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Thoughts
and Thanks: An Open Letter to a Rising Mid-level Professional
By Lorinda Krhut
Director of Residence Life
The University of Southern Mississippi
I know how
you feel because I’ve been there. You’re ready to take on new
challenges and are excited over the prospect of influencing the lives
of the students and staff you will be working with. It’s a time to
celebrate your transition – a sort of graduation into a different
world. You say you can’t wait to live off campus, to have your own
domicile, your own washer and dryer, your own parking space, your own
bed? I’d like to leave you with a few thoughts as you venture beyond
the boundaries of the institution you’ve called "home"
for the last few years.
With your new position come new responsibilities and new expectations.
Along with the excitement of new surroundings, new students, and new peers,
you may be challenged to make some compromise to gray areas you have not
had to experience up to this point. What you at one time thought was a
cut and dried issue of right and wrong, is no longer. Maturity in professional
growth brings with it an ability to see beyond the immediate situation.
You will learn that what is important is not "how" things are
accomplished but "what" is accomplished through the process.
You have been somewhat sheltered up to this point by your mentors who
have done their best to gradually provide experiences that were designed
to thicken your skin. It’s merely been an exercise in developing
professional maturity, and you have learned well.
I watched
as you dealt with your first parental confrontation. They looked at you
as though you were too young to make decisions concerning their children
and wanted to talk to the person in charge. I had to smile as you assertively,
but not aggressively, revealed to them your "in charge" ranking.
You worked with them beautifully, explaining the "student development
point of view" and how it will benefit their child to experience
living with someone different than them. The desire you had to help the
student succeed in this new experience was utmost in your mind. And because
of the interaction you had with this student, you opened the mind and
heart of a scared adolescent who has become a leader in their brief stay
on our campus. There is no greater accomplishment.
I want to
thank you for the outstanding job you have done. You have learned well
the art of diplomacy and professionalism. You have voiced your opinions
and concerns in such a way to create a positive outcome. You have never
been demanding or close-minded. You have offered solutions to challenges
only after weighing the advantages to all involved. Only if your solution
benefited everyone involved did you offer the alternative. You have worked
well with all residence life staff, students, and parents. You have done
well in devoting time and energy for the purpose of helping others in
their personal journeys. Your staff has much respect for your leadership.
You have been fair and consistent as a supervisor; yet treat each staff
member individually being consistent in your inconsistencies. Your patience
has taken you far and because of this quality you are seen as a cooperative,
compassionate, helpful, and caring individual. You are not rude or sullen
when events and circumstances did not go you way. Instead, you accepted
the circumstance with maturity and found other ways to accomplish your
goal of positively influencing the development of your staff and students.
You have not complained whined or placed blame on others when mistakes
have been made. Instead, you have accepted responsibility for mistakes
made either by you or those you supervise and have worked hard to rectify
them and learn from them. And lastly, you have been flexible; a quality
that above all others will help you be a successful leader and administrator.
I hope you’ll
remember your time here as a place where you found who you were as a person,
a supervisor and a friend. You are now ready for the challenges of being
a property owner, pet owner, and appliance owner. You’re ready for
the "big time" of rent, utilities and moments of total quiet.
But it’s during the moments of quiet that you can reflect on what
you learned these past few years. Don’t be surprised if you find
yourself visiting the halls in the dead of night, not because you have
to, but because you want to once again feel the familiarity of the hustle
and bustle of a building of students. Oh, and don’t be surprised
if on those occasions you find your director also visiting the halls in
the dead of night. Some habits are not worth breaking. It’s a world
unlike any other and one where you are destined to make a mark on the
future.
Thank you
for allowing me to be a mentor. It is staff like you who make it all worthwhile.
I wish you the best and please know that I am always here for you. If
you can’t find me at my number, I’ll be in the halls doing what
I do best; smiling as I watch a new professional work with scared adolescents
as they learn life’s lessons in the residence halls.
Sincerely,
Your Director, Colleague, and Friend
Lorinda Krhut, Director of Residence Life
About the Author
MS Krhut
has been serving as the Director of Residence Life and Housing at The
University of Southern Mississippi since 1988. Her previous experience
includes teaching high school Speech and Literature, serving in the capacity
of Guidance Counselor and Social Director of Mastin School of Nursing
– University of South Alabama, and working in the housing area as
Area Coordinator, Assistant Director, and Associate Director of Housing
at the University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama. Lorinda has a MA
from the University of South Alabama and a BS from The University of Southern
Mississippi.
Her professional activities include active membership and committee work in the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I), Southeastern Association of Housing Officers (SEAHO), Southern Association of College Student Affairs (SACSA), and Mississippi Association of Housing Officers (MAHO). She has served as president of the Mississippi Association of Housing Officers and is currently serving as past president of the Southeastern Association of Housing Officers. Ms. Krhut has served on numerous University committees and is actively involved in community work. She is married and has two children ages 18 and 16.