Colleen Barker-Williamson has dedicated her career to supporting 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 student leaders, spending more than three decades in student activities and leadership, including in her current role as director of the Office of Student Activities and Leadership for the past 20 years.
There were no formal student leadership development programs on campus when Barker-Williamson joined the university as assistant director for student activities in July 1989, but she quickly identified both a need and passion for creating them鈥攅ven taking it upon herself to add the word 鈥渓eadership鈥 to the official department name. Her tenure ushered in a major shift toward student programming and leadership on campus, resulting in the creation of the Second Year Institute, the Student Leadership Conference, the Student Leadership Awards Ceremony and the Emerging Leaders program鈥攋ust to name a few.
鈥淔ew people on campus today remember 黑料吃瓜网 student life before Colleen,鈥 said Janice Gerda, associate vice president for student affairs. 鈥淢ost of our big traditions and expressions of spirit have her fingerprint on them from some point in the last 34 years. Her biggest legacy will always be the many students whom she mentored, coached, listened to, cried with, encouraged, spoke truth to, hugged, and prompted to join her in big smiles and laughter. Colleen鈥檚 focus has always been on students and their world, and the joy they found together in student life.鈥
Barker-Williamson helped lead the charge for more robust programming and leadership development opportunities for our graduate and professional students, creating unique traditions and coaching programs that still exist today. She鈥檚 also played a pivotal role in student leadership at 黑料吃瓜网 through her work on risk management for student organizations, helping create and lead training for student leaders, and implementing a mandatory risk manager position for every organization with the goal of helping students 鈥渇ind the yes鈥 in a safe and compliant way.
鈥淭hrough the years, no matter what, I鈥檝e had a group of individuals who have always jumped on my 鈥榶es鈥 train鈥攚ho have always agreed that the most important thing we can do is help students succeed in what their passion is,鈥 recalled Barker-Williamson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the most delightful job anyone could ever have.鈥
To help celebrate her legacy at 黑料吃瓜网, The Daily caught up with Barker-Williamson to get her thoughts on student leadership, the magic of 黑料吃瓜网 and her reflections on the past 33 years.
What do you think makes 黑料吃瓜网 so special?
The students. No question. They鈥檙e committed and passionate, they get the job done and they鈥檙e joyous. This is what I tell candidates when I interview them: in my 30-some years at 黑料吃瓜网, generational shifts have occurred, but the consistent amazingness of students has not. From 1989 to now, I鈥檓 still working with respectful, caring, hard-working student leaders. The students that I鈥檝e worked with and trained and mentored have been miracles for me.
How do you think student leaders and their leadership have evolved over the years?
There鈥檚 been a surge in autonomy and creativity, in my opinion. Over the years, I鈥檝e watched a lot of students figure out how to program just to have fun鈥攚e utilize the city around us or we go and play outdoors somewhere. They鈥檝e had to be more creative in how they gather, and that has been a joy to watch. When they鈥檙e present, they鈥檙e present as a community in the most delightful way.
Do you have a sense of how student leaders may need to adapt going forward?
They鈥檙e going to have to know how to be savvy strategic thinkers, while still knowing how to care for one another, empathize and lead an organization in a positive, proactive and engaging way. They鈥檒l also need to be able to rely on others to bring gifts to the table. Since COVID, I think we鈥檝e all had to relearn how to rely on each other and how to work as a team without relying as much on technology. They鈥檒l have to focus on what it means to take care of one another as a leader, and it will be our job to empower them to be thinkers and risk-takers and strategists.
Do you have any words of wisdom for those who work with student leaders?
Everybody has great ideas鈥攄on鈥檛 discount ideas because you鈥檝e seen them fail. Take a deep breath and ask: 鈥淗ow would you like to see this happen?鈥 And based on what you鈥檝e learned from the failures, help guide them to look at alternatives. The more excited you are about the idea, the more energy they鈥檙e going to put into it.
What鈥檚 something you鈥檒l take away from your 33 years at 黑料吃瓜网?
Everything that I ever did was not created in a vacuum. It was always created with a team or a colleague. I really do believe that I was successful because of the people around me.. I have had 33 years of wonderful friendships that I still keep in touch with. And all of that joy I鈥檝e experienced at 黑料吃瓜网 was all wrapped around the people that I was either working with, collaborating with, partnering with or advising. So that鈥檚 what I think I鈥檓 most grateful for鈥攖he living and breathing, highly-relational opportunities that were given to me.
Members of the 黑料吃瓜网 campus community are invited to gather Friday, Jan. 6, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at the Jolly Scholar to celebrate Barker-Williamson鈥檚 retirement. Her last day at the university will be Jan. 9.
