Talking Stick - July/August 2012 - 56

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JonaThon Michael hyde
What’s the biggest issue for the students on your campus right now?
The biggest issue I hear concerns about from students is getting an education without going into debt while finishing their degree.

What’s the biggest issue you see facing the profession right now?
Balancing customer service with student development in student interactions is something that has come up frequently in conversations with my colleagues. Personally I always feel that student development goals trump customer service every time.

What makes your campus unique?
Quite a few things make our campus unique, including a tiger, giant century-old oak trees, Cajun accents, crawfish boils, amazing school spirit, being located in a capital city, and the beautiful lakes everywhere. Did I mention that we HAVE A TIGER?!

What resource can’t you live without?
My team! The assistant directors that I work with at LSU keep me grounded and moving in the right direction.

What made you decide to work in housing?
I decided to work in housing because I had some great mentors in my graduate program at Florida State University. Folks there took a chance on me, and because of that I did whatever I could to make them proud of me. Also, I am a first-generation college student, so helping others gain the experience that was so valuable to me is a big passion of mine.

JONATHON MICHAEL HyDE is the associate director for residential education at Louisiana State University.

When was the last time you awoke to a phone call from work in the middle of the night?
Last night I got a message about a student issue at 3 a.m. It comes with the territory, but because I have a newborn I am usually up anyway.

What was your graduate research about?
The impact of globalization on land-grant institutions in the United States was what I focused on in my dissertation at University of Southern California. I found higher education to be lagging behind the transnational business community in responding to the needs and opportunities of the world.

What do you wish was different about your job?
In my position I get to know quite a few very successful student leaders. On the other hand, I also get to know a lot of our most troubled students. I wish my job allowed me more time to get to know more students in the middle.

New social technology and media like texting and Twitter: How has it helped your communication with staff and students? Is there a downside to this type of communication?
Leveraging technology has helped us tremendously in our staff training initiatives, and we are doing some really exciting things with online training through videos and post-tests. The main drawback I see with using technology to communicate is related to depersonalization. I find it confounding that I can have 800 “friends” on Facebook whom I hardly ever speak with or see in person.

Favorite campus traditions?
Going down to Tiger Stadium to say hello to Mike (the tiger).
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Talking Stick - July/August 2012

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