What advice would you provide a para-professional that is looking to enter the field of Higher Education Student Affairs with an interest to become a university Provost?

Congrats! It sounds like you are on the right track to success in higher education. If your ultimate goals is to become a Provost, you will likely need a doctorate. There are two ways to go about this. One, skip the master’s degree and go for a PhD. This will be more work upfront, but will likely be the same amount of time or less than the second route. The PhD does have a stronger emphasis on the Philosophy of higher education, rather than the implementation of policy and administration, but would be a great tool to help you. The second option is go for your maters, and then when you are ready, obtain your Ed.D. (Doctorate of Education) in higher education. This is something that I have looked into, and may still pursue in the future, and usually requires a master’s degree and then can be done over 3 years while working. This degree is for the higher education professional that would like a more practical use of the degree, but can also open the door to higher level positions, as well as give you a level of credibility that may be useful if you do take the road of a motivational speaker.

I chose to get my masters at Northeastern University, which can be done online, and they also have an EdD program as well.

I hope this helps- Good luck!

Hi Ellise,
Congratulations on pursuing a career in higher education! That's wonderful to hear. :) To build on the other great advice you received, here are some additional points to consider:

-Share your great ideas now in an article or video--you don't have to wait to get a Masters or become a motivational speaker to share ideas! Write an article and post it to LinkedIn, volunteer to be interviewed for an article in your college's student newspaper or write an article for your college website!

-Join professional associations and attend events to meet other higher educational professionals. Or reach out to professionals you'd like to meet on LinkedIn. Networking and meeting other professionals to hear their stories is always great to do. NASPA (www.naspa.org) would be a good association to join.
- Look at volunteering on a non-profit board if you aren't already. It can be a board serving any area that you are passionate about. Serving on a non-profit board strengthens leaderships skills because you're with many different people and personalities, working towards one goal. And leadership is very important to both careers you want to pursue.
- For motivational speaking, look into coaching workshops, classes or certificates. Many motivational speakers are certified as coaches, for instance from the International Coaching Federation (www.coachfederation.org). But there are also many coaching classes or workshops you can take to learn more about it (it doesn't have to cost a lot of money).
-In addition to obtaining your Masters, look at also getting your PhD or EdD. Most Provosts have their PhD or EdD in addition to their Masters in their area of expertise. (If $$ is a consideration, look at working at a University where you could get both your Masters and PhD or EdD while you are working, at a staff discount.)
-After obtaining your Masters and/or PhD, look into teaching. Many Provosts were faculty at one time, and teaching college students can also help with your leadership and speaking skills. (If you are also working at a large university, many large universities look to staff w/ Masters as adjunct faculty).

I would just say be thankful that everyday you're gaining valuable insight into higher education through your current position! Whether now is easy or hard, your daily experience as a college advisor is paving the way for your future career in motivational speaking and as a Provost!

Finally, be patient, remember roads aren't always straight but if you keep on them, they'll take you to your destination, and that seeds planted now will always sprout in the future!

Best of luck to you!
-Sarah

Hi,
Use the opportunity in your work setting to interview people doing the work you want to do. This means not only professionally asking for some time to meet with the provost, but also having thoughtful questions already written down. Be prepared to take notes. Use such information interviews to discover who else you should be interviewing in order to grasp the steps necessary in such a career ladder. Not only read up on the positions your are interested in, as mentioned above, but also Google about how to do strong information interviews. Depending on the type of Provost, you might find that you will need to having teaching experience or some other type of experience that will influence they type of internships you select along the way.

Also, be sure you write well. Your writing needs improvement, and in the field of higher ed, particularly as an administrator, you are going to be judged by your writing and your ability to recheck what you've written. Often, the first impression you make is in your writing. And, some interview committees will ask you to write a response to some intricate question to see how well you think on paper and how well you can craft a written thought.

As far as motivational speaking goes, you can probably start practicing that work now in your local high schools. That way, you can learn from your experiences and from using feedback you get from students and their teachers. You also might want to guest speak in first year courses offered by your institution, if such courses are offered. Keep a journal so that you can later draw from you experiences with students you've served.

Be sure to discover what type of person and what sets of skills are competitive in the kind of work you aspire to. Having administrators who understand the needs of students is critical. I wish the best in your pursuits!

Good day,

You are doing the right thing a big congrats on your position education and where your heading. As a college advisor there are many pathways that relate directly to your field that your gaining valuable experience in already. I recommend my plan.com, glass door, and search career sites that shows a web of common positions that people currently are in and they move to next. You should be proud of your position and where it will take you to next!!

Hi Ellise,

Congratulations on being accepted into IU, that is a great program. Your assistantship in the associate provosts office will also give you some insight into the direction to go in the future. I am not going to add on what other have said but would like to make a few observations for you.

1. 
   

   Typically the provost at a college is THE academic administrator for the college. Usually these individuals have come through the ranks of faculty and academic positions (department chair, dean, VP academic affairs, etc.). If an academic provost is your ultimate goal then you really need to consider following an academic path.

   
   


2. 
   

   There are great opportunities to change higher education from the student affairs side as well. While you may not be a provost a VP or associate provost is possible (depending on how the organization is structured). Student affairs departments play a large part in student development, retention, student success, and engagement.

   
   

Use this time in your graduate program to understand all areas of higher education administration and leadership. You may find a passion in an area you did not know exist. The titles will come, above all else enjoy what you do!

Best of luck and please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn if you would like a mentor from someone with 20+ years of experience in academic affairs and student affairs.

~Dr. K