For years, Gwen Dungy’s mission has been to help universities maintain the best possible environment for all students to learn and grow.
But she’s especially passionate about helping one group — service members — be all they can be.
Dungy retired last month after 16 years as executive director of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, or NASPA. Before that, she spent decades in student affairs and on the academic side of higher education.
Even with retirement looming, she’s still thinking about what people in the profession should be paying attention to.
Service members need the right kind of help, she says. “If a student comes back [from serving in the military], they may be 20 or in their 20s — but they must be treated as adults,” says Dungy, who has spoken to troops here and abroad.
They may have had different experiences from the average student, says Dungy. And they want an education that is “as quick and meaningful as is possible.”
Student affairs can play a vital role in such cases, Dungy says. She stresses that people in her field — who, depending upon the institution, focus on career services, financial aid, student government, alumni, veterans, study abroad and other areas — should be seen as educators. They are partners with academia, she says.
