Phillip Campbell plans to make Meramec Campus more lively
By: DALILA KAHVEDZIC
Editor-in-Chief
STLCC-Meramec Coordinator for Student Orientation and Transition Phillip Campbell has been working with Meramec for two months now, helping students and bringing life to the campus.
Campbell attended high school at Hazelwood West and was photo editor for their newspaper and yearbook. In college, he did work as a staff designer.
Campbell received a Bachelor of Arts in sociology/anthropology from Truman State University with minors in journalism and psychology. He also attended graduate school at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse where he got his masters in science and education. Putting his education to use, he worked as a first year adviser for three years at Miami University in Ohio and two and a half years at Southern Illinois Carbondale as the Director of New Student Programs.
“I’ve loved working around the Midwest and having a range of experience; different institutions, different levels of experience but really always focused on students and working with students,” Campbell said. “Helping them be successful is what I’m passionate about.”
Having been born and raised in St. Louis, it is nice to be back and be close to friends and family, Campbell said.
“I think it [experience] helps me advertise and market things in creative ways. I try to stay up to speed with design and being creative and being able to explore that side while I work with students,” Campbell said.
Campbell works with the campus on connecting students with its marketing and enrollment so keeping the creative side helps him to work with students and empower them to do the same.
“I love working with the range of students and the diversity that’s on campus and I really love the fact that I get to work with students at multiple stages– when they’re entering STLCC, helping them transition and engage with their education a little bit further through clubs, student government and student activities, and then helping them prepare for what’s after their time at STLCC,” Campbell said. The recent campus expo was a combination of what was in the past called Club Days and Passport to Success, and it highlighted the students clubs as well as the student services that are on campus, Campbell said.
The location of the event was previously located in the cafeteria or the student center quad, but it was moved this year to the library quad to be a little more centrally located, Campbell said.
To try to engage with the high traffic population but also showcase the amount of service and support that is on campus was what campus expo was all bout, Campbell said.
To build STLCC pride is the main goal in the campus life office, Campbell said.
“There was a committee that started working with welcome weeks and retention and student engagement in the campus life office and the staff in the campus life office have been wonderful, I was just lucky to come in at the right time two months ago and dive in, bringing some experience and background that I had from other institutions where I’ve worked but really jumping in and helping with what they had planned,” Campbell said.
“Our focus is to really connect with other campus organizations, other offices, other clubs and make them educational and entertaining,” Campbell said.
“Student Activities Council (SAC) plans those so they’re working on upcoming movies for the future. We also have Oktoberfest tomorrow and Thursday night on the library quad which is going to be a fun time to celebrate some of the St. Louis traditions like Fitz’s Root Beer and Gus’s pretzels and also do some alcohol awareness,” Campbell said.
SAC and Students Governance Council have regular meetings each week. They definitely try to promote events using posters and A-Frames and social media, Campbell said.
Social media is an area of opportunity for the future, Campbell said. To start using social media more to engage and connect with students is in the books.
Campbell loves helping students with anything they may need help with, especially when they come in to ask him for any guidance.
“My colleagues across campus and across the district and the students that come into my office and ask for input or tell me how they’re doing in a class or what they’re dealing with at home or ask for help on a paper,” Campbell said.
He said Moments like those are what he really values and appreciates.
“In my two months I have been really lucky to work with some amazing student leaders and campus colleagues, I feel very welcomed and supported, I feel empowered to bring new ideas to the
