Joanna Timmerman
While at Villanova University pursuing my master’s, I worked as a Graduate Assistant for the Department of Education and Counseling. In this role, I did a bit of everything: faculty research, reviewing journals, grading tests, and contributing to the creation of a new major! Directly after, I worked briefly at Eastern University as the Assistant Director of Institutional Research. I loved my work in data there, but I was drawn back to Ursinus rather quickly when I saw that Dean McKinney was getting an assistant director.
Now, I’m the Assistant Director of Student Engagement and Orientation! I work with our clubs and organizations, Greek life, student government, and weekend vibrancy programming. My job is to help students feel connected to campus and make Ursinus feel like “home.” I love this work because I know how important it is to student development and persistence at the College. I want to help students love their college experience and make the friends and memories that they’ll remember for years. I also love the ability to program in a way that supports diversity and inclusion at the College.
Ursinus’ Education Department was exceptionally helpful in my transition to graduate school and professional life! Not only did the rigor and support of the Department course and faculty set me up to excel in graduate level courses, but my studies at Ursinus helped me to better understand our educational system and how higher education fits into the picture. The flexibility of the major allowed me to explore my interests, and I actually continued my capstone work in my master’s thesis! Professionally, I gained a lot from the Ursinus program. I learned about student development and classroom practice that has helped me a lot in my relationships with students. Our work with equity and policy/reform at Ursinus helped me to better understand the dynamics at play professionally, as well. I’m incredibly grateful! I reference books and papers from Ursinus all the time
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