Dr. Marcus Chanay, Vice President of the Division of Student Life at Jackson State University, is an expert in the area of student life, having spent a decade helping to shape his department. He was recently named president-elect of the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals (NASAP). In this interview, he discusses the crucial role student life plays within the modern university.
Q: What role does student life play at a medium-sized urban HBCU?
Student life plays a vital role in the holistic development of students, and this is especially true at HBCUs. At Jackson State University we meet the students where they are and ensure they are competitive in the global environment and are successful citizens. We believe in developing their mind, body, and spirit as they are engaging in their academic pursuits. We work with our students to help them become civic-minded professionals. All students are required to have a minimum of 120 hours of community service and/or service learning hours to graduate from Jackson State University. Because of our students’ community engagement, the university has received the Carnegie Foundation Award for the Advancement of Teaching for our Community Engagement Classification through 2014, as well as the 2010 President’s High Honor Roll for Commitment to Service.
We help our students become involved in leadership through our Student Leadership Institute and our Center for Student Leadership and Inclusion, in which our 120 student organizations are housed. We prepare our students for graduate and professional school and careers through our Career Services Center. Our students also participate in Tigers2Work, which alerts them of employment opportunities on campus, graduate professional day, Military Day, the Federal Works Forum, internships, and the Career Fair. Our goal is to provide as many opportunities as we can to ensure our students are successful.
Q: What is the relationship between student life and the academic program?
The relationship between student life and academics is seamless. Our Service Learning offering is a great example. For the past ten years, Student Life and Academic Affairs have had a great relationship in developing service learning courses and ensuring that all students enrolled in these courses have productive experiences. We have established a Service Learning Fellows program, in which deans and chairs make faculty recommendations. During this year-long process, faculty members learn how to include a service learning component in their courses. We now have course offerings for all five academic colleges.
Q: Please talk more about student life in the context of Jackson State University’s Strategic Plan. What excites you and what possibilities do you see?
