative action, but
almost all of them seem to be externally focused more than
internally focused right now. And I think that's an interesting
shift.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:15:19]:
And I was talking about this with a friend that, you know, probably
50 years ago, people talked about— they were— I'll use Georgia
State as an example, right? Not, not to say that the Georgia State
president says this, but, you know, they would say, I am Georgia
State's president. Right? But now I think people think, I am the
president of XYZ institution. And it's a small nuance in the
differences of that. But saying, I am Georgia State's president, or
I'm said institution's president, puts the president really in the
center of the mission, that they are part of the community. But
when you start to say, I am the president of X, it almost makes it
it feel as if, you know, and you rightfully so, the leader, but
you're in this kind of real corporate leader mind, you know, kind
of mindset and running. And I think just over time, the idea of
what it means to be a college president has changed so drastically
that I wonder sometimes if some college presidents even— I think
they get surprised when they get into the role and they figure out
it is not necessarily what they may have thought it was going to
be, because it's a definite difference in being a college president
today. You're running more of an enterprise now than just a
college. And I think that sense of higher ed being an enterprise is
where I think communities are feeling like, well, I don't
understand, like, what does the college president do? And so
getting information on the outside, I think helps to inform and
align the expectations of what college presidents are doing in
society today.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:16:54]:
Absolutely. I'll be very much looking forward to learning what we
learn, because I think we have kind of our own narrative. Our own
communities about what we hear from friends, family, social spaces,
what, you know, what we do at universities and especially in the
American context right now, there's a lot shifting about higher
education and the perception of higher ed. Let's go to that second
part of the North Star Project, which is the new professional
pipeline. That 1 to 5 year space, I think is incredibly critical as
we're seeing a generational shift of who's occupying that 1 to 5
year space. We're seeing the last of the millennials come through
the early stages of Gen Z coming into student affairs. And you
mentioned that we're seeing seeing different value set come forward
from this generation. And one thing that I have noticed and very
much appreciate is a focus on work-life balance from this
generation.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:17:42]:
And I don't mean work-life integration. I truly mean balance of
people that are much more comfortable advocating for that balance
and maybe shouldn't have to advocate for that balance because we
need to do a better job of modeling it as the senior leaders. But
the space that's occupied has also consistently been one that
requires a master's degree to enter, which I think is an ongoing
conversation in student affairs as a profession. But what else are
you thinking about as you look at what is affecting new
professionals and their retention into the field?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:18:10]:
I think we have to, to listen deeply to our new professionals,
which is a part of this task force. We haven't quite determined
how, how we're gonna gather that information, but I think you, you
know, right now my generation, which is the Gen Xers, are senior
VPs and in these senior level roles, and we were horrible horrible
at work-life balance, like horrible, like wasn't even a concept.
And so we had a tendency to just grind ahead. Many of us were first
generation. And so we just have this idea of forging ahead and then
we're looking at the generations behind us and we're saying, well,
why don't you just do the work that the way that we did it? But the
way that we did it wasn't always as perfect either, right? Like we,
my generation, I think opened up a lot of access to us, right? You
know, and folks are calling us at 3 in the morning and 4, you know,
and we are just forging right ahead. I'm really interested to see
what new professionals need from us versus us trying to train them
to be the way my generation saw it. And I think that the
generations that follow us are just so amazing and so creative and
really able to think about problems in a very different way. But if
we keep beating them over the head saying, well, you're not doing
it the way that I think you should do it, I think it's making them
leave the profession.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:19:36]:
Like, I think these generations are also very easy to just say, I
don't have to do this, and, and, and will leave after a year or
two. And what that means is there's a lot of talent that leaves the
room. And leaves the space. And so I'm interested in this because I
think at most college board level and president levels, I don't
think they really recognize the crises that student affairs is in
right now, just in terms of human capital and talent. And I think
that has a large part to do with my generation just always being
there, always being available. And I don't think they are thinking
very deeply about the void that could be created coming behind. I
also think I want the task force to focus on what are some kind of
badging skills that we can present to new professionals. How do you
deal with conflict? How do you deal with protest? How do you
problem solve? How are you being a critical thinker? I envision
maybe not the kind of new professional institute that I had when I
came through, but something that's more real-time, more vibrant,
where if I'm a supervisor that has a new professional that I don't
think is really handling conflict well, they could go to some kind
of workshop, virtual workshop, and almost get that skill set after,
you know, 5 series or something.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:20:59]:
I don't know what that looks like, but just some kind of way that
new professionals can go or their bosses can send them to enhance
whatever challenges they may be facing and, and do it in somewhere
that's not necessarily, they gotta go and go to a conference, but
something that's more accessible and that can really be more like a
badging system, right? I think that's really, really important. Not
a certificate, but just a badging. And you can choose that level of
professional development as you go through your journey, your
tenure. So that's what I'm thinking about in my head, but I really
want the task force to pull together to give some good
recommendations to our association.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:21:35]:
I think our pod audience is more of that new to mid-level
professional. And so I would imagine we have listeners who are
really excited to hear that their voices might be able to be
included in a project like this. Do we have any idea yet how I
might be able to express interest in participating or ultimately
apply for selection or something like that?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:21:53]:
I'm gonna— I am meeting with some of the members at NASPA, so to
begin to really talk about, so I don't have a definitive answer
now, but we're meeting to, to really talk about the projects and
the scope of the projects and what could be done. And I think what
I would encourage is if I reach out to you as a new professional,
'cause you can't have a task force without new professionals on the
task force. That will probably be what I can definitively say. I
want to not have this task force just filled with senior and
mid-levels who are going to provide direction. I really am looking
for new professionals to serve on the task force as well. Now, the
size of the task force, you're on a large task force, you can't get
anything done, but it will be a good mix of new professionals on
the task force.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:22:39]:
And then your third arm is this inquiry into the new resurgence of
interest for both HBCUs and for community colleges. Can you talk a
little bit more about about what we're hoping to discover from this
inquiry.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:22:50]:
So what I want to see as an output of this is how our community
colleges and members of HBCUs pulled even more deeply into the
governance structures. And they each have roles on the board and
the foundation board, right? You know, we have community college
members on our board, but how are they really getting into the
mainframe, the organizational structure of NASPA, besides just
attending the conference? So sometimes I'll go to the conference
and, you know, I'll see some of my colleagues I know very well,
very talented, and they come to NASPA, they maybe do a
presentation, but then they're not really in any of the governance
structure. And I think that voice for community colleges, HBCUs is
critically important. And so I wanna learn more deeply about how we
are engaging them outside of just, you know, inviting them to the
conference, right? What, what are the things that are needed for,
from our association that helps to support them as they go through
work that they're doing. And we're doing some work around that,
like NASPA is definitely doing some work around this, but I wanna
pull all of that together under a commission. And I think a
commission really is charged with being very clear about that and
what we need to do as an association to continue to support HBCUs
and community colleges.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:09]:
And kind of the same question here, if I'm currently working at a
community college or an HBCU and this is piquing my interest, how
do I express interest in being considered as a voice.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:24:19]:
The one way that I can say the most is I am going to be looking for
a co-chair, and I'm looking for the co-chair to be one from an HBCU
and one from a community college. And so that would be the first
thing that I reach out as looking for volunteers for that. And I
have some idea around the community college. I know someone that's
out there who is just really amazed. I worked with this person
before. I won't put their name out there yet. I won't get ahead of
myself. And then I have some ideas of some folks at HBCUs.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:24:49]:
So for both of these initiatives, when I come a-calling, answer the
call. That is probably what I could share the most.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:56]:
Darryl, is there something that you would like the NASPA membership
to know about you that is not on your resume, not in these
initiatives?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:25:04]:
I have 5 values that I think is critically important. I was
actually doing a webinar. I was on a panel yesterday, a NASPA
webinar with the Black Diaspora Knowledge Community. Community. So
shout out to that. Shout out to Lisa and Miracle for pulling that
together. And my colleagues, Dr. Younger, and for being on— serving
on the panel.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:25:24]:
My 5 values are knowledge, God, family, humility, and hard work.
And those are the things that drive me every day, personally and
professionally. And they're so intertwined for me. I don't
distinguish between the 2. They all rely on one another. So much so
that it's wrapped into like professional philosophy, which is good
work stands. And I think for me, demonstrating good work is the
culmination of all of these values working in sync. And I think
it's so important to understand your value system because that
really helps you to survive the times that we're in now.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:26:01]:
When you hold your values, you know your values and they can help
define who you are. It helps you to manage where higher ed is in
this current space of new possibilities. I think it's critically
important. For that. My husband and I just last week celebrated 32
years of union, and, and who would have known? We met in college,
actually. I was a student at Georgia State and he was at Atlanta
Metropolitan College. And so that has been phenomenal. Anybody that
knows me knows I am a dad above everything.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:26:33]:
So I have two wonderful boys, Obert and Delvin. They will be
turning 16 in a few weeks.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:26:39]:
Twins.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:26:39]:
Twin boys, and so they are just learning to drive and doing all
that. And for me, having children has just been an amazing
opportunity and experience. And as an openly queer man, there was a
time that I didn't think, you know, we would be able to have
children, and now look at us, right? We have kids. And so it has
been the joy of my life. I don't regret it one moment. I have some
really phenomenal kids. They're getting getting ready to go on a—
they're in the Junior ROTC and they're getting ready this weekend,
hopefully if the weather holds, to go on this robotics tour.
They're going through confirmation at church.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:27:16]:
So I could talk all day long about my kids. Everybody knows
that.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:27:18]:
Best wishes for the driving journey. You gotta be, I think, a
parent made of steel to get through that one.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:27:24]:
I— that's all of my hair fell out.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:27:25]:
Well, Darryl, I'm gonna transition us because we're talking about
values into our theme questions for the season, which are on the
value of student affairs. So these are questions that we've been
asking all of our guests over the course of the season, last season
and this season. The first one is, when you think about the value
of student affairs, what comes to mind first and why?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:27:46]:
What is important to me is that student affairs has to first
understand that it has value. And I believe we've been spending too
much time thinking, I'll be very honest, I think we often think
we're second-class citizens in higher education, that we have this
perception that other other aspects of the institution have more
value. And so we've got to determine what that value is and how,
more importantly, we articulate that value so that people not just
continue to see us as problem solvers, but begin to really deeply
see us as strategic thought partners. That's huge for me. And I
don't think that our institutions always think of us as strategic
thought partners. So I think knowing your value and what you bring
to the table and being able to articulate what you bring to the
table is very helpful.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:41]:
Our second question, can you share a specific story or moment when
you saw the value of student affairs come to life?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:28:49]:
I hate to refer to such a dark period, but I think the value of
when we were seeing the most, I believe, strategic partners was
during the pandemic.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:59]:
Yeah, I hear you on that.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:29:01]:
And I know that that was a bad time, but I think that presidents
and boards really saw the work that we do and how strategically we
do the work, that we are able to gather data, that we make
data-driven decisions, that our decisions aren't just in a snapshot
way or roughshod way, that we really are very intentional about
what we do. And I think I think, you know, we probably got the most
kudos during that time than, than anyone else. And I think during
that time, people saw that the impact that we have as a profession
on our students as they navigate the campus isn't just in the
residence hall, it's in the classroom, it's in their
extracurricular activities, it's in the co-curriculum design. And
so I think that fortunate global pandemic really placed us
centrally in the mission. I think it was one of the clearest times
that student affairs is a central, uh, integral part of colleges
and universities' mission. I think that was most, on a global
perspective, was the most significant time.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:11]:
I feel like for all of us, time broke during the pandemic. And so I
think we're also in a situation now where we are half a decade
removed from that time, which means an entire generation of
students removed from that time.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:30:26]:
Absolutely.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:27]:
So we've got some interesting work ahead of us on how we harnessed
our value from then to apply it to now and to go forward, because
the students we have now were in middle school during that era. So
very, very different. And our final question in our theme is, what
do you think student affairs needs to do to be better understood
and better seen in today's educational environment?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:30:48]:
So this really builds upon what you were just saying, right? The
pandemic was almost a decade away and our memories are short-lived
and it was a traumatic dramatic time. And so people want to put a
lot of that behind. So we can't keep celebrating, right? We were
great in the pandemic, right? So I think the best way to be able to
do that is how do we tell the narrative of the impact of our work
that isn't as qualitative as we've always relied on? You know, we
are, we are a belly kind of profession, right? We, it feels good in
the belly, right? And so we make, you make these decisions. And I
think I was talking about this with a colleague at coffee this
morning. I think that when we come to our boards and sometimes, and
when we come to our cabinet-level tables, I think people don't
always recognize how strategic and deliberate we've had to make a
decision, that we are really strategically thinking about a
decision. It is just not how we feel about the decision, but it
really is how we've analyzed whatever was the problem. So what
we've got to figure out how to do is how we turn this language of
student success and tie it to the work of student affairs. And the
best way that we can do that is through the development of
legitimate KPIs and legitimate return on investments.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:32:08]:
And so if we are saying, if you participate in student Greek life,
you're going to be a more well-rounded student, well, now we have
to demonstrate that. And we have to do it in a way that is through
trend and longitudinal data. We just can't keep keep coming to the
boards and to our cabinets with this snapshot kind of, this is what
happened this semester, this is what happened with this particular
incident. We need to be talking about and demonstrating more
ability to show longstanding data because that's truly what board
of trustees are looking for. They don't want you to talk about, but
they don't want you to just focus on what happened in that
semester. They wanna know how has has that problem been impacted
over the last 3 years, 5 years, 10 years? And so I am very proud to
say at Spelman, we, I think, oh my God, I'm so excited about this.
I think we're on the cutting edge of being able to manage and
demonstrate that of student success. For the last 4 years, I've led
my team through looking deeply at what I call student success
pathways, which are community belonging and wellbeing.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:33:19]:
And that simply means if a a strong sense of belonging, they come
to a place, they feel valued. If they also come and they're able to
connect with other folks that reinforce that value, and then if
they are ultimately able to navigate the whole spectrum of holistic
wellbeing, these are all things that we do every day and that we
control. I'm hopeful to present next year with some data. I just
hired a data analyst. I got good word today that he will be
starting February 2nd. Yay. And we are about to do some phenomenal
work. So I am excited.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:33:54]:
I'm telling everyone, keep your eye on student affairs at Spelman
College because we are gonna give you a pathway that I think will
make our profession very successful. And I'm excited to do that.
And I'm excited to be able to do that as a member of an HBCU
community.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:34:08]:
It's time to take a quick break and toss it over to producer Chris
to learn what's going on in the NASPA world.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:34:14]:
Thanks, Jill. So excited to be back in the NASPA world, and there's
a ton of things happening in NASPA. Just last week, you should have
gotten an email if you are a current NASPA member inviting you to
vote in the open volunteer leadership positions within the
association. The email provided you with a custom link for your
ballot, and it allows for you to be able to vote for any individual
that is running for a volunteer leadership position, including the
Board Chair position, Regional Leadership positions, positions and
Knowledge Community leadership positions. Voting is open from
February 5th to February 19th. All you have to do is, in that
email, you can cast your ballot at any time by clicking on the link
that states click here to cast your vote. I encourage you to review
the candidate information as many times as you want to be able to
get a better chance of understanding why people want to be in these
leadership positions. This is a great opportunity for you to have
your voice heard on who you want representing you in these
volunteer leadership positions.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:35:19]:
So have your voice heard today and make sure to vote. You can still
attend the NASPA Annual Conference that's coming up March 7th
through the 11th in Kansas City, Missouri. If you haven't
registered yet, now is a great time to be able to join all of us
attending in Kansas City, because I know Jill and I are really
looking forward to being able to talk with all of you. As we
mentioned in the opening episode for the season, we talked about
the fact that we are going to be at the conference again, and we're
going to have some specific questions that we'll be sharing with
you in an upcoming episode so that you can think about it. Even if
you can't attend, we'd love to have your voice connected with that
specific— connected with those upcoming episodes. Again, the
conference is March 7th through the 11th in Kansas City, and I hope
that you'll be able to attend. If you see me walking around the
conference, say hi. I would love to be able to meet people that
listen and be able to hear some about your own experiences, not
only with the podcast but just in general.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:36:20]:
If you've not already heard about it, inside of the NASPA website
is our NASPA Bookstore, and inside the NASPA Bookstore we have a
ton of great books that have been written specifically for NASPA by
NASPA members. And every once in a while, I love being able to
share with you some of the different books that are out there. And
one today that I'm going to share with you is called Dismantling
Hazing in Greek Letter Organizations: Effective Practices for
Prevention, Response, and Campus Engagement. This was written by
and edited by Jason L. Merriweather and Associates. Dismantling
Hazing in Greek Letter Organizations offers practical practical
strategies to address the complexities of hazing culture and the
challenges associated with recruitment and initiation in varying
contexts. If you work with Greek letter organizations, this book is
a must-read. So if you've never read this, I highly encourage you
to pick up a copy for yourself.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:37:17]:
You can find it in the NASPA Bookstore. Earlier this month, a
follow-up brief was presented by NASPA on the top issues in student
affairs. In the most recent brief that was released, a new analysis
from NASPA's 2025 Top Issues in Student Affairs survey came out,
and in it, it showed a clear rise in the prioritization of issues
in the area of assessment and evaluation to demonstrate impact and
inform decision-making. 5 of the overall top-ranked issues for the
2025 survey data fall within this area, pointing to institutional
commitments to strengthen capacities to collect and communicate
data to tell a more complete story about student experiences. This
follow-up brief highlights practitioner insights about next steps,
state policy trends, and NASPA resources all related to
strengthening assessment and evaluation efforts across
institutions. If you've not read this brief yet, I highly encourage
that you do. Go to the NASPA website, go under under Research and
Publications and down to Reports and Issue Briefs. And you'll find
the Top Issues in Student Affairs Assessment and Evaluation
Follow-up Brief listed right there.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:38:30]:
Every week we're going to be sharing some amazing things that are
happening within the association. So we are going to be able to try
and keep you up to date on everything that's happening and allow
for you to be able to get involved in different ways. Because the
association is as strong as its members. And for all of us, we have
to find our place within the association, whether it be getting
involved with a knowledge community, giving back within one of the,
the centers or the divisions of the association. And as you're
doing that, it's important to be able to identify for yourself,
where do you fit? Where do you want to give back? Each week, we're
hoping that we will share some things that might encourage
encourage you, might allow for you to be able to get some ideas
that will provide you with an opportunity to be able to say, hey, I
see myself in that knowledge community. I see myself doing
something like that. Or encourage you in other ways that allow for
you to be able to think beyond what's available right now, to offer
other things to the association, to bring your your gifts, your
talents to the association and to all of the members within the
association, because through doing that, all of us are stronger and
the association is better. Tune in again next week as we find out
more about what is happening in NASPA.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:39:56]:
Chris, thank you so much for kicking off this season with another
great segment of NASPA World. We always appreciate you sharing with
us what's going on in and around NASPA. And Daryl, we have reached
our lightning round where I've got 7 questions for you in about 90
seconds.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:40:12]:
Okay.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:13]:
You're ready. You're ready. All right, here we go. Question 1, if
you were a conference keynote speaker, what would your entrance
music be?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:40:19]:
Ooh, They Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:21]:
That Super Bowl halftime show was epic.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:40:23]:
Epic. He's my favorite artist.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:26]:
Number 2, when you were 5 years old, what did you want to be when
you grew up?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:40:30]:
A pediatrician gynecologist.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:33]:
Number 3, who's your most influential professional mentor?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:40:36]:
I actually have what I call my ancestral mentor, which is Dr.
Benjamin Elijah Mays. I love and follow his work and he's very
influential. And then Laurie White has been phenomenal and Pam
Whiteley have been just amazing people in my life.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:53]:
Number 4, your essential student affairs read.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:40:55]:
That's a good question. Right now I'm reading this really great
book called The Turning Point by this author named Howell, and it's
essentially, it's talking about how civil civilizations reboot
themselves every 100 years. And it's just a really great critical
read at this time because I think we are rebooting into a new
civilization, and it's really helping to guide me through.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:41:14]:
Number 5, the best TV show you've been binging lately.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:41:17]:
Ooh, Abbott Elementary. Oh my God, that thing is hilarious. I love
it. I try to catch it every Wednesday.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:41:22]:
I took the WB studio tour a couple of years ago, and I got to go to
the set, just like the exterior set. That was very cool. Number 6,
the podcast you spent the most hours listening to in the last
year.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:41:33]:
Okay, so I am a, a huge history nerd. And so there is this— it's
actually out of Britain. It's this podcast that looks at the
history of Europe. And I just finished listening to this really
wonderful series on the rise of the Third Reich. That was just
phenomenal. And so I'm really new to listening to podcasts, and I
do it when I'm walking. I found that I can really lean in and glean
information while also exercising. So yeah, that's my favorite
right now.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:04]:
Finally, number 7, any shout-outs you'd like to give, personal or
professional?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:42:08]:
My goodness. Of course, my good brother, Michael Christakis. That's
my dude. We banter a lot, and it's been such an honor and privilege
to work with him. Emilia Purnell has just been phenomenal. I look
forward to working with her. And then it's just beyond that, I'm
going to get in trouble. And so it's just all of the people that
have come into my life.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:42:27]:
There is one person I do want to give a shout out to, my
girlfriend, Donna Lee, because she is so universally grounded.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:35]:
Grounded.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:42:35]:
And every time I'm in her presence, I don't care how disturbed I
can be, she really calms me. And I just really love her. So shout
out to Donna.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:44]:
Darryl, it's been wonderful to get to know you a little bit better
and to hear more about your vision for where NASPA will be going in
the '26-'27 year. If anyone would like to reach you after we air
this episode, how can they find you?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:42:55]:
So you can find me on LinkedIn. I got off of Instagram, y'all. I
couldn't take it. It was too much for me. Got tired of it, but I am
definitely on LinkedIn and it's just real easy. Darrell Holloman.
You can look me up and from there we can set up a time to talk or
meet. Try to be very accessible.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:11]:
Darrell, thank you so very much for sharing your voice with us
today.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:43:15]:
Great. Thank you.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:20]:
This has been an episode of Essay Voices from the Field brought to
you by NASPA. This show is made possible because of you, the
listeners. Listeners. We continue to be so grateful that you choose
to spend your time with us. If you'd like to reach the show, you
can email us at savoices@naspa.org
or find me on LinkedIn by searching for Dr. Jill L. Creighton. We
welcome your feedback and your topic and guest suggestions
always.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:42]:
We'd love it if you take a moment to tell a colleague about the
show and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or
wherever you're listening now. It really does help other student
affairs professionals find the show and helps us to become more
visible in the larger podcasting community. This episode was
produced and hosted by Dr. Jill Creighton— that's me— produced and
audio engineered by Dr. Chris Lewis. Special thanks to the
University of Michigan Flint for your support as we
create this project. Catch you next time.