Feb 26, 2026
Student Affairs professionals around the world are breaking new ground, and there’s never been a better time to be part of the conversation. On a recent episode of "Student Affairs Voices from the Field," host Dr. Jill Creighton welcomed four visionary leaders who are at the forefront of reshaping how we think about student affairs globally. This dynamic episode shines a spotlight on NASPA’s inaugural global division publication, “Creating a Global Community,” which seeks to bridge knowledge and practice across borders.
What makes this episode truly inspiring is hearing directly from the publication’s curators: Omneya Badr, Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof, Dr. Brett Perozzi, and Dr. Heidi October. Their collective experiences span continents—bringing diverse insights from South Africa, the Middle East, the United States, and beyond. Listeners learn that student affairs is not just an “add-on” in higher education; it is essential and transformative, especially when professionals share knowledge and lift each other up.
A recurring theme on the podcast is the importance of amplifying voices that are not always heard. Omneya Badr speaks passionately about the need to provide a platform for first-time authors and institutions outside the Western mainstream, emphasizing that “what you’re doing is worthy of sharing.” The team’s vision for the publication is not only to showcase best practices but also to encourage practitioners everywhere, whatever their background or training, to contribute and see themselves as part of a truly global profession.
Another powerful message centers on adapting student affairs to the unique contexts and needs of different regions. From showcasing non-English contributions to supporting professionals who may not have formal degrees in the field, the publication (and this episode) celebrate innovation and inclusivity.
For those curious about what the future holds, the episode sets an optimistic tone. The intent isn’t just knowledge sharing; it’s catalytic—fostering networks, co-authorship, and a sense of belonging for professionals worldwide. Whether you’re an experienced leader or just starting out, you’ll find practical advice, encouragement, and an invitation to participate in the next wave of global student affairs scholarship.
If you want to be inspired by stories of resilience, collaboration, and the boundless potential of higher education, this is an episode you shouldn’t miss. Tune in and discover how you, too, can be a part of this exciting global 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. Today on SA Voices, I'm pleased to bring you 4 incredible
guests who are here to talk about NASPA's newest publication that
focuses on global student services all throughout the world. The 4
guests today were in charge of curating, editing, and ultimately
producing NASPA's very first publication focusing on student
affairs practices from around the globe. 2 of the guests we'll have
on today you've met before, and 2 are brand new to the pod.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:50]:
Our first returning guest is Omneya Bader. Omneya is an educator
and student affairs professional who gained a culturally diverse
higher education experience studying, teaching, and working in
Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, the UK, and the United States. She currently
serves on NASPA's Board of Directors and is the Director of NASPA's
Global Division, past Director of the MENASA Region, and in the
2021 and 2022 years she served as the MENASA Conference Chair. She
held teaching and academic advising positions at the New York
Institute of Technology Bahrain, Bahrain Institute of Business and
Finance, Qatar University, and Trinity University. She's a frequent
presenter at NASPA conferences, and her research interests are
culturally based academic advising, supporting first-generation
students, first-year experience, and cross-cultural communication.
She holds an MBA from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom,
a certificate of entrepreneurial and small business operations from
the Academy of Arts in California, and a Bachelor of Arts in
Management from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. She
recently acquired a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the
Workplace certificate from the University of South Florida. As an
educator, Amnea enjoys giving back to the profession and is
interested in creating the professional development opportunity
space for global student affairs professionals and encouraging
research and sharing knowledge amongst counterparts around the
world.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:03]:
For our next guest, we're pleased to welcome back to the pod Dr.
Jeanine Ward-Roof, who currently serves as
the Vice President for Student Affairs at Ferris State University,
where she joined in 2014. She has over 30 years of experience in
student affairs and is currently responsible for the leadership,
direction, supervision, and assessment of the Division of Student
Affairs, which is inclusive of many, many student support services
and departments. She's active in NODA, which is the National
Orientation Directors Association and has held many positions in
NASPA where she's been presenting and publishing on a myriad of
topics throughout her career. At Ferris State, she's also the
co-chair of the Ferris United Way campaign, serves on the
President's Council, is the chair of the FSU Reentry Committee, and
is a member of the Strategic Planning and Resource Committee, and
serves as one of the advisors for the FSU Student Government
Association. She earned her bachelor's degree in communication from
Ohio University, a master in college student personnel from Bowling
Green State, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership
from Clemson. Additionally, she's received numerous awards, two of
the most notable being the NODA Circle of Excellence in 2019, and
in 2015, she was one of our very own NASPA Foundation's Pillar of
the Profession. She spent her career working with college students
and their families and can think of no better way to support
student success than creating diverse and inclusive environments
where students can explore their values and debate knowledge in a
close community setting.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:03:22]:
Joining us on the pod for the very first time is Dr. Heidi October,
who hails from South Africa. Dr. October currently serves serves on
Stellenbosch University's Student Affairs Senior Management Team as
Deputy Director, Center for Student Life and Learning, and Head,
Frederik van Zyl Stabbert Leadership Institute. She's responsible
for the strategic leadership and research for student leadership
programs for academic transcript recognition. She has extensive
higher education experience spanning over 25 years and stakeholder
relations benchmarking at more than 30 international universities.
She's been awarded with the Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Excellence
in Achievement. She has been awarded with Vice-Chancellor's Awards
for Excellent Achievement as Student Leader and Leader staff
member, an academic achievement award from the University of
Pretoria, where she obtained her PhD in leadership studies, and has
been awarded honorary membership in the International Golden Key
Society for her contribution to leadership.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:04:12]:
She has guest lectured at the Association of Commonwealth
Universities Summer School, MCI Business School Innsbruck, Austria,
and KU Leuven, Belgium, and regularly presents scholarly papers at
international academic conferences in Europe, the United States,
and Africa. She's the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Susan
Comives Award for inspiring research in student leadership. Our
fourth Guest today, also joining us on the pod for the very first
time, is Dr. Brett Perazzi. Brett is the CEO of the Global Student
Affairs Consulting Group, or GSA Consulting. He most recently
served as Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment
Management at Salt Lake Community College, which is 50,000 students
across 8 campuses in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He previously
served as Vice President for Student Affairs at Weber State
University and in senior administrative roles at Arizona State and
Colorado State University. He holds a PhD from Indiana University
and a master's degree from the University of Arizona, both in
higher education administration, with a bachelor's degree in
education from the State University of New York.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:05:08]:
Brett has served as a faculty member in higher education graduate
programs at 6 universities and co-founded the Higher Education
Leadership Program at Weber State University. Brett has authored
more than 50 publications, including 2 books on international
student affairs and services. He's been an active volunteer with
NASPA for more than 2 decades, helping explore and expand global
impact and support for student affairs and services. Brett is a
founding member of the International Association Association of
Student Affairs and Services, or IASIS, and has been invited to
assist and support Student Affairs and Services colleagues
worldwide. He and his partner Terry enjoy traveling, eating, and
creating delicious food, and experiencing all four seasons in their
mountain location with their Siberian Husky Akira. I'm so excited
to bring in members of our Global Division Board today,
specifically to talk about the brand new and inaugural publication
for the Global Division, which we're gonna talk all about today. So
we've got a couple of guests on. Our first is Amneha.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:01]:
Amneha, hello.
Omneya Badr [00:06:02]:
Hello.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:03]:
And where are you today in the world?
Omneya Badr [00:06:05]:
I'm joining from Washington, D.C.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:07]:
Excellent. Our second guest is Janine.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:06:10]:
Good morning. I'm joining you from snowy Michigan.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:12]:
And for our listeners who have been with the show a while, you
might recognize Amneha and Janine from their past episodes, but
it's been a couple of years since we've had them on the pod. And
I'm also very glad to introduce you to a brand new voice,
Brett.
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:06:23]:
Hi, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, folks. Good to be
here. I am calling in from Salt Lake City, Utah, in the Mountain
West in the US.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:33]:
And the publication that we've got today is called Creating a
Global Community. And this publication is really designed by
practitioners for practitioners by looking at student affairs
practices that are beyond the borders of the US, because we're all
over the world. And it's a really exciting time to be having this
conversation. Before we dig into the publication though, we always
like to start with a question. How did you get to your current
seat, both in your day-to-day job, as well as if in your NASPA
board position or NASPA leadership position?
Omneya Badr [00:07:02]:
So I've been in higher education for a long time, and part of it
was teaching, part of it student affairs. And I've been working in
Egypt, in Qatar, in Bahrain, and then now in DC. So it's a matter
of always student affairs, but changing institutions and changing
countries. In terms of my volunteer work, I have been volunteering
with NASPA for a long, long time, and it started with being part of
the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia chapter of NASPA. Started
as a supporting the PD, time and efforts and so on that led me to
being the conference chair and then the director of the region. And
then later on to this position, the global division director. Which
gives me a really a great opportunity to work with great
colleagues. I have a position on the board of NASPA Board of
Governance, so it gives me a chance to hear what all my colleagues
are saying and to work on a publication like this one.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:08:07]:
And Amna is our current and outgoing chair of the global division.
We've just thrived so much under her leadership. We are so excited
to welcome Pilar, but also we're gonna miss you.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:08:17]:
And so in my journey, this is Janine. I have been in higher
education my whole life. I'll share a story later later if we have
time about how I got here, but I came to Ferris State, where in
Michigan in the United States, in 2014, and I've been serving as a
Vice President for Student Affairs. Prior to that, I worked at
Florida State, and I worked at Clemson University and the
University of Findlay. So for the most part on the eastern side of
the United States. And NASPA, I was introduced as a young
professional through a mentor, and it's really become a
professional home for me for decades. So I've had the opportunity
to serve in roles such as this in the global division and started
out working with exchanges that we were doing and then have done a
variety of different things. So kind of my world opened up and so
to speak from some different roles.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:09:04]:
Also had the opportunity to serve as a regional director, which
included a seat on the national board. So that was an exciting
year. And then other regional roles, including a regional
conference host and the secretary treasurer, and then currently now
also serve on the Scott Academy board. So I really have a great
time learning from others and learning what's happening in the
organization. So look forward to today. As well.
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:09:25]:
That's great. Nice to be reminded of folks' pasts. But yeah, I've
worked in higher ed for many years, various administrative posts.
I've always called myself a higher education administrator who
happens to work in student affairs. It's been a great career. I've
spent the last 8 years as a vice president at 2 different
institutions. With NASPA, I actually started helping with NASPA's
global outreach, I guess, in 2002. We used to do master's and
doctoral student exchange programs, and that's kind That's kind of
how I got started, and I helped do the administrative exchanges
later, and I was actually the first chair of the International
Advisory Board, which eventually now is the Global Division and is
appropriately placed in the organization with the kind of
leadership that we need from other countries.
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:10:12]:
Anyway, things have gone pretty well, and it's really been a great
experience to be able to work with so many great people like some
of the folks who are here today.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:10:19]:
And we are so thrilled that Heidi is able to join us. And Heidi,
where are you joining us from today?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:10:25]:
Hi everyone. So I'm Heidi October. I am based at Stellenbosch
University in South Africa. I am the head of the Leadership
Institute, the Frederik van Zyl Slabbert Leadership Institute, and
do a role as Deputy Director for the Centre for Student Life and
Learning.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:10:38]:
Wonderful. And how did you get to your seat on the NASPA Global
Division?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:10:42]:
I think I have just always had an interest in the
internationalization of student affairs. Started to present more at
international conferences and presented also at NASPA. So I also
became the institutional coordinator for our University to review
organizations where our student affairs practitioners would be able
to really be able to have a lot of opportunities for staff
development. And I then recommended that we join NASPA. I was then
approached to join the NASPA global board, and I immediately jumped
in and said, I'd like to be part of the scholarship team.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:11:18]:
And that leads us, I think, wonderfully to the question I'd love
for you all to take a shot at, which is how did we decide this was
the time for the global division to introduce a publication? It's
been a working board, it's been a board bringing the global
perspective to NASPA, but it hasn't necessarily done research
practice scholarship in the same way before. So why this? Why
now?
Omneya Badr [00:11:39]:
So thank you, Jill, for this question. It's really, let me tell a,
like a bit of a story. About 4 or 5 years ago, I met Brett for the
first time at the NASPA conference, and I think it was the first
time we meet, and I was telling him how around the world, all the 3
countries that I worked in, affairs is not seen as a profession.
There are no degrees, no certificates, no proper formal education,
and therefore people don't see it as a career. There is no
research, or limited— let's not say no, but limited research and so
on. There is research out there, but it's difficult to find. So I'm
having this conversation with Brett. I'm thinking, do you think
there is a space where we could provide, try to compile these
resources, try to provide the way for people to quickly have access
to these resources.
Omneya Badr [00:12:31]:
Some of them are not in English, but still. And he said,
definitely, I think that would be wonderful for make it easier for
people and also encourage others. Fast forward to the time I find
myself being the global division director-elect, and then I'm
thinking, okay, let's talk Brett. So I'm talking with Brett, I'm
thinking, how about a publication? NASPA already has a bunch of
publications that are very different. Then, so I'm having this
conversation and he's saying, definitely, yeah. And then let's form
a team. Brett becomes the team lead, and then we have wonderful
Janine, wonderful Heidi who are joining us. And the objective was
at the beginning, and it still is, how can we encourage people from
around the world who have never written an article, who have never
shared what they are doing, who maybe are not thinking what they're
doing is worthy of sharing.
Omneya Badr [00:13:24]:
How can we support first-time authors? And at the same time, we're
not looking at it as a lens of we know better, but student affairs
professionals around the world could benefit from someone who has
developed or applied a solution, a program in South Africa, in
Egypt, in Australia, here and there. So this was the, the starting
point and we're almost there.
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:13:49]:
The only thing I might add to that is in these conversations that
we were having, I'm sitting there thinking, yes, yes, yes, yes,
yes. Because I had done some research a long time ago, like 2013, I
think, that indicated most student affairs practitioners around the
world were doing professional development by reading. And so the
more information that we could get out in publication format, the
better we are to help support the profession. So I'm super excited
it's coming together.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:14:18]:
So Brett and Amna, you two were kind of the germinators of this
idea, and then it evolves into having a team of four who are kind
of creating this vision. So how did Janine and Heidi come on
board?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:14:29]:
So for me, it was a phone call. It was an email saying, hey, do you
want to join us? And you never say no to Brett and Amna. I mean,
you're like, yes, I'm there. So it was an automatic yes. And the
other part too that was really exciting is I recall in my NASPA
experience, I never had thought I would be outside of the United
States. I thought, you know, my world was growing up in
Pennsylvania, and, and so education just expanded my opportunities.
And then NASPA expanded my world, and I was able to do things
globally that I had not been able to do before. And so I felt like
it was a great opportunity to be able to share some of that
experience and some of the awareness that I gained and thought,
gosh, if other people can do that too, wouldn't that be amazing? So
it was an honor to be asked, and I'm thrilled to be a part of
it.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:15:11]:
I was thinking about this question in my first conversation with
Omnia and Janelle when they reached out. Out to me to join the
advisory board. They've asked where would I like to participate,
and I immediately mentioned that I have done my research and I have
noticed that there is a gap in terms of global perspectives,
specifically around the work that we do in student affairs. Many of
the journals are still Western-based. We have a couple of journals
that are now popping up in other parts of the world, but I could
also see from my own perspective and the South African lens that
there are a lot of student affairs practitioners doing amazing
work, but we need to share these best practices and not only in
South Africa. So immediately I said yes, and I also became somehow
the main driver and stalker for colleagues here in South Africa and
really pushing them to submit. And so I'm really, really happy to
be part of this very rewarding experience.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:16:08]:
So what we've ended up now with is a monograph. And so it's not a
research-based journal, it's a practice-based journal that talks
about all sorts of different things, and it's structured in a few
different parts. The editorial team has done an incredible job of
selecting a diversity of authors. Correct me if I'm wrong on this,
but I think there's almost 50, a little over 50 authors.
Omneya Badr [00:16:27]:
Yeah, almost.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:16:27]:
Yes.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:16:28]:
Many of whom they're publishing for the very first time, or some
folks who are like me, who I just don't have time to do mega
research as a full-time practitioner, but there's a lot to talk
about in terms of practice. But it's organized in a couple of
different ways. Student Learning Development, Social Justice and
Inclusion, Technology Advising and Supporting, and Personal and
Ethical Foundations, Values and Philosophy. Governance is a
section. So I want to know, how did you go about the application
selection process, deciding out of the many, many submissions you
received how you were going to organize and how you were going to
choose what fit into this inaugural monograph that, because it's
never been seen before, you really got to structure from
scratch?
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:17:11]:
All of us were involved in some way. In trying to provide some sort
of structure for the monograph. And it wasn't long before we
settled on the NASPA ACPA competencies as a guide. And Heidi, I
know, has used those extensively and helped us get organized around
those. We didn't necessarily use those to screen manuscripts that
came in. We fit them in afterwards and we actually asked authors,
where do you think yours best fits? And they fell out naturally. We
didn't have to really force any of them. So we have some pretty
clean sections for 1 and 2, and then even The third encompasses
two, and then the fourth does encompass a number of different
competencies.
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:17:51]:
It was kind of interesting to see how they fell out, and it gives
you a little bit of an idea of some of the trends also globally,
given the subjects that were submitted.
Omneya Badr [00:18:01]:
If you allow me, before receiving the abstracts, we had no idea
what's going to happen. This is like an inaugural project. We
didn't know. So we were just ready for different scenarios, but I
think it's worthy to mention the effort that has been made to reach
out to people around the world and to tell them about this. Because
often if someone who has never written before, who has no formal
student affairs education, when they see this in an email, that is
an inaugural publication, when they see a LinkedIn post, they just
scroll. They don't see that that's for them. So a big effort has
been made. No, please.
Omneya Badr [00:18:43]:
Personally, I have connections in the Manassa area and Janine has
connections. Brett has connections, Heidi as well., but it's just
the effort to let people know this publication, we wanna hear from
you. And then once we started receiving the abstracts and then
later on the manuscripts, we were so pleasantly surprised by the
variety. And then comes the editing team where we support people.
We don't wanna say no to anyone, but we want to ask you to do this,
do that so it comes in the best format possible.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:19:15]:
There's a number of authors from outside of the US, which I think
is an incredible feat for this publication, the first of its kind
that now NASPA has ever seen. So just scrolling through the author
list, I see Brazil, I see South Africa, I see the United Kingdom, I
see India, I see Egypt, I see Qatar. The list is vast and broad.
There's also a fair number of American-based authors in the
publication, but I know that we're also hoping that this will be
something that is shared widely, not only within the US NASPA
members, but that we can get it out to our colleagues around the
world. I would love to know a little bit more about the writing
process in terms of how authors submitted things, how they went
through editing cycles with you. And I ask this because, A, I know
we're A, we're hoping to do this again, and so we might have future
authors listening, but also B, I think writing is super
intimidating for a lot of people that have never done it before,
especially who maybe haven't done that terminal degree yet. And so
what are those kind of advice pieces for people who want to take
their first attempt at writing and what you all are looking
for?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:20:11]:
So I'll start and just come up with really big broad strokes. So
the intent, I remember the conversations that we had were really
around how do we provide a format for people to share the things
that they're doing on their campuses without all the intimidation
of doing something that is really prescribed. So creating an
environment where people can say, hey, I've got this program or
this resource or this policy, and this is how we've implemented it,
and it's worked well, and these are the resources or things that
you might want to take. It might be scalable. It might be something
that can transcend boundaries. And that was how we started in a
really global sense. And then it was a lot of, okay, well, we think
this will work, and then if it didn't work, we pivoted and did
something else. And so there were a lot of changes along the way,
and we were actually just talking before we started this about
finding time if we're all going to be at NASPA to just sit for a
minute and process through what should we do differently next
time.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:21:03]:
But it's been when you have really good colleagues who are willing
to help others, you saw that throughout this. You saw people
reaching out to others to write together. You saw people who had
not written before saying, hey, can you help me with this? So it
was really a very exciting process.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:21:17]:
Jill, I think there's one thing that we should also not forget that
many of the authors, English is not their first language. And so I
think the writing process for all of us was also a learning curve
in the way that the writing style differed from one person to the
next. And I remember even internally, there were a couple of emails
coming from my side to say, colleagues, is it a geographical
approach the way that we even write student affairs and services?
And I remember there was a lot of explanations back and forth, but
I'm using that particular example because it depends on where you
are based. Even a simple phrase like 'sess' could be written in
different ways. And so it was really important for us right from
the get-go that when we do give feedback to colleagues, that they
don't feel overwhelmed by the task at hand. I remember I had two
sessions with colleagues here in South Africa. First one was just
explaining the, the basic introduction of what it is that we want
to achieve. And then secondly, I followed up with some of them
individually who really felt quite intimidated by the writing
process because they I've never submitted a formal research
paper.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:22:27]:
And I said, tell your story or write your story as if you're
telling or sharing with a friend what it is that you do. And so the
moment they started to make that connection, it's almost like if
the doors of writing started to open and people felt more free to
share and less intimidated and threatened by the feedback. So it
was a learning curve, not only for us as the editors, but also
amongst the colleagues themselves, because we have colleagues
colleagues, entry-level in student affairs and more established
scholars in the field. And it was lovely to see some of the
partnerships of colleagues just wanting to help one another in
doing that. So, a last point I want to make is that there was also
a decision we had to make around, is a particular style of writing,
does it suit this publication? And so, in the end, we realized that
some of it might be a better fit for a storytelling type of
writing, which might not fit for this particular round of the
publication, but it opened up opportunities for us just to explore
what could be next or what could be different for, for, for the
next edition.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:37]:
We are gonna launch this publication at Annual Conference. So we're
recording this in February, so we're just a couple of weeks away
from Annual Conference. You'll be able to check that out as a NASPA
member. So for our NASPA members who are going to read this
publication, many of whom will be US-based professionals, what do
you want them to take away from the publication or what might be a
great mindset approach to reading it?
Omneya Badr [00:23:58]:
Personally, I would say have an open mind. Try to understand the
context and why this program or practice is being adopted. And with
an open mind, you will learn a lot. For me, reading this
publication, it's not that I'm going to adopt this on my campus.
It's not necessarily that, but it's like Jeanine was saying, just
open the world. You understand more about why this is happening and
why is this working or not working, because we are not going to try
to have the universe in international student affairs practices. So
I would say have an open mind, even try to reach, reach out to
authors. Finally, if you are at the NASPA conference, come and see
us at the global division reception, and we'll be celebrating the
publication and the authors that will be there.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:24:46]:
I think the other thing I would add is like everything that you
read and do, there's so much that proliferates our, our world right
now in terms of data. And information. But the thing that I felt
when I read through these is there's so many nuggets of information
and things that can transfer culture. But there's also the
interesting part of the cultural relevance of what the person is
writing about. So it's really interesting to define what might be
relevant or something that's occurring in one country is occurring
in a different country, but it's a different way. They're looking
at it from a different side. They're implementing it in a different
way. So it was really exciting to think about how all things
happen.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:25:26]:
Happen in higher education, but depending on the country you're in,
there's just a slightly different tilt. And it was just nice to be
able to get the definitions and the understanding and then see all
those nuggets in how we do our work.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:25:37]:
Well, my two cents would be that I hope that when they do read
this, that they really feel inspired to participate in the next
edition and to never underestimate the value that everyone can
really contribute to the scholarship of student affairs, wherever
you are, whatever your role is, whatever seniority level you have
in Student Affairs, it is important to share our work globally.
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:26:02]:
I'm excited that there are so many newer authors, Jill, as you
mentioned, there are folks who have published before who are part
of this, but there are a ton of new folks and it's going to be
great to meet them. A number of them we know are coming to the
annual conference, which will be exciting. I've seen it before. I
work with a group of folks I've researched with before, and one of
our specialties is how do you help people get published? And as
Amnia was about the thrill when people see their name on the
finished product. It's really exciting on a personal level. And at
the macro level, I like looking at the trends and things too, so
that people can see, oh, this is what people are writing about, or
hey, we do this too. Maybe we could write about how we do this next
time around. Some exciting things.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:26:42]:
What's something that you would like future readers to know about
the publication that I haven't asked you about yet?
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:26:47]:
I think to tag on my prior comment, it's accessible. Again, as
Amnia mentioned, we tried to accept every submission we could, but
that meant some very heavy editing. And if they could rise to the
occasion of the heavy editing, it made it into the publication. So
it was kind of like anybody can make it in as long as you're
willing to do the work.
Omneya Badr [00:27:07]:
Yeah, that's gonna be probably encouraging for the second edition.
People who we have reached out to and couldn't make it, now they'll
be a bit jealous and we wanna be in the second edition, but also
it's accessible to people to read. So we are, we are hoping that
this will go around the world, maybe will have its viral moment so
that people can have access to it. And I'm really thinking that we
talk a lot to our students about the importance of being a global
citizen, and we deal with international students, study abroad
programs, and all of that. But us as professionals, we need to also
make an effort to be kind of a global citizen. I think this, I'm
humbly saying, this publication is a resource resource, like my
colleagues have been saying, the resource to know about what's
happening around the world and not dismissing like, oh, that
country or that institution, nothing important could help me. But
that couldn't be farther from the truth.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:28:04]:
I would say two things, and it's about referencing. So while this
is an augural publication, it was important for us to make sure
that there are standards in terms of referencing an API, APA
referencing So it is important from a theoretical perspective that
we do refer to theory, but there's also scope for more conceptual
frameworks and the introduction of conceptual frameworks that is
contextual. And so there's a big gap, I think, for all of us within
the student affairs practice area that we can really explore more
opportunities to collaborate and to do comparison studies. So I
think this really lays the foundation for future research and
co-authoring partnerships for future publications. And it would be
wonderful in the next edition to see two authors from different
regions working together and participating in unpacking a new
conceptual framework. So I'm really excited about that foresight
for the scholarship section.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:29:06]:
And I'll just say one piece is, just as Heidi mentioned, it is a
really good publication that looks at theory. It does— theory is
throughout it, but it really focuses on the practice. It focuses on
what people are doing on their campuses. So it is just a really
good publication to think through how you might do this in a
different country, how you might define this term in a different
country so that as you're sitting in your seat, you can look across
the world and say, how is this happening in other places? And the
other piece is I think it also gives people the opportunity to
learn from a different lens. So it really is a way to understand a
different viewpoint just in a brief article.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:29:44]:
And once again, the monograph is called Creating a Global
Community, and it'll be launched at NASPA's annual 2026 conference
in Kansas City. I'm going to move us into our theme questions for
the season, and these These are the questions that we've been
asking every single guest we have on. Knowing that there's a lot of
you, we're just going to make sure that we try to get through all
of them as timely as we can, but also there's a lot to say on
these. So just trying to balance all of that, but we've got the
first question, which is, when you think about the value of student
affairs, what comes to mind first and why?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:30:13]:
So I'll share this. I appreciate the opportunity to think about the
question for a minute. So thank you for giving them to us before,
but our role in student success is what comes to mind the very
first thing in student Affairs. Everything that we do supports the
success of students, their access to education, the development of
their engagement, their community, their belonging. And as I like
to share with our parents at orientation and have done throughout
my career is the student's journey in their adulthood internship. I
mean, they're really learning how to practice and to skill build
and to hone the things that they're going to be doing throughout
their life. And we get to be a part of that. We get to walk
alongside of them when they invite us and help them to think
through what's what's the next step? So it's exciting.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:30:52]:
It's a wonderful field and it's a wonderful way in our world to
make the world a better place.
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:30:57]:
It really is a super altruistic and exciting way to look at our
work. I might have to check myself a little bit because I have a
slightly different perspective on it, just because recently I was
turned away from a higher education journal because we submitted a
piece on student affairs and services. And the statement was,
sorry, we only publish things that are higher education related. I
thought, whoa. So yeah, this was, it was an international journal
in higher education. And as Heidi and some others mentioned, we're
just not understood globally. And so my colleagues and I got a kind
of a good chuckle out of that, but a lot of wasted time too. But
anyway, I just wanted to share that quick anecdote.
Omneya Badr [00:31:39]:
Not surprised. I come from a world and worked in countries where
certainly student affairs is seen as like a side thing that could
easily be removed because students are there to go to classes. And
success is about the grades and the certificate. So I, I understand
that, but it does hurt because I see student affairs professionals
as educators and we are part of the journey. And I value some
institutions who have introduced like a second transcript for the
student where they can list the different skills and activities and
so on. That is part of showing the value to the student and also to
our own institution. So the value of student affairs, we have to
promote it within our own institution before promoting it to
students and parents. And I would say we have to be self-innovative
because our student population and demographics change, and not all
institutions have 18, 19-year-olds.
Omneya Badr [00:32:36]:
So we have to be adaptive. And the last thing is never to forget
proof, data. That is where the institution is going to understand
that there is a difference being made, and then you're— we
hopefully, we're going to get the credit that we deserves.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:32:50]:
Well, I'd like to add from a perspective of the transformative
student experience. So at Stellenbosch University, we refer to
student affairs being at the heart of the transformative student
experience. And I'd like to add that it's also part of the
transformative staff experience. And so if you take student life in
general, it really, it's an extension of the academic project. And
so we've worked really, really hard intentionally to partner with
the academic project exactly for that reason, Omnia, to have our
work on the academic transcript and to show that there's academic
rigor in the work that we do from student leadership work and
student leadership programs where I am particularly involved in,
that there is real academic rigor in the work that we do. When we
speak about student success, there is student development
principles, there's theory behind the approaches in student
affairs. Across, whether it is health and wellbeing, it is the
recreational sport aspect of it, where we talk about the sense of
belonging, inclusion, et cetera, and taking it all the way back
into how do we then equip our students to leave as graduates with
certain attributes and then to transcend into the world of work
where we can see the real value of having an enriched student life.
And student affairs is really at the heart of that.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:34:13]:
And so I actually had a conversation within this week with Some
professors in academia visited us from other countries, and I had
to do a presentation on the importance, the significance of having
an enriched student life. And the end of my presentation, I said,
well, we all know that there wouldn't be universities if there were
no students. There wouldn't be universities without the academic
project. So it's really a case of the universities in itself would
become irrelevant if there's no service to society and the
relevance of what we are gaining collectively in terms of
knowledge, skills, competencies and where do we fit the student
affairs practitioners? And it's basically horizontal. So it's, it's
a lot of cross-cutting factors within the ecosystem of higher
education that you cannot deny the value of it unless you really
think in terms of either/or. And I'm hoping that in the year 2026,
we have moved way beyond the either/or approach in higher ed.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:35:15]:
Our second question, can you share a specific story or moment when
you saw the value of student affairs come to life?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:35:21]:
So as a first-generation student in higher education, I now know my
experience was fairly typical, but I didn't know the path I was
supposed to take or what I was supposed to do. And so I was very
fortunate to have a lot of people guide me. So I was an RA and I
was an orientation leader. I was on the yearbook staff and student
organizations and a sorority, involved in student alumni groups and
all of that. But I didn't understand the construct behind all those
opportunities, all of that engagement. So prior to my senior year,
I always thought I wanted to be a journalist. I'm dating myself. I
was going to be Barbara Walters.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:35:51]:
That was my, my goal. But after an internship, I realized that
that's not what I wanted to do anymore. So I went back to school
for my senior year and I talked to all of those people in my life
that I now know are student affairs people, my hall director, my
director of residence life, the student activities director, the
dean of students, my advisor. And I was introduced to this field
called student affairs. And the awareness I gained, I would liken
to the first day of spring after a long winter. It was filled with
opportunities that had always been there. They were always there
under the snow, but I was seeing them differently. Intentionally
for the first time.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:36:25]:
And so as I pursued my master's and studied in higher education, I
had the opportunity to study with these amazing people like Dr.
Sattelmeyer and Dr. Strange and Dr. Renz and Dr. Coombs at Bowling
Green State in Ohio. And I learned how we could intentionally
orchestrate moments for students to learn and to grow and to
discern their values and to practice the art of communications and
to make mistakes with cushion, but also explore their careers and
who wanted to be and who they wanted to be. So I was hooked. And
since that time, I am honored to have been invited in so many
students' journeys and to help them where they needed to celebrate
with excitement, to craft their opportunities, to wade through
difficult situations, to listen, and to cheer them on as they
negotiated their adulthood internship.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:37:08]:
So student affairs just kind of blossomed, and it's— I can't think
of anything else to do. I couldn't think of any other career.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:37:14]:
I really like this framing of the university environment as
internship for adulthood. I've never heard that phrasing before.
I'm going to, I'm going to hang on to that one.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:37:22]:
Please do.
Omneya Badr [00:37:23]:
Fun. So I'm gonna share a story about a student while I was working
as academic advisor. One of my probation students who was like
semester after semester, like there's no progress in terms of
grades or engagement on campus. And then one day comes to my office
and says, did you check my midterm grades? And then I'm looking
like, oh my God, how did you, do you have these Bs and B pluses?
Like what's happening? And then he adds, and I'm running for the
student government as well. Long conversation with the student. I
told him like, you need to sit down. I I need to know what's
happening. So I don't have time to tell the whole story, but
basically what he said, all of a sudden, all these conversations I
had with you as my academic advisor, and I had with the counselor,
and I had with the career advisor, all of a sudden, it just like a
puzzle that fitted.
Omneya Badr [00:38:14]:
And it just dawned to me like, I have to do something. It's my
career. I have to take these steps. So I'm glad, this is what he
said, I'm glad that you never never stopped calling and emailing
and sending these tips and remind me of the resources. So to me,
this is a story of graduated with a 3-point-something GPA and doing
very well. So this is something that I always remember that we
don't give up, we just go on and remind students and talk to
students because story like that could happen again and again.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:38:45]:
Heidi, how about you? Can you share a specific story or moment when
you saw the value of student affairs come to life?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:38:50]:
At the moment, it's my 25th year in higher education, and I was
very lucky to have worked in different areas within higher
education. So prior to joining student affairs, I worked for about
a couple of years as the manager for alumni relations, and I
traveled extensively to the top 10 countries where most of our
alumni resided outside of South Africa. And at all of these events,
I came back and it was very clear to me that our alumni alumni have
done degrees at different universities, so not necessarily at the
same university, but what really makes them loyal towards
Stellenbosch University is the reminiscing way that they were
talking about the student life back when they were students. And
they could tell stories about staff members who assisted them in
residence life from a commuter student perspective, how staff
members in student affairs made them aware of all of the
opportunities to really immerse themselves in the student life or
colleagues who assisted them through mental health challenges. And
so when I reflected on the question, it made me realize that if it
was not for those colleagues who really walked the extra mile to
support the students during times when they felt incredibly
vulnerable in achieving their goals, they probably never would've
participated in alumni events or coming back for homecoming
reunions because there would've been no sense of belonging that was
created for them and a smooth transitioning from student life into
graduates and then into the alumni, and then again completing the
circle by paying it forward and also then encouraging their own
children to come back to the same university because of that rich
student life experience that they have experienced. So I can't
think of a better story to share than those particular examples,
and I am just incredibly grateful that I can also be a small play a
little part in creating that just feeling of belonging for our
students.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:52]:
Our third question in our theme is, what do you think that student
affairs needs to be doing to be better understood or better seen in
today's educational environment?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:41:03]:
So I think we need to remember to boldly tell our story, to
illuminate our student experiences, to provide opportunities for
them to share their experiences in their own ways. And then help
people remember that it's about the students. This is all about the
students. And we have vast amounts of data that we can use to
illustrate all those awesome positive effects around engagement,
belonging, community, and just the awareness and all of those
things. If we do that, if we keep telling that story, we're gonna
show nothing but student success and nothing except the ways that
student affairs help to augment that.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:41:38]:
From my side, I would say get rid of limiting beliefs, get rid get
rid of the feeling that we are less than in an academic space. The
moment we are more intentional with the work that we do and showing
the relevance of that with clear data, just to add on to what
Janine said, it becomes undeniable that the work adds value. So
less anecdotal examples, being clear-cut with our case studies that
we share. And also another piece of advice that I'd like to share
is that I have been sharing with colleagues in own space, go to the
academic conferences, submit your abstracts, go and present your
work at specifically the disciplines, but the academic type of
scholarship conferences. And the other part also is join or create
partnerships with our learning and teaching colleagues in Academic
Affairs. There are many overlaps in the work that we do from a
student success perspective. And I think the more collaborative we
become and the less competitive for retention or trying to get more
space in the playfield, field, the more relevant we become because
then you are making yourself undeniably relevant to the needs of
not only the organization or the institution, but also to the
student and broader university community.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:58]:
And Amna, how about you? What do you think that student affairs
needs to be doing to be better seen and better understood in
today's educational environment?
Omneya Badr [00:43:05]:
I think we need to partner with academic affairs and raise
awareness among ourselves within the institution about the value of
the work we are doing. I have worked institutions, and I'm
currently working in an institution where we have non-traditional
students, and those have different needs. So we need to be
innovating and moving with trends. So the value of student affairs
is going to be seen with proof that we provide, with raising
awareness among other departments of the value of what we're doing,
partnering with academic affairs. So we are in the classroom and
outside the classroom, and we show that what we're doing makes a
difference as as well as changing our tactics. Engagement doesn't
have to mean the same thing. An older student needs different
things. A student who is studying online needs different
things.
Omneya Badr [00:43:55]:
A student parent, a student who has a full-time job, and so on. So
we have to be innovative and change. And cooperating with also the
industry is always has been, but it's much more important now.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:44:07]:
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 [00:44:13]:
Thanks, Jill. So excited to be back in the Naspa World, and there's
a ton of things happening in Naspa. Really excited that the Naspa
Annual Conference is coming up March 7th through the 11th in Kansas
City, Missouri. Soon we're going to be coming together in Kansas
City, and I hope you're going to be planning to join us and the
thousands of other professionals traveling to Kansas City from all
over the world. The event is going to be an amazing event, and
there are going to be a ton of ways for you to be able to engage
with others. And if you are a first-time attendee, make sure that
you check out a few of the different first-time attendee sessions.
There is a first-time attendee orientation webinar that is
available. There are some sessions right at the conference that you
can go through, and with the new online app You can search for
programs that align with being a first-time attendee or other
programs that you just have an interest in.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:45:12]:
I do encourage you to explore the conference app that is available
now. And through that app, you can set up your own schedule and
allow for you to be able to find all the type of programming that
you want to attend, whether you are a first-time attendee or a
person that has been attending for many, many years. I've said this
before, but Jill and I will be at the conference. And as always, we
are going to be asking some questions of people at the conference.
And I want to be able to offer all of you the opportunity to be
able to answer these questions so that your voice can be a part of
some upcoming episodes. The 3 questions are as follows. If you
could rebuild the student affairs from scratch, what's one change
that you would make to impact student success? The second question,
how can student affairs use data and tech to better serve the
profession? And third, what does a successful flexible work
environment look like in student affairs today and in the future?
There's a couple of ways that you can send us your recording. The
easiest way is to record yourself answering those questions right
on your phone, get an audio file, and email us the audio file.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:46:33]:
At savoices@naspb.org. You could also record a file and upload it
and email us the link. That's another easy way to do it. But all in
all, we would love to include your voice as a part of this, even if
you can't attend the annual conference. If you are attending the
annual conference, please look for Jill or I because we would love
to capture your voice. And if we ask you, don't find it weird.
We're going to have our recorders and we're going to be asking
people to be able to answer questions for us. Another event that's
happening on May 8th, 2026 is the NASPA 2026— is the 2026 NASPA
Civic Discourse Virtual Summit.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:47:12]:
As colleges and universities work to support student learning and
engagement amid an evolving landscape around free speech, academic
freedom, and political expression, the need for thoughtful,
principled approaches to civic discourse has never been greater.
The 2026 Civic Discourse on Campus Virtual Summit. The 2026 Civic
Discourse on Campus Virtual Summit brings together higher education
leaders, student affairs professionals, student affairs
professionals, and dialogue practitioners to explore the evolving
landscape and share evidence-informed strategies for cultivating
healthy campus climates. Inside of this virtual summit, there are 9
different areas that will be covered, and I highly encourage you to
check out all of the different areas and consider joining for this
inaugural summit. You can find out more on the NASPA online
learning community at learning.naspa.org. Another event that is
coming up is the NASPA Sexual Violence Prevention and Response
Virtual Summit. The 2026 NASPA Sexual Violence Prevention and
Response Summit will provide you with the opportunity to be able
to, to gain knowledge, tools, and strategies needed to drive
meaningful Change: Meaningful Campuswide Change in Sexual Violence
Prevention and Response. This summit features expert-led sessions
and evidence-based practices.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:48:38]:
The summit will equip you to advance holistic approaches that
center prevention, elevate survivor support, strengthen equitable
services for respondents, and embed equity, safety, and wellbeing
into the fabric of campus life. This summit is happening in May
2026, and you can find out more also on the NASPA Online Learning
Community website at learning.naspa.org. What if the very thing
that makes student affairs professionals so effective—their
empathy, their care, their deep commitment to students—is also
what's putting them at risk? In a brand new featured research
article entitled "Caring for the Caregivers: Identifying and
Addressing Compassion Fatigue in Student Affairs" by Alexa Wesley
Chamberlain. The article takes a hard look at compassion fatigue in
student affairs, often described as the cost of caring. In a time
when professionals are repeatedly supporting students through
trauma, crisis, and uncertainty, the emotional toll is real.
Anxiety, exhaustion, isolation, and burnout aren't just individual
struggles; they're systemic challenges. They're systemic
challenges, and the article makes a compelling case that self-care
aware alone isn't enough. What makes this piece especially
important is that it moves beyond awareness to action.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:49:58]:
Drawing on research and national data, it outlines 5 concrete
organizational-level strategies institutions can implement, from
strengthening mentorship and structured debriefing to expanding
mental health access for staff to being more transparent about
emotional labor in recruitment. It also highlights how belonging
and feeling valued matter even more than pay when it comes to
retention. If you care about staff wellbeing, student success,
leadership culture, or retention in higher education, this is a
must-read. It challenges us to rethink what a true culture of care
looks like, not just for students, but for the professionals who
serve them every day. You can find this article on the NASPA
website in the NASPA blog. 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 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 the knowledge
community, giving back within one of the, the centers or the
divisions of the association.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:51:15]:
And as 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 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 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 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 [00:52:09]:
Chris, thank you so much as always for giving us another great
informative episode of NASPA World. We always appreciate you
keeping us informed on what's going on in and around NASPA. And now
we have reached our lightning round where we have 7 questions for
you to answer in about 90 seconds. Now, because Amnea and Janine
have been here before, they have a different set of lightning round
questions than Brett and Heidi. So we're going to start with Brett
and Heidi. So I'm going to ask you question 1, Brett, you're going
to answer, then Heidi, you're going to answer, and then we'll go to
question 2, etc. Are Ready to go? Okay. Yes.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:52:39]:
All right. Question 1, if you were a conference keynote speaker,
what would your entrance music be?
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:52:44]:
Happy.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:52:44]:
You know the song, I'm not singing it. My colleagues and my
students would say I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:52:52]:
Number 2, when you were 5 years old, what did you want to be when
you grew up?
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:52:55]:
Wow. I've thought about that and I actually don't know. I've
thought about what did I want to be when I grew up and I didn't
know until I got way past 5 years old.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:53:05]:
Doctor.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:53:05]:
That was my ultimate goal.
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:53:07]:
Number 3, who's your most influential professional mentor? George
Kuh was my advisor in my PhD program, and he is a super impressive,
knowledgeable person who has helped me and mentored me throughout
my career.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:53:20]:
I would have to give credit to my PhD supervisor, who is also a
director of a leadership institute at the University of Pretoria,
Professor Derek de Jong.
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:53:28]:
Number 4, your essential student affairs read. The book that I just
started reading is amazing, The Caring at university that I can't
even—
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:53:37]:
so let me just leave it at that. Without a doubt, Susan Comey,
there's John Dugan and Al, all of them around the social change
model.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:53:45]:
I thrive on their work and I applied a lot.
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:53:48]:
Number 5, the best TV show you've been binging lately? Old episodes
of The West Wing. I love it.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:53:54]:
To reference an Afrikaans one in South Africa called Skimmer
Grounder.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:53:59]:
Number 6, the podcast you spent the most hours listening to the
last year?
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:54:02]:
It's called Bigger Pockets. It's a real estate podcast with all
manner of information about different types of real estate.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:54:10]:
I have to say the AVZ is Unplugged on Spotify with a lot of
interviews with newly appointed vice chancellors in South
Africa.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:54:20]:
Thank you so much, Brett and Heidi. You have survived our lightning
round. It's now time to bring back Amneha and Janine for their
lightning round questions. We have a different set of questions for
second time guests. So here we go. Question number 1: the last time
you were here, you got to talk about your entrance music, and I
want to ask you, do you want to keep your original entrance music
song, or if you could change it, what would it be?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:54:42]:
So to be honest, I don't remember what I said last time, so I don't
know if I want to keep it. But I was thinking about that when they
answered it, and I said, gosh, nowadays I'm not sure what it is,
but I still think I'd want to do something dramatic like Over the
Rainbow or something like that. Was just like all about dreams and
wishes and Nope. I'll trust myself.
Omneya Badr [00:54:59]:
I don't remember as well, but I would say yes, keep it.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:55:03]:
I didn't go back and listen. I'll do that. Number 2, what was your
undergraduate degree in and do you use it in your work now?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:55:09]:
So my undergraduate degree was communication and I use it every
day, every single day.
Omneya Badr [00:55:14]:
My undergrad was in business administration. That was called back
then, moved to being called management, and I certainly use it
every day, managing up, managing down, Everything.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:55:26]:
Number 3, your guilty pleasure TV show binge.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:55:28]:
I have a couple, but the favorite one right now is an older episode
set of series about a family called The Middle.
Omneya Badr [00:55:36]:
It just is dysfunctionally humorous. I recently watched Abbott
Elementary and I find it very nice.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:55:43]:
Number 4, if someone ever visits your city, what's the one place
they have to eat?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:55:47]:
So in Big Rapids, it's a small town in Michigan. There are several
fun restaurants, but the one I would suggest is a little place
called Crankers, which is this brew pub. That has a lot of
different food, but if you love breakfast, it is the place to
go.
Omneya Badr [00:56:02]:
So there is a place by the waterfront. I'm forgetting the name, but
a very nice place for brunch, Georgetown Waterfront. It's hard to
miss.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:56:10]:
That's where you need to go. Number 5, what's your favorite
work-related podcast?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:56:14]:
I have to admit, I don't have a favorite one. I listen to a lot of
them, but I've kind of still been in the groupings of Audibles,
like finding books and spending a little more time delving into
topics. So I don't really have a favorite one.
Omneya Badr [00:56:26]:
I just have lots that I listen to? Not because it's you, Jill, but
I do listen to your podcast all the time, as well as Adventures in
Academic Advising.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:56:35]:
That one I like very much. It's NASA's podcast, but I appreciate
the privilege of hosting. Number 6, your favorite not work-related
podcast.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:56:42]:
And I don't have a favorite one, but I tend to look at just of
things, topics that I don't normally do within a day. So gardening
or something about the stock market or something that's gonna give
me some knowledge or something that I don't have to think about in
my daily work?
Omneya Badr [00:56:55]:
Yeah, I don't have a favorite one. It's more like would be music
and try to listen to music from back home.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:57:03]:
And finally, number 7, any shoutouts you'd like to give, personal
or professional?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:57:06]:
There's so many. You know, it's funny because I just celebrated a
birthday, so, you know, and you always get these great wishes from
people. And as I wrote to my colleagues and said, thank you so
much, I really just want to say to all of the people who helped me
get to the seat I'm in, thank you, because I am just so honored to
have had all that help and that guidance. And I could give you
hundreds of names, but I will do that personally as I continue to
see them just to say thanks.
Omneya Badr [00:57:29]:
I would like to thank the group of wonderful people on the Global
Division Board and specifically the smaller team on the Publication
Board because we are all volunteers. And to put all that effort to
have this, it's really a dream come true for me. So I think
everyone on the board very much.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:57:51]:
It's been such a joy to have all 4 of you on the podcast today. I'm
sure people will want to connect with you about the publication or
Global Division after this. How can people find you?
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:58:04]:
So the best way to connect with me would be email, and so that
would be using my name. So it's Januar, J-E-A-N-I-A-R, D-R-O-O-F at
Ferris.
Omneya Badr [00:58:18]:
The easiest way to find me is on LinkedIn, exactly like my name,
O-M-N-E-Y-A-B-A-D-R, uh, and I check it every day.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:58:29]:
Definitely LinkedIn, Heidi October, H-E-I-D-I-O-C-T-O-B-E-R, or my
email address, heidiOctober@sun.ac.za.
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:58:39]:
One of the best ways to reach me is through my profile on LinkedIn.
My last name is sometimes hard. Brett, first name. And I'm also at
perozzi_brett@gmail.com.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:58:52]:
I just learned I've been saying your name wrong for years.
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:58:56]:
Sorry. No, it's totally fine. I wish I had gone by Perozzi for
years, but it's too late.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:59:02]:
I'll correct that. I'm so sorry, Brett. I've been literally
introducing you as Brett Perozzi for like— It's fine.
Dr. Brett Perozzi [00:59:07]:
5 years.
Omneya Badr [00:59:08]:
Yeah, it's okay.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:59:09]:
Thank you so very much for sharing your voice with us today. Thank
you. Thank you.
Omneya Badr [00:59:13]:
Thank you for having us.
Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof [00:59:14]:
Thank you for having us. Agreed.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:59:21]:
Thank you. This has been an episode of SA Voices from the Field,
brought to you by NASPA. This show is made possible because of you,
the 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 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 [00:59:43]:
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
and audio engineered by Dr. Chris Lewis. Special thanks to the
University of Michigan-Flint for your support as we create this
project.
Dr. Jill Creighton [01:00:10]:
Catch you next time.