ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

Eric Hetland (00:00):
This is a smaller institution. It is an intimate community where your comings and goings are noticed in a way that comes from support and care.

Narrator (00:11):
This is Greater, We Ascend, a podcast from the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú about Loggers reaching to the heights.

Eric Hetland (00:21):
Hi, my name is Eric Hetland. I'm the director of student support here at the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú. And in my role, I am our kind of primary case manager. And really what that boils down to is as students navigate their time on our campus, they very often will run into challenges, sometimes crises of either a personal or academic nature or both. And really it's my job and the work of the team I get to supervise or work alongside to make sure that as those barriers pop up, that we are helping them navigate it, that they are aware of the resources on our campus, that we make sure that they can coordinate those services in an effective and efficient manner. All in the service of making sure that both these students are doing well on our campus and ultimately don't have to stop their education. They can turn to people and open up about what's going on and that they're going to be heard and that there are several dozens of faculty and staff, not to mention the hundreds of peers that they have who are going to take the time to listen and not only the time to listen, but if they're concerned, they're going to address it with their peer. They're going to say, how can I help? And hey, I am aware of this office, or I am aware of this amazing faculty member or this person in such and such office. I think they're a person who's going to want to help you go through that. And so that kind of level of care and comradery really goes a long way.

(01:42):
Those first few days I was here, I've only been here for about two years, and it was that desire to get to know each other, to be just in community with one another. I think there was an eagerness in particular when I started back in 2022 because we were coming out of the pandemic in many respects, the 22–23 school year here was our first academic year where everyone was back in person. And so there was this just exuberant excitement around how can I be in community with one another? Many of my colleagues had gone through two plus years of Zoom calls and not seeing each other. And so that eagerness to really form relationships definitely made an early impression on it. And I made a pretty large move to come out here. I was back in Wisconsin just before this, and even in the short two years, the depth of the relationships I've made with people I work with, the students I've had the opportunity and pleasure of mentoring or otherwise supporting has been so rewarding.

(02:47):
One of the things that you hear often from the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú is how are we creating leaders for a changing world. That's like our strategic plan right now, and it's in recognition that higher ed needs to adapt to a very changing economy, a global understanding of what does it mean to navigate major crises, right?

(03:13):
So I think about ultimately the things I hear our students talking about, whether it be classroom settings in my office when they're going through challenges, the things that make them tick is knowing I have these talents and I want to be able to do them in a way that's going to make an impact where I'm going to know that I am helping someone else or that I am in other ways really having a meaningful change around the people I care about the most, whether that be my family community, my home community, the chosen profession. I've seen it in these ways where they think about in a very critical way, a major critical thinking skillset, that there are systems at play where it hasn't benefited everyone that has harmed others. And how can I use my talents? How can I use the things that I care the most about to change that calculation, to change that equilibrium in a way that is equitable, in a way that cares about the treatment of others? I hear that often in the students I work with.

(04:18):
I think for me, when I hear the concepts of experiential learning on this campus, it is really putting that theory into practice. It is saying not only have I heard about this as an academic concept or something in my textbook, I am seeing the ways that I can understand what does it mean to go into the community and learn about the impact of public policy? Or a great example that of the students I was working with this past year was actually having internships at the state capitol and understanding how policy, procedure, policy is adopted at that state level. The ways that communities are engaged at those public hearing sessions are held.

(04:59):
Experiential learning is one thing I really appreciate about the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú is it is a very beautiful campus and it's one that is open to this community. So even the ways that I've seen students note that city events happen here, that local organizations use our campus to further conversations, experiential learning can be something as simple as the fact that the state supreme court was here doing live oral arguments on cases that they were deciding this term. And that was a very unique opportunity. I know they go around the state and the university was chosen this time around. They've done it a few times before as I understand it. And that's experiential learning, not just hearing about the ways that our judicial system works, but understanding, hey, here's how these procedures play out.

(05:49):
And then going a step further and partnering with the justices and saying, okay, we have pre-law students, we have students in certain departments. Can you come and take a visit to our classrooms? Can you hold a Q&A? And those were heavily attended because those are ways where it isn't this far hard to reach concept. It's one where someone was able to really see in practice what are those considerations and what were these justices and this one example advising so that somebody who is eager to play a role in the political atmosphere and landscape, how they can get involved. So all of these things play into mind.

(06:27):
For me, I take a lot of pride in the fact that the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú is listed as one of the Colleges That Change Lives. I came from an undergraduate institution also in that list. And so it was definitely something that appealed to me about coming to work here as another institution recognized in a similar fashion. What I take great pride in the small team that I get to work with, but also colleagues across my division and across the university is that level of care that its, not so much for me about a student being successful, are they well and successful?

(07:02):
And I think that that really resonates with our students of today, these traditionally aged college students where it is not enough to say, oh yeah, I got great grades. I finished my degree. How was your mental health during that time? Were you able to form connections and be in community with others? Were you in a place where you were not managing undue financial stress or physical challenges? All of that needs to be met first and foremost. And then from there, you're able to engage in your education in a really meaningful way. And I think I hear that from so many of my colleagues that I get to work with when we're talking about supporting students who navigate challenges, crises, and other obstacles, that it isn't just saying, well, all we got to do is get them to the next semester or get them to the degree.

(07:55):
No, we need to make sure that these students are in a good place, that they're mentally well, that their voices are being heard, that their concerns are being recognized and addressed and not just with the interest of moving the student through the process. That is, to me, a place of great care and one that changes lives because it shows that we can approach our work with decency and humanity while achieving the outcomes that we know are important.

(08:23):
This campus very much feels like a forest at times. The amount of greenery, the amount of just dense woods on our campus, that hit me immediately on my campus visit when I was applying for this position. It is one that is just so lush with life, and you see that with how the community, the nearby adjacent community often is walking through campus, whether it be with their dogs or going on a walk with their children or just taking in the sun. It is so green, so beautiful, and that gives a great appeal.

(09:01):
There's also a very coherent, consistent architectural design — that red brick — nothing really stands out that way. I can't off the top of my head, no, what that exact architectural design is, but it is very unified, and so it all fits coherently. We are surrounded by a very residential area, a lot of single family homes, but also in between two business districts that are within the walking distance of campus. And so that does provide our students many recreational opportunities, whether it be restaurants or record stores or the local grocery store, whatever the case might be. It definitely gives a feeling of walkability.

(09:42):
Beyond that, we're not very far from Commencement Bay, from Puget Sound itself. You can walk there, certainly from campus, might take you about a half hour, but it is very just awe inspiring on those clear days when you just see the water and the islands and the mountain is out and Mount Rainier. It is stunning. And I, as somebody grew up in the Midwest, still gawk when I see the mountain and then take in the beautiful Puget Sound.

(10:10):
One of the things that definitely makes an impact on me is this phrase "to the heights." You see it on a lot of things. I have a mug at home that has our catchphrase, and I think it is this aspirational, we can do better. And I think it's really interesting at this time and place. I think it isn't success for success' sake, it is the quality of what I'm doing, the impact of what I'm doing matters. And we can do this better. We can do this higher. And I think that that kind of upward looking, well, why can't we strive for this? Why can't we create a community that cares about folks in this way? Why can't we make sure that our graduates are these well-rounded people who are thoughtful about the impact they have on their community and the wider world that they help each other out, that they're going to come back and want to play a mental role to current undergrads. You see that all the time. And so it means a lot of things to a lot of people. But for me, "to the heights" is that concept. How can we strive for more? I think one of the things you definitely get drilled into a lot of spaces, but especially liberal arts colleges like Puget Sound, is this idea of lifelong learning.

(11:30):
And it is this idea that just because you have finished your college degree, that you've earned your bachelor's or maybe at some point you might earn an advanced degree, like a master's degree. That doesn't mean your education, your ability to learn has stopped. And I hear about this from our students all the time that I only know what I know and I don't know and I don't know. So there are going to be mindsets, there's going to be perspectives that I'm going to run into in life and it's going to change the way I perceive the world. And I need to be open to this idea that I'm not going to be a static individual who says, this is all I am going to want to learn about in my life, and now I'm just going to live my life. That there is something rich in everything we explore and experience.

(12:21):
And so I see that in the way that our students get ready for life after college. I saw it in my own journey. When I think about a similar school and in particular I see it also when I do have the pleasure of interacting with our alumni who come back and play mentoring roles or come back for the homecomings and the reunion weekends, things like that. You see it with this excitement around these international trips that they're sponsoring, where going around to different parts of the world in Logger communities to really do a deep dive into those cultures in that area. It is just this appetite to say, what don't I know? And how could this make me a better, expand my perspective to me that that is so worthwhile.

Narrator (13:17):
Greater We Ascend is a production of the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú. This episode was produced by John Moe. Our theme music is by Skylar Hedblom, Puget Sound Class of 2025. Learn more at pugetsound.edu/greater.