OWHE Blog
Annie's Journey to Mentorship and OWHE Leadership Aug 16 2017
My journey toward OWHE board membership can be traced all the way back to senior year of high school. As a young, driven, and often overwhelmed high school student, I found myself in the high school counselor’s office often. In the pursuit of wisdom, I sat with my counselor day after day asking questions about school, relationships, and my future. We talked about everything from boyfriends to body image and college application to career considerations. Her mentorship left me with a deep desire to share the goodness of mentorship with others. I wanted everyone to experience the incredible support I had received.
How to Succeed When You Want to Give Up Aug 8 2017
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. – Calvin Coolidge, 30th US President
My personal experience working in higher education for the last five years has led me to the conclusion that education is a powerful tool to enhance lives and improve the world. Unfortunately, our approach often belies our efforts. To reach our objectives — to impact students and share knowledge — we must be determined and persistent in our approach, and respectful and empathetic in our process.
Learning in Oregon; More than just Lewis and Clark Aug 8 2017
I’ve never struggled much with the concept of equality as an idea; it always made sense to me that everyone should get a fair piece of the pie. As the oldest of three children, I needed to get to the kitchen first to make sure that two pieces of Cherry’O’Cream could be divided into three before my brother Dryller got in there to enjoy both! I was sheltered growing up in a small New Mexico town. I graduated with ninety-eight other students, so naturally we knew each other. I had friends who were white, Asian, Native American and Latino. I heard Spanish spoken in the homes of my friends and attended pow-wows celebrating classmates. There was not a “wrong side of the tracks”, rather some friends lived in big beautiful houses and others lived in well-loved trailer homes. These housing differences were not based on racial lines; one of my friends with the biggest house was a person of color, and I lived in one of those well-loved trailer homes.
Getting to Know OWHE PDX Aug 8 2017
Inspired by our 2016 Annual Conference, Portland State University (PSU) created their own campus chapter of OWHE one year ago. We reached out to the institutional representatives, Ann Mestrovich and Sarah Kenney, to find out how they got started and what their plans for the future of the PSU OWHE chapter are.
How did you get involved with OWHE?
Ann: Being new to higher Ed and wanting to create a stronger network, I attended my first OWHE conference three years ago. After coming back from 2016’s conference, I felt inspired by the women around me to continue to pursue the professional development we were all seeking. So I volunteered to be a campus liaison and love working with my new friend Sarah!
The Balance of Change Aug 7 2017
Change comes whether you’re ready for it or not. I consider change to be an adventure and thus thrive on finding ways to navigate change and increase efficiency. Rethinking what has been done before gives me a thrill; finding new ways to produce information, engagement, and communication drives me forward and makes me feel alive!
In the last few years, I’ve realized how much my love for change is deeply tied to my generation, something for which I have zero control, but which is threaded through my identity and the way I make meaning of the world.
Submit a Program Proposal! Aug 6 2017
The Theme of the 2018 OWHE Annual Conference is UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL!
The Conference will be in Sunriver, OR, this year on Thursday, January 25th and Friday, January 26th!
OWHE Members truly help create an exceptional learning environment at the OWHE Conference every year. We welcome you to be part of this experience! Please consider sharing your knowledge and experience with the OWHE community by submitting a program proposal.
Please complete this form to submit a program proposal for the 2018 Conference. Completed submissions will be reviewed by the OWHE Director of Education and the Conference Program Selection Committee.
Strategically Saying Yes Jun 19 2017
Navigating Success as a Higher Education Professional
By Kelsi Nagle-Rowe
A career in higher education was not my original plan. Eleven years ago, as a young, enthusiastic college student, I embarked on a path to become a politician. I, like so many others at that age, thought I had figured out my life at 18 and that my career path was laid out before me in a straight line from my chosen major to a life in the White House. However, as we all know, life never goes quite as planned. Little did I know that four short years later I would graduate with a B.S. in Public Relations and Political Science and a completely different life passion; higher education.