In an ongoing series, The Montage gets to know leaders on campus
By: MALAIKA TOLFORD
Staff Writer
On her tenure at STLCC …
Kim Fitzgerald began her career at STLCC-Meramec in 1987 as an academic advisor.
“I advised students for about 20 years and eventually went full time when my kids got a little bit older. So the beauty of coming from an advising position is that I was talking to students, and helping them with their educational plans, and helping them problem solve, and think about how they worked. I still consider myself an educator even though I’m not standing in the classroom because my job as an advisor was to explain things to students and then if they didn’t get it explain it again in a different way. That was really good day-to-day experience, and at the same time I got to participate in committees and do things on campus,” Fitzgerald said.
In 2008, Fitzgerald moved into the newly-created position of enrollment management coordinator for the Meramec campus. “My job was to take what I knew day to day and then go out and develop relationships with high schools, high school counselors, high school administrators and conduct events that brought people to campus. I could go out there and let people know of the great work that happens here. It’s really one of those hidden gems,” Fitzgerald said.
On her new position …
After Linden Crawford was removed as the Vice President of Student Affairs (VPSA) in August 2013, Fitzgerald was appointed as the acting VPSA. “When I accepted this position, it seemed like the least disruptive thing for the campus and for student affairs. We’ve had a lot of activity in the last five years,” Fitzgerald said.
When President Pam McIntyre asked Fitzgerald to step into the position, Fitzgerald said she looked at the move as an opportunity to make a difference.
“I’ve worked along side all the managers in students affairs for a long time, and this gives me the opportunity to provide some leadership. Having one more new experience is a good opportunity. I feel like it’s a nice match of my education background and my skills and really when you’re looking at jobs, that’s what you want,” Fitzgerald said.
On Community Colleges …
“We suffer from the same identity crisis that all community colleges do,” Fitzgerald said. “Students want to go away. They don’t want to stay. For many students, their goal is not to stay home. That said, for many students this is their one and only option. The beauty of the community college is that you serve your community, you serve all ends. That has been an easy thing for me to do because I believe in the work we do in student services and I believe in the work of our faculty.”
Students attend community colleges for many different reasons, she said.
“We all have to get past this idea that students just ‘end up’ at community colleges. People select community colleges every day for really good reasons. Sometimes it’s academic, sometimes it’s financial, sometimes it’s just social or emotional. Sometimes it’s the best place for them to start to prove to themselves, or their parents or other colleges that they can do college level work,” Fitzgerald said.
On STLCC Students …
“One of the biggest advantages that students have in coming to school here is the fact that they get such a connection with faculty,” Fitzgerald said. “When we tell students that we have small class sizes, it’s true. You might say, ‘But I’m in a class with 65 or 80 people in my political science class.’ Well, if you took that at a four year public [university] it would be like 650.”
According to Fitzgerald, the faculty hired at community colleges are hired primarily to teach. “If you go to a four-year public [university], many times the faculty are hired to research, to publish, to produce, to compose, to sculpt and all those things. We have tons of faculty at Meramec who do those things, but that’s not their primary focus. Their primary focus is to teach, and then if they do write, or produce, or publish, or compose, those are just things they do on the side. I think that part of it is a big advantage,” Fitzgerald said.
Advice for new students …
“What I always try to get students to do is to advocate for themselves,” Fitzgerald said. “The difference between high school and college is that once they’re here, they have to start asking questions, but once they start asking, there’s all sorts of ways to get them connected. But they have to be willing to step up and say ‘I don’t know where to go’ or ‘I don’t know what to ask.’ So I think the best advice for any first semester student is to ask questions.”
If you have questions for Kim Fitzgerald, the acting Vice President of Student Affairs, stop by Clark Hall to meet the administrator.
