Intro by King Musa
Yo, what it is? You know what it is. It's your man King Musa. Welcome to the Cheat Sheet where we decode success for creators, professors, and business owners. I'm your host King Musa, and today we’ll be diving into student life, resources, and what it takes to create a supportive campus environment for all. Our guest today is someone who plays a key role in supporting students at Stephen F. Austin State University. Joining us is George Montgomery, the Assistant Dean of Students. He's here to talk about his initiatives and resources offered by the Dean of Students' office and how they can help SFA to be an incredible place to grow and thrive. Welcome, George.
Getting to Know George Montgomery
King Musa: “Yes, sir. I'm so glad you're excited. So before we get started, I have a little icebreaker. The School of Fine Arts is hosting a comedian on the 30th, Gary Warren or something, right? Who's your favorite comedian?”
George Montgomery: “I don't have one. I like everybody for various reasons, so selecting one favorite is too hard. I can give you a list of people that I like: Dave Chappelle, Richard Pryor, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Ray Fox, Eddie Murphy, Kevin Hart, those types of people. Primarily, I like a lot of storytellers.”
KM: “Okay. Well, we're going to get started. Can you introduce yourself and what you do here as the Dean?”
GM: “George Montgomery, I'm the Assistant Dean of Students.”
KM: “Can you tell us a little bit about your role?”
GM: “My role is to help support students in any way that they may need it, whatever barriers they face in various capacities, whether it's food insecurities, housing insecurities, any type of crisis, any type of student conduct or behavioral issues, student wellness, overseeing the Lumberjack Pantry, student emergency aid fund, those types of things.”
Personal Background and Passions
KM: “Okay, so that sounded well-rounded. Before we dive into your career, I want to know where are you from, did your parents go to school, and what got you into wanting to assist people?”
GM: “Originally from New Orleans, but I've lived all over. My dad graduated from Tulane, my mom went to Dillard for a little bit. What got me wanting to help people? I was an RA in college and found that to be more rewarding than what I was going on. My career path was originally in terms of my business major, with an accounting minor, and I didn't just want to deal with numbers. I wanted to help people. Although you could use numbers to help people in terms of financial planning, it just wasn't doing it for me.”
KM: “Where did you go to college?”
GM: “Saint Augustine University of Raleigh, North Carolina.”
KM: “North Carolina. Okay. Now, what are your interests and hobbies when you're not working?”
GM: “Traveling, cooking, eating, collecting records, sports, both playing and watching.”
KM: “Records? Yes. Do you want to go into that a little bit?”
GM: “I have a little bit of everything. It's a growing collection.”
Vision for the Dean of Students' Office
KM: “Now we're going to dive into your career. What is the primary role of the Dean of Students' office and how does it support students?”
GM: “To help students navigate any barriers or problems that they may have, in whatever capacity that may look like. In certain cases, it may be a problem with a roommate. In other cases, it may be a problem with an instructor. I'm going to miss class because I have surgery coming up. I need help paying my e-bill. It could be a situation where you don't have food, you need food for your residence hall. Whatever the problems may be, we see everything from A to Z, and my job is to connect students with the proper resources. If I can't give them an answer, I definitely know who can.”
KM: “Do you feel like there's a misconception or myth about the Dean of Students' office?”
GM: “I think that's more for what the students’ perception is. I don't experience a misconception. I think that people know when they need help, they know where to come to, and they find my office, in which I've seen the uptick in traffic and visitors. My door is always open, so at any point in time, whoever needs help, whether I know you or not, I'm here to help.”
Challenges and Advice
KM: “What would you say is the challenge then? If it doesn't seem like being here so long and everything is so easy, what are the challenges to the work that you do?”
GM: “I don't think that if there are challenges to the work, the work is the work. You're going to be presented with problems regardless of what you do, whether I'm here at SFA or a manager at McDonald's. The comfortability comes from experience. It comes from being able to troubleshoot problem solve, understanding that you can lean on your colleagues or people who have more knowledge about the SFA landscape, because obviously, coming in new, you don't really know the culture of the environment. You learn certain things, you learn who's in what position. You gain that experience, and you lean on that. I've been in higher ed since 2001, so I've been doing this for a good bit, and it just comes across as easy.”
KM: “If there was advice that you would give someone who has been an RA, part of the whole Title IX, all of that stuff, and they're like, 'I look up to George. How can they get into where you're at?'”
GM: “It just takes experience. You can go about it a number of different ways, especially in higher education. In certain industries, you may have to wait for someone to retire, but in higher education, you have the opportunity. You have hundreds and thousands of colleges across the country. If you're willing to get up and go, there's an opportunity somewhere out there for you.”
KM: “As a student, I want to know what advice do you have for us for just success, overall, success in the semester?”
GM: “Success in the semester requires discipline. I think that was the biggest thing for me. I had a schedule when I was in undergrad. I still essentially have a schedule now. My Sunday afternoons through Thursday, five o'clock, were all dedicated academically, and then I was a very social person between Thursday night and Saturday night.”
Outro by King Musa
KM: "I appreciate you. Thank you, George, for sharing your insight and your incredible work you've been doing in the Dean of Students' office to support the SFA community. It is clear that creating a positive and inclusive environment is at the heart of what you do. To our listeners, remember, success starts with asking for help and using the resources available to you."
Subscribe to the Cheat Sheet and follow us on social media and stay tuned for more inspiring episodes. This is King Musa signing off, encouraging you to stay connected and make the most of your college experience.
Intro by King Musa
Yo, what it is? You know what it is. It's your man King Musa. Welcome to the Cheat Sheet where we decode success for creators, professors, and business owners. I'm your host King Musa, and today we’ll be diving into student life, resources, and what it takes to create a supportive campus environment for all. Our guest today is someone who plays a key role in supporting students at Stephen F. Austin State University. Joining us is George Montgomery, the Assistant Dean of Students. He's here to talk about his initiatives and resources offered by the Dean of Students' office and how they can help SFA to be an incredible place to grow and thrive. Welcome, George.
Getting to Know George Montgomery
King Musa: “Yes, sir. I'm so glad you're excited. So before we get started, I have a little icebreaker. The School of Fine Arts is hosting a comedian on the 30th, Gary Warren or something, right? Who's your favorite comedian?”
George Montgomery: “I don't have one. I like everybody for various reasons, so selecting one favorite is too hard. I can give you a list of people that I like: Dave Chappelle, Richard Pryor, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Ray Fox, Eddie Murphy, Kevin Hart, those types of people. Primarily, I like a lot of storytellers.”
KM: “Okay. Well, we're going to get started. Can you introduce yourself and what you do here as the Dean?”
GM: “George Montgomery, I'm the Assistant Dean of Students.”
KM: “Can you tell us a little bit about your role?”
GM: “My role is to help support students in any way that they may need it, whatever barriers they face in various capacities, whether it's food insecurities, housing insecurities, any type of crisis, any type of student conduct or behavioral issues, student wellness, overseeing the Lumberjack Pantry, student emergency aid fund, those types of things.”
Personal Background and Passions
KM: “Okay, so that sounded well-rounded. Before we dive into your career, I want to know where are you from, did your parents go to school, and what got you into wanting to assist people?”
GM: “Originally from New Orleans, but I've lived all over. My dad graduated from Tulane, my mom went to Dillard for a little bit. What got me wanting to help people? I was an RA in college and found that to be more rewarding than what I was going on. My career path was originally in terms of my business major, with an accounting minor, and I didn't just want to deal with numbers. I wanted to help people. Although you could use numbers to help people in terms of financial planning, it just wasn't doing it for me.”
KM: “Where did you go to college?”
GM: “Saint Augustine University of Raleigh, North Carolina.”
KM: “North Carolina. Okay. Now, what are your interests and hobbies when you're not working?”
GM: “Traveling, cooking, eating, collecting records, sports, both playing and watching.”
KM: “Records? Yes. Do you want to go into that a little bit?”
GM: “I have a little bit of everything. It's a growing collection.”
Vision for the Dean of Students' Office
KM: “Now we're going to dive into your career. What is the primary role of the Dean of Students' office and how does it support students?”
GM: “To help students navigate any barriers or problems that they may have, in whatever capacity that may look like. In certain cases, it may be a problem with a roommate. In other cases, it may be a problem with an instructor. I'm going to miss class because I have surgery coming up. I need help paying my e-bill. It could be a situation where you don't have food, you need food for your residence hall. Whatever the problems may be, we see everything from A to Z, and my job is to connect students with the proper resources. If I can't give them an answer, I definitely know who can.”
KM: “Do you feel like there's a misconception or myth about the Dean of Students' office?”
GM: “I think that's more for what the students’ perception is. I don't experience a misconception. I think that people know when they need help, they know where to come to, and they find my office, in which I've seen the uptick in traffic and visitors. My door is always open, so at any point in time, whoever needs help, whether I know you or not, I'm here to help.”
Challenges and Advice
KM: “What would you say is the challenge then? If it doesn't seem like being here so long and everything is so easy, what are the challenges to the work that you do?”
GM: “I don't think that if there are challenges to the work, the work is the work. You're going to be presented with problems regardless of what you do, whether I'm here at SFA or a manager at McDonald's. The comfortability comes from experience. It comes from being able to troubleshoot problem solve, understanding that you can lean on your colleagues or people who have more knowledge about the SFA landscape, because obviously, coming in new, you don't really know the culture of the environment. You learn certain things, you learn who's in what position. You gain that experience, and you lean on that. I've been in higher ed since 2001, so I've been doing this for a good bit, and it just comes across as easy.”
KM: “If there was advice that you would give someone who has been an RA, part of the whole Title IX, all of that stuff, and they're like, 'I look up to George. How can they get into where you're at?'”
GM: “It just takes experience. You can go about it a number of different ways, especially in higher education. In certain industries, you may have to wait for someone to retire, but in higher education, you have the opportunity. You have hundreds and thousands of colleges across the country. If you're willing to get up and go, there's an opportunity somewhere out there for you.”
KM: “As a student, I want to know what advice do you have for us for just success, overall, success in the semester?”
GM: “Success in the semester requires discipline. I think that was the biggest thing for me. I had a schedule when I was in undergrad. I still essentially have a schedule now. My Sunday afternoons through Thursday, five o'clock, were all dedicated academically, and then I was a very social person between Thursday night and Saturday night.”
Outro by King Musa
KM: "I appreciate you. Thank you, George, for sharing your insight and your incredible work you've been doing in the Dean of Students' office to support the SFA community. It is clear that creating a positive and inclusive environment is at the heart of what you do. To our listeners, remember, success starts with asking for help and using the resources available to you."
Subscribe to the Cheat Sheet and follow us on social media and stay tuned for more inspiring episodes. This is King Musa signing off, encouraging you to stay connected and make the most of your college experience.
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