Running

Head: PRACTICUM REFLECTION MIDTERM

Jamie Taylor
EDLD 8735
Higher Education Practicum
Midterm Reflection

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The National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS) is an entity that
focuses on better understanding the factors affecting transfer student success during their
transition process. NISTS was founded in 2002 at the University of North Texas by Dr.
Bonita Jacobs. Dr. Jacobs found that there was a lack of research literature that specifically
focused on transfer students in higher education and thus The National Institute for the
Study of Transfer Students was created. In 2003 NISTS hosted its inaugural conference on
the campus of the University of North Texas and in 2006 they awarded the first of two
grants which helped support transfer-related research. The following year, NISTS founded
the Association for the Study of Transfer Students, which gave another outlet for
professional development opportunities to those focused on the transfer student
populations. In 2013 The National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students relocated to
North Georgia College & State University and in 2014 they moved their annual conference
to Atlanta, Georgia. NISTS has continued to grow and develop over the course of the past
13 years, and is projected to expand even further based on the current need for transfer
student research.
The National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students is housed in Dahlonega, GA
on the campus of the University of North Georgia. This practicum originally started as a
field experience opportunity for me to gain further knowledge about transfer and
transition students but it has turned into so much more. In the Fall of 2014, I approached
Dr. Janet Marling, the executive director of NISTS (now also the Vice President for Student
Affairs at the University of North Georgia) regarding the possibility of me utilizing NISTS as
a practicum experience when the time came. Dr. Janet Marling suggested that I start
getting my feet wet with the institute immediately in order to give myself the background

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knowledge that I needed to get the most out of a practicum experience. I was nervous but I
knew that it was something I could do.
NISTS is no where in my job description so I knew there were going to be challenges
with balancing being a full time graduate student, working more than full time in housing
and adding hours of a practicum experience that I was not allowed to technically start until
my final semester in the program. I sat down and met with the acting Assistant Director,
Judith Brauer and established learning outcomes where she allowed me to disclose what I
wanted to receive from this opportunity.
Judith was excited about this experience and we developed a couple of pages of
projects that I could help with, learning outcomes and different opportunities that I could
take advantage of in order to learn about the background of NISTS and the purpose. I hit
the ground running with my project list beginning in August 2014 and to this day, that has
not stopped.
My mentor was originally going to be Dr. Janet Marling (which would have been
AMAZING considering how much I idolize her) but that changed when she was named the
Vice President for Student Affairs in January. Judith came from our grants department and
switching to the role she was in as the acting Assistant Director of NISTS was a challenge
for her. I knew that working with Judith could be a challenge for me due to the differences
in our leadership styles but I also knew that I could learn from any experience. There is
only one other full time professional staff member that works with NISTS and her name is
Lara DeBlois and she serves as the administrative assistant.
Originally, I came in to this experience very quiet and ready to observe from the
back and step in where needed. However, I quickly became stagnant in my growth from

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this experience so I began seeking out other opportunities. I began getting involved heavily
with the Transfer and Transitions Network through the National Orientation Directors
Association (NODA) and inserting myself anywhere I could to gain knowledge and
experience. At this point, I am working on a few documents to assist NISTS in developing a
document library on their website to help other professionals across the transfer network.
As far as ranking this experience, I would have to rank it on several different levels.
Working with Judith as a mentor has probably been a 3 due to the lack of consistency and
communication. Often times, I have to seek her out to get updated on a project or to give
her my progress on projects that I am working on. There are times when she tries to
explain that my communication is not where it needs to be as a professional but I whole
heartedly believe that communication is a two way street. She met with me last week to
tell me that my communication was lacking. How can I fix something as a young
professional, if I do not know that it is broken until it is too late to fix it? Judith is now
telling me that I have to complete 40 hours in NISTS next week to fulfill my hours for my
practicum when I know that I have gone above and beyond the 100 hour mark to ensure
that she had everything she needed. Sometimes I am given busy work and that is hard to
swallow. I have also witnessed her taking credit with Dr. Janet Marling for several projects
that I have started and completed. That is something I have never had to deal with and did
not realize how bad that hurt. If I am rating the overall experience, Judith aside- I am going
to give it a 5. I have honestly learned more about myself as a professional than I ever
thought possible. I have learned how to take criticism in stride, I have learned how to be
independent when you have complete autonomy sometimes, I have learned how to deal

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with office politics in a way that I never wanted to but most of all, I have connected with a
network of amazing people. I would not take back any part of this experience.
Leadership is a very complex topic where everyone fits into that puzzle differently.
Judith and I have very different leadership styles. She is very unorganized and go with the
flow whereas I am fairly structured and like to have a plan for everything. We have been
forced to overcome those barriers and find a way to work together, whether that be me
becoming more flexible or she understanding where I am coming from with my suggestions
and help. This has been a great professional development opportunity where I have had to
learn to conform to the people around me. Although, Judith and I have worked together for
three semesters now, I still feel as though I do not know how to effectively work with her. I
do not feel like anything I do makes her happy. She may act like she likes a product at first
but I believe that changes when I walk away. I wish, if I could do this over again that I could
have the opportunity to get to know her from the beginning with an open mind. I went into
this with one expectation for a mentor and got another. I have done my best to be open
minded and to communicate openly with Judith, but it does not seem to be enough.
The entire time I have been enrolled in this program, I have been very intentional
with saving my work, editing it as needed and making sure I connect all of the dots in some
form or fashion. The component of my portfolio that I was really able to reflect on was the
work samples along with the final reflection of the program. I enjoyed going back, reading
my work and seeing how far I had come, not only as a professional but as a student as well.
I enjoyed reflecting over everything but with that reflection comes remember the good
times as well as the times that will knock you off of your feet.

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There have been many eye-opening experiences for me throughout this practicum
but one of the biggest moments was a NISTS Transfer Advisory Board meeting that I was
given the opportunity to attend. After discussing issues such as administrative challenges,
transfer identities, transfer student definitions and others discussed within the advisory
board meeting, I decided to go back through our text as well as the articles located in many
of my course modules. Quickly, I noted that there were no transfer or transition specific
learning material provided to us in many of the courses that I had taken in this program.
But this experience has allowed me to understand exactly what we were discussing in the
advisory board meeting regarding the lack of resources available to professionals. There
are not only gaps in definitions and resources but in learning materials as well.
Higher education administration is multifaceted in itself, but attending this meeting
made that fact evident. It is the responsibility of university officials to ensure that transfer
students and their success are built in to the strategic plan. I learned more about higher
education governance, higher education administration, political undertones, political red
tape and the overall power of hierarchy at this meeting then I ever thought possible in a
three-hour span. Influencing transfer policy and practice is difficult. You have to have
commitment from the top down and without that buy-in, changes can be practically
impossible to make.
As a current higher education professional without a masters degree, I essentially
have no power when it comes to decision-making in the world of student affairs. I may
have the ability to inadvertently or even intentionally influence, I can offer suggestions,
fight for what I believe in, go up to bat for my students but in the end I have no pull. After
leaving the meeting, I had a lot of time to reflect on the reasons why I chose higher

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education as my career path but I can only hope that I do not lose focus of the student. This
meeting opened my eyes to the difficulty of decision-making and the red tape that must be
crossed from all ends, prior to a change actually being implemented.
It was very evident that the group of individuals serving on the advisory board is a
group of people who share a common passion for helping the transfer environment; they
were extremely knowledgeable and dedicated to their jobs as well as their role on the
advisory board. It was prodigious to see such exemplary leadership in one room. It was
also a profound professional development opportunity and I will never forget the lessons
that I learned that day. The students are the most important part of our jobs Without the
students, we do not have a purpose in the university system. When I get to a point that my
job is not longer student centered, it is time for me to consider a career change.
Overall, this experience has been a HUGE growth opportunity and I would not
change anything. I have enjoyed getting to know other people and work alongside pillars of
the profession that I would have never had the opportunity to meet if not for NISTS.