Student Life Spotlight 2025

"Essentialism", by Greg McKeown is rooted in corporate culture, and while many of the anecdotes do not seem relevant to higher education, the 'do less, better' philosophy can benefit many of us. In a profession where many of us are asked to 'do more with less' this book provides tools to help us draw boundaries and make decisions.

Join this spotlight session to learn about staff takeaways from the “Student Veterans: The Power of Peer Support” session from this year’s Mental Health on College Campuses Conference. Presenters will discuss their experiences attending this panel session and what they learned about the Peer Advisors for Veteran Education (PAVE) Program, in addition to some of the unique strengths and challenges faced by military and military-affiliated students. Presenters will share personal accounts related to this topic and how those, paired with the education and awareness gained from recently attended sessions, inform their work in supporting Housing students. The presentation will also include established resources on campus for students who are veterans or are affiliated with the military, highlighting the community-building and advocacy efforts taking place here at the University of Michigan.

This spotlight will explore the concept of a cycle of shame (authored by D.L. Nathanson) and the connection between shame and feeling a sense of belonging. How to recognize dynamics of shame and understanding the triggers, can lead to how empathy and vulnerability can be the antidote to shame. Responses to shame can include withdrawal, self attack, and avoidance - all behaviors we can observe in our communities. What ways can we help students move through shame toward productive, positive engagement? The presenter will offer reflections that inform restorative practices.

ATD is the Annual Conference for Trainers and Learning & Development professionals. With industry leaders hosting ed sessions over the course of three days, attendees will learn about workshop and training design, best practices in employee development, and new strategies for engagement in the workplace. Conference occurs May 17-21. The presenter will bring his learnings fresh from the conference for staff to take back to their Units and get reactions to larger Divisional ideas.

Bluelight Academy's Unlearning Through Teaching Class is an opportunity for teachers, facilitators, and leaders to learn more techniques for facilitating critical pedagogy inside and outside of the classroom. and hold more engaging, dynamic, inclusive, and equitable learning spaces. Learn some tools for creating fun educational spaces that respond to emerging needs/interests of learnings using practices rooted in experiential, story-based and embodied learning.

This presentation will focus on facilitating difficult discussions about depression, anxiety, suicide, addiction, abuse, and eating disorders with first-year students through evidence-based holistic strategies.

Since its inception in 1989, the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE) has become a leading forum for higher education professional development to advance access and opportunity. Join Nicole Banks and Liliana Bravo for an overview of the NCORE 2025 experience and gain insights into the conference’s unwavering commitment and resilience despite the challenges posed by the current anti-DEI climate.

Paul 'The Ripples Guy' Wesselmann provided both the opening key note as well as two other conference sessions, focused on resilience that felt both very timely and very applicable to the work done in Student Life. This will be a summary of the high points included in those three sessions, including slides that he has shared with us.

In September 2021, the University of Michigan joined seven other U.S. universities in adopting the Okanagan Charter, pledging a commitment to take a holistic and sustainable approach to becoming a health-promoting university.  The Well-being Collective at the University of Michigan is a collaborative effort focused on making U-M a better place to live, work and learn for our students, faculty and staff by implementing a system-wide approach to supporting well-being across our campus.  Participants will learn more about the Okanagan Charter and the Two Calls to Action in order to become a Health-Promoting University.  Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to identify University-specific priorities to share with the Well-being Collective for consideration.

Join me for a conversation around takeaways from the Handshake Future Workforce Forum (March 2025). This presentation and conversation will explore essential trends and strategies shaping the future of employment, crucial for educators and student engagement professionals. We'll discuss current developments, including:

Navigating the Hiring Landscape: Understand how Supreme Court decisions and AI advancements are transforming employment, and learn strategies for developing resilient students.

Demographic Shifts and Workforce Dynamics: Discover how the anticipated rise of GenZ as the largest workforce generation by 2030 and sector-specific retirements are influencing industry demands and opportunities.

Enhancing Career Development: Learn innovative ways to prepare students for workforce readiness through the creation of "softer spaces," focusing on soft skills rather than technical skills, and responding to changes in employer recruitment strategies.

In this fast-paced, evolving landscape, effectively navigating the future of work requires insight, innovation, and adaptability. We will share and discuss practical tips for helping our students successfully transition into the workforce and life beyond campus. 

Enhance your understanding of core free speech concepts and apply them to your area of work to honor the right to free speech while better understanding its scope and limitations.

Culturally Tailored ACT is a multi-component modality that can be a useful tool/resource for anyone doing student-facing work, regardless of clinical background or experience. This presentation will provide practical resources, tools, and questions for reflection for anyone doing student-facing work.

"Culturally Tailored Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) provides culturally-relevant metaphors for navigating trauma and pain, including experiential exercises, faith-based mindfulness practices and/or religious references, addresses barriers to receiving mental health treatment, addresses stigmas and cultural views about mental health treatment, reality-based role plays, and addresses experiences of racism and discrimination. - Dr. Jennifer Shepard Payne ."