Being a Part of the Manicur Legacy

In August I had the opportunity to meet with five participants from the 2018 Alice Manicur Symposium. We invited the 2018 cohort to share feedback about what they valued and how the symposium should continue to evolve. It was clear in the conversation that these Manicur participants feel connected to one another and to the faculty they met, that they felt nurtured and in turn committed to investing in others. These brilliant women shared tangible ideas – and even more than that, they asserted the value of intentional affinity spaces to simultaneously affirm, challenge, and expand experiences of identity.

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If you’re looking to grow, if you’re looking to reflect on your own experience and see how to become a better you, how to become a better servant in the field of higher education, this is an experience you want.

 

Tamika Wordlow-Williams

Assistant Vice President/Dean of Students, Rhode Island College

We just weren’t looked at as student affairs professionals or women that were trying to advance. It was built into the curriculum that we were going to be seen as humans and we want you to think about humanity in the work that you do.

 

Brandy Propst

Director of Elon 101 and Assistant Director of Academic Advising, Elon University

All those barriers were broken. You could be your transparent self. You could just be open and talk to them, your mentors and colleagues, about how you’re doing and what are your next steps.

 

Jazmin Letamendi

Office of Transition Programs, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

I learned just as much from my fellow participants as I did from the leaders that were on our faculty panel. It was an invaluable, inspiring moment to know that the face of leadership in our profession could truly be changed by a different way of approaching leadership.

 

Jenn Wells

Assistant Dean and Director of Scripps Communities of Resources and Empowerment, Scripps College

I think that cohort experiences continue to be a place that provides a level of intimacy and connection that can’t be replicated in a 7000-person conference. And for that reason, there are incredibly important in bonding and transformational opportunities.

 

Ana Rossetti

Assistant Dean, Stuart School of Business, Illinois Institute of Technology

The more you move up the more individualistic you can become. Having these reminders that yes we want to do this great work, but we can influence policy and practice. But also to not forget where we came from and how others helped us come along as well.

 

Talia Carroll

Director, Marcus Garvey Cultural Center, University of Northern Colorado

They are very much a part of the accomplishments we all have, whether it be personal or professional. I have a lot of mentors, I’ve gained a lot of sisters, this experience definitely worked to empower me.

 

Tamika Wordlow-Williams 

Assistant Vice President/Dean of Students, Rhode Island College

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Preparing to write this post while on a flight last week, I listened to the meeting recording on headphones, and the person sitting next to me later commented that I must have been listening to something great because I kept smiling and nodding and excitedly taking notes. Just listening to what the Manicur alumnae shared generated positive energy and a palpable connection to the best of what we hope to accomplish in NASPA and student affairs: creating spaces where people can bring their whole selves and know that they matter.

I am incredibly proud to be a part of the Manicur legacy, first as a 2008 symposium participant and now supporting the 2020 program faculty. I encourage all women aspiring to continue to grow their leadership to join us and become a part of the Manicur community.

Learn more about the 2020 NASPA Alice Manicur Symposium