Valerie Garr is the new assistant director of admissions
and director of diversity relations and outreach
in the Office of Admissions. The office created this
position as part of a continuing effort to strengthen
admissions outreach in support of the University's
strategic goal of becoming a more diverse community.
Garr, who has worked at the University in a variety
of student service capacities since 1989, will now
work with faculty and administrative staff in the
colleges, academic departments, and key student service
offices to personalize and coordinate the efforts
of admission staff to attract a diverse undergraduate
population.
Garr recently discussed her new duties with fyi.
Describe your new role.
An important part of this position is certainly
recruitment, particularly recruitment with a focus
on diverse populations. But another part of the position
entails working within the University community on
diversity-related tasks. In some ways, there's a
retention portion of it, too. From my perspective,
diversity outreach is very much related to the idea
that once you've recruited students, there has to
be something on campus, in place, to make them feel
as though they are part of the community. That's
where it's important for the person in this position
to have the knowledge of what it takes for students
to get here and the knowledge of how those students
can be productive and successful here, how they can
demonstrate and establish their leadership skills
here, how they can as a diverse student population
or diverse individuals be better connected to the
campus environment.
How does this position fit in with the Diversity
Administration Review Report and other diversity
efforts on campus?
In many ways, I think it fits in well. Right now,
we know the buzzword on campus is diversity. Like
any other challenges and goals on this campus, a
lot of different people have a lot of different ideas
on how to go about achieving success. So there's
not necessarily one consolidated or centralized effort
or answer.
The importance of diversity is in the University's
strategic plan. That means to me that it's every
division's and every department's responsibility
to make sure that they're doing all they can to support
that mission. If that means we have different departments
creating positions with titles involving "diversity
relations" or "ethnic inclusion," that's
a start. I definitely don't think any one office
or any one person can rectify the diversity issues
that we have here. It's going to have to be a group
effort.
As far as diversity issues on our campus are concerned,
how are we doing and what would you like to see happen
in the future?
I believe that there are many individuals, departments,
and programs on this campus that are sincere and
passionate about increasing and enhancing diversity
on campus. I think what we would all like to see
is a more collaborative effort to build on the successes
we have had in attracting qualified minority students
and to effectively address how best to transition
students who have applied for admission to students
who matriculate. And then, once these students are
here, to keep them in the pipeline that connects
them to a variety of opportunities and networks of
faculty, employers, and peers who can further expand
their educational, professional, and social opportunities
both on and off campus.
When these students earn their degrees at Iowa and
leave this campus, we hope they'll step out into
the world and tell others how instrumental Iowa was
in their academic and professional growth—so much
so that they will be inclined to reconnect with us
as alums or in other ways that will benefit us all
as a campus community.
What are some of your other duties?
I'm going to college fairs, making high school visits,
meeting with students and parents. I also teach.
I'm an instructor of The College Transition course
for first-year students, and I'm an adjunct faculty
member in the College of Education. I also conduct
diversity training with a variety of UI departments
and mentor undergraduate students. I'm working with
a team of people on a diversity video project where
I interview national and international social justice
leaders about diversity matters. It all keeps me
very busy.
What have you learned during your time working at
the University that will help you in your new role?
I've lived in Iowa City since 1979. I've been an
undergrad, a grad student, worked in financial aid
and support service programs and—most recently—in
the provost's office as administrator of the Opportunity
at Iowa Scholarship Program, and now I'm in admissions.
In all those years, I'd say one thing I've learned
is that effective outcomes usually require collaboration
with people who are also genuinely passionate and
supportive about common goals. Another is that there's
a strong need on this campus for student-of-color
populations to be heard and for them to create their
own programming that allows them to share what's
important about their culture with each other as
well as with the larger community.
Why did you want this position?
I've always had an interest in admissions, and I've
had longstanding relationships with several folks
here who've been around as long as I have, so I figured
it'd be a supportive environment to work in. I also
felt that, because admissions created this position,
they must have wanted to try something new with their
diversity outreach. Since that was in my background,
I thought I might be able to share what I know about
diversity and also learn from them. I see it very
much as a reciprocal arrangement.
And I'm 40-plus years old. I just needed to take
a risk and do something different. Change is a scary
thing. Even though I've been working at the University
a long time, it's still scary to step into something
I knew, organizationally, was going to be very different
from where I'd come from. I've always told students
that I work with that sometimes you have to take
some risks and step into new experiences that challenge
you, but help you grow. Sometimes you just have to
try something different and see if it works for you.
So I thought it was time for me to take my own advice.
by Amy Schoon
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