Here’s the deal: The world won’t always respect your daughter’s space, time, or feelings. But if she learns from you that her voice matters—if she knows how to say no, ask for what she needs, and stan...

In the latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field, host Dr. Jill Creighton brings together members of the third cohort of the Global Master's Students Program, a unique partnership betwee...

Here’s the deal: The world won’t always respect your daughter’s space, time, or feelings. But if she learns from you that her voice matters—if she knows how to say no, ask for what she needs, and stan...

In the latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field, host Dr. Jill Creighton brings together members of the third cohort of the Global Master's Students Program, a unique partnership betwee...

Hey dads! Welcome back to Dad Connections in 5, the podcast that gives you simple, real-life ways to connect more deeply with your daughter—in just five minutes or less. I’m Dr. Christopher Lewis, and...

In the latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field, host Dr. Jill Creighton brings together members of the third cohort of the Global Master's Students Program, a unique partnership betwee...

Hey dads! Welcome back to Dad Connections in 5, the podcast that gives you simple, real-life ways to connect more deeply with your daughter—in just five minutes or less. I’m Dr. Christopher Lewis, and...

If you’re looking for fresh perspectives on careers in student affairs—and a truly honest conversation about the journey ahead—don't miss the latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field. I...

Hey dads! Welcome back to Dad Connections in 5, the podcast that gives you simple, real-life ways to connect more deeply with your daughter—in just five minutes or less. I’m Dr. Christopher Lewis, and...

Hey dads! Welcome back to Dad Connections in 5, the podcast that gives you simple, real-life ways to connect more deeply with your daughter—in just five minutes or less. I’m Dr. Christopher Lewis, and...

If you’re looking for fresh perspectives on careers in student affairs—and a truly honest conversation about the journey ahead—don't miss the latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field. I...

If you’re looking for fresh perspectives on careers in student affairs—and a truly honest conversation about the journey ahead—don't miss the latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field. I...

If you’re looking for fresh perspectives on careers in student affairs—and a truly honest conversation about the journey ahead—don't miss the latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field. I...

If you’re looking for fresh perspectives on careers in student affairs—and a truly honest conversation about the journey ahead—don't miss the latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field. In this episode, host sits down with , Vice President for Student Affairs at Florida State University and co-editor of the new NASPA book, . The central theme of the conversation is the evolving nature of careers in student affairs, especially as professionals face mid-career questions and disruptions in life. Dr. Amy Hecht shares her own journey, returning to her alma mater after years spent at various institutions, and reflects on the unique challenges and opportunities this brings. She emphasizes how being away for decades allowed her to maintain objectivity and openness to making necessary changes—rather than being “married to” her undergraduate experience. The podcast dives into the origins and vision for The Next Act book. As Dr. Amy Hecht explains, the project emerged during the COVID era, spurred by widespread burnout and the “Great Resignation.” The book fills a major gap in the literature: it doesn’t simply celebrate student affairs. Instead, it highlights realistic, sometimes raw conversations about burnout, career shifts, and redefining success. In her words, “There isn't one true path... It's an ebb and flow of a career over time and ways in which we find fulfillment.” You’ll hear about chapters spotlighting professionals who’ve moved into K-12 education, consulting, the faculty route, or transitioned into other sectors within or outside higher education. Stories from people like Karen Warren Coleman, who found new fulfillment in K-12 school leadership, and ’s pivot within her institution, show just how many ways student affairs expertise translates beyond traditional upward mobility. Another powerful element highlighted is the Deck of Disruptors, adapted from Bruce Filer, which visually maps all the life events—both positive and negative—that can throw established plans off course. The episode makes it clear: disruptions are normal, and reevaluating career goals is healthy and essential. Finally, the conversation underscores the enduring value of student affairs: building community, supporting students through crises, and adapting to meet institutional goals. Dr. Amy Hecht urges professionals to articulate impact in data-driven and narrative ways, showing how student affairs shapes retention, graduation, and life outcomes. If you’re contemplating your next steps, seeking inspiration, or just want to hear authentic voices in higher education leadership, tune in to this enlightening episode. It’s a must-listen for anyone in student affairs considering what purpose, fulfillment, and possibilities look like in a changing world. TRANSCRIPT Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:02]: Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the Field, the podcast where we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to seasoned experts brought to you by naspa. We curate free and accessible professional development for higher ed pros wherever you happen to be. This is season 13 on the value of student affairs. I'm Dr. Jill Creighton. She her hers your Essay Voices from the Field host Today on Essay Voices, we are going to be talking about the book the Next Realigning your mindset, purpose, and career. This was a book published by NASPA in March of 2025, co edited by Jason B. Pina and Amy Hecht and Associates. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:42]: Our guest today is Dr. Amy Hecht, who has served as Vice President for Student affairs at Florida State University since 2017 and is a nationally recognized leader in higher ed with extensive experience shaping student success, campus life, and institutional strategy. Prior to returning to her alma mater, Dr. Hecht served as Vice President for Student affairs at the College of New Jersey, or tcnj, and held positions at Auburn University, Temple University, Cabrini College, and the University of Pennsylvania at Florida State. Dr. Hecht has established FSU as a national example for excellence in fraternity and sorority life, expanded on campus housing, and created new programs and services designed to advance student success. She's provided steady leadership through numerous campus crises and has also overseen initiatives such as the Lift Recovery Program, Health Campus 2030, and the launch of the DC Study Away Program. Her leadership has driven 150% increase in philanthropic giving to student affairs, reflecting her ability to align fundraising with transformational student impact. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:39]: Dr. Hecht's accomplishments have been recognized nationally with NASPA's Pillar of the Profession Award and the Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding performance as a VPSA. Beyond her administrative leadership, Dr. Hecht is a respected thought leader and author. She's co edited two books and is frequently invited to contribute to national dialogues on student success, leadership development, and the future of higher ed. Her next book, Telling Time Management of Women in Senior Student Affairs Roles, which she co authored, will be available in 2026. Dr. Hecht earned her Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Florida State University and her master's and doctorate in Higher Ed Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:14]: Hope you enjoy our conversation. Amy, welcome to SA Voices. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:02:19]: Thank you. It's great to be here. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:20]: We always love featuring our pillars of the profession here on the NASPA podcast, and you've been around NASPA for quite a long time, contributing positively to the profession, to the organization, and most recently as an author, which is what we're going to be primarily talking to you about today. But before we get into the book the Next act, which is co edited by Dr. Jason Pina, who's up at NYU and we also would love to start by asking you how you got to your current seat at Florida State. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:02:47]: Wow. So I started out like many people in student affairs because I was a very involved student at fsu. I, I am an alum and so it is a rare gift to go back to your alma mater. I was very involved and that is kind of my exposure to student affairs. Never thought I would come back to Florida. I actually wanted to be in the Northeast. Went to the University of Pennsylvania for my master's one year program. Got out and Pennsylvania has so many schools, was able to really spend quite a bit of time there. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:03:21]: As I moved up and got to work with vice presidents and dean of students, I realized I loved the administration side. I loved the organizational development and realized I had to go back and get my doctorate. My GRE scores were going to expire and thought I'll go back and I'll go real slow because I wasn't sure I wanted to be back yet. In the classroom and the process, I really enjoyed it. I kind of fell in love with the concept of organizational learning and got a call to go to Auburn University from a mentor and was there for four years and he kind of said, okay, now you've been an avp, you're ready to be a V. I did not think I was really loved that AVP role, but became the Vice president at the College of New Jersey right outside of Philadelphia and became region director of Region 2 of the College of New Jersey. Loved being there, but did get a call from the search firm about Florida State. And early on in my career I tried to kind of get back to the state of Florida. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:04:21]: It's where my family's from. Never worked out and was very flattered that I was nominated for FSU and said, oh, I'll just send them my resume, see what they think. Sure, there's way more qualified people. But I did get an airport interview and then fell in love with the people and the rest is history. So coming back, I've been, I had been gone, you know, over 20 years, so it is interesting. I know some of the history and some of the traditions and how important student life and the student experience is, but also worked many other places. So I kind of have the best of both worlds. I'm an insider, but haven't necessarily been brought up here and have only seen one thing. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:05:01]: I've seen a lot of other institutions and how they operate. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:05:04]: I think that's always so interesting to go back to your alma mater. We have stories where people loved working on both ends of that as a student and as a full time administrator and other people who said that it really changed their perspective on their alma mater and not necessarily in the way that they wanted it to. So can you tell us a little bit more about creating some sense between the things you loved as an undergraduate student and the things that you're working towards improving as an administrator? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:05:28]: I do think that's really interesting because now you kind of. Now this is how the sausage is made. And as a student, and I was not the SGA president, I didn't fill any of those roles. So I really didn't see some of the upper work happening at Florida State when I was a student. The state of Florida has a really great program called Bright Futures. So if you have a certain GPA and SAT score, you get 75% of your tuition paid. So for my family it was, this is choose one of the state schools in Florida and you're going there. Even though I had dreams of, I don't know, going to New York or Hawaii, but financially I was here, I do think it's challenging Florida State and maybe this is the same for all of the state schools in Florida. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:06:08]: We get a tremendous amount of financial support from the state. They've been very generous and that comes with a lot of oversight. Other states that I've worked in have not had the level of oversight involvement of their state legislature. And I think that has been very difficult. But I do think me being gone as long as I have been and coming back, I am not as mirrored towards my experience has to be the experience of all of our future students. There are things that have changed and some that haven't since I had been gone. So I think that has helped me not kind of taint my own undergraduate experience once you see how it works. And there had. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:06:49]: There were decisions made by administration when I was a student that now I'm thinking I'm paying for some of those decisions now, or we're trying to fix a decision that was made, you know, 20 something years ago. But for me it has, it hasn't been a problem, but I could see how, how it could be. But I do think that the length of time I was gone really helped because so much time has passed and I don't have a great memory of that long ago to really remember a lot of my undergrad experience for some reason. So I do think I'm able to make changes and not be kind of too married to any of the things that I experienced as a student. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:07:25]: Amy, we really want to dig into the book today, the Next act, which is one of NASPA's newest publications. It just came at an annual conference about five, six months ago. It's really filling a gap in the literature that we haven't seen before. So it was an exciting thing to see a book that really had some honesty in it around. Careers in Student affairs had more to it than the positive side of the profession. It had lots of realistic and truthful conversations in it from the people that wrote the essays. Lots of wonderful and familiar names in the author list as well. But you and Dr. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:07:58]: Pina had put this together. Can you talk about the vision for the book? What inspired you both to take a moment to put this into the space in the literature? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:08:07]: Right now, I have to give my good friend Dr. Pina Credit. He came to me during COVID during the Great Resignation and all the challenges we experienced, and said, I think there's something here about what are people doing? What has been the effect of COVID And then as we were writing it, Covid kind of passed and, you know, we got back into In Person and it evolved to what it. What it became as the Next act, which I think for me personally, it was a really fulfilling project because I have always been someone who is focused on a goal. What is next? Someday I want to be a vice president of student affairs. Someday I want to do this. And getting my current position as the VP of Student affairs at Florida State is, in my opinion, one of the best jobs in student affairs in the country. Maybe others feel the same. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:09:01]: And it was, well, what is next? And what if I don't want to do this work? What if I get too burnt out? So much has happened and so much has changed in the almost 30 years I've been in the profession. It is not at all what I thought it was, nor. Or is it the same as somebody who was a VP in 2001? A very different field, very different challenges, and it's all I've known as a career. It's all, you know, Jason is known as well, and it is what would be next? What could I do with all this experience, all this education and. Or am I trapped, personally, am I trapped in my current role or only in this job? And you're not, and not even if you're a vice president. But what do we do with these higher education degrees, these student affairs experiences. What if I want to get out of the fields? And what would that look like? And we, we kind of joked, I don't know if NASA is really going to want us to publish this book. That might be encouraging folks to look elsewhere. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:10:05]: I have found it gave me a sense of security in read, reading the book and all of the fabulous authors journeys and it gave me a sense of peace of actually no, I'm making a choice to continue to be where I am. But if I wanted to find a new path or do something different, I have so many options that aren't necessarily just moving up in student affairs and becoming an AVP or a dean of students. There is a lot more we can do at these degrees that maybe aren't always put front and center or it's not how we entered thinking that was going to be our next goal. But there's still very fulfilling ways in which you can still contribute, use the skills you've obtained, the degrees that you've obtained. And I think there's a certain amount of freedom that that has given me and others who realize there isn't one true path. It's not always up and to the right. You know, you're not always just moving straight up and down. It's an ebb and flow of a, of a career over time and ways in which we find fulfillment. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:11:07]: One of the points made early on in the book is that, you know, millennials are coming into the vice presidencies now. Most millennials are in their early 40s at this point in time, which means there's 25 working years left in a career, which is more career left than has already been in the rear view. And that's a lot of time in a seat. It's a lot of time to think about, am I the right person for this seat for that long period of time? Is that the best thing for this institution? It's an interesting question to ask. We also have perspectives from presidents who have come through student affairs in the book. I think you just made that great point that the career trajectory doesn't always have to be quote, unquote upward. Not all of us want to be presidents of institutions. It's a really tricky time to be a president of an institution. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:11:50]: And much like a VPSA role, I think we're seeing a lot of transition and possibly burnout in the presidency position. So this book really kind of pathways out some different choices where we're still progressing, we're still learning, but doesn't necessarily mean that we have to continue to move up an institutional hierarchy to find fulfillment. So can you talk about the different pathways that are laid out in the book and maybe some chapters in particular from authors who have taken those pathways. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:12:19]: I had that very same experience. I became a vice president in my 30s and most recently was meeting with my new president a few years ago. And he said, what do you want to do? And I said, well, I don't know. I'm happy right now, but I have another 20 plus years to work and I just don't know if I can do this work with the same energy and love for another 25 years. I'm good for now, but in all realism, I don't know if I could do it. And I think there are people who have done it and they do it well and I admire them, but I don't want to have to do it because I don't have another choice. And some of the chapters and Jason and I divided so he had half of the author and I had the other half and went back and forth on their chapters. But a few that really spoke to me. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:13:07]: Karen Warren Coleman, she is a good friend of mine. We did start the AVP Institute at NASPA together. We were both AVPs at the same time. And she is currently ahead of A K through 12 school now in Philadelphia. She was in Texas and moved to a different sort of education. And her chapter, I wrote back after reading her chapter and I said, wow, you make this sound really exciting, exciting, really enticing. And the skills that you're using are, are so similar that I don't know if I thought of it because I did not grow up attending a boarding school or I went to public school in independent school. But you think of the skill set of these K through 12 or some version of that with housing, with dining, with mental health and curriculum, these heads of school, the skill set is very similar and very attractive. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:14:05]: Something she felt would still allow her to come back to higher ed at a later date if she wanted. But I found that to be really interesting. I also had the chapter on going the consulting route and folks that have become either search consultants or working for any of the firms we've used across our campuses like Huron or kpmg and their knowledge being really great, adding some flexibility, perhaps earning a greater salary, but being aware of the differences of corporate America, the sales part of those jobs. I think I would love the research part, but they really shed light on the pieces that you might not think about is finding the business. You've got to bring in the work on that area. So I think each of the chapters are really interesting. There's a few others you mentioned the presidency, some that have gone to the faculty and are just excelling being in faculty coming from student affairs. A few that have worked outside of student affairs at their same institution are different. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:15:12]: Using their institutional knowledge in a new way I think is something we don't often think about, but our skills are still applicable, whether it's in the academic affairs arm, research arm, or so on. So really looking at that I think is exciting. I do think it really opens the door and allows us to do what we tell students to do, which is think about those transferable skills, what they're learning inside and outside the classroom, and how it applies to any number of pieces. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:15:41]: There are a couple other ones to highlight in case practitioners listening are interested in picking this one up. One is about shifting roles within the same institution and I see a really familiar name to the podcast and to NASPA, Gino Mastodacaska and Katie O'Dare. Both of them have been in the NASPA world for a bit, but Gina transitioned completely into a different side of the institution out of student affairs after a long career in student affairs and is really thriving in a very different niche within the institution. I'm also seeing one on transitioning from higher ed into new industries and these are young industries that are happening outside of higher education. And as Amy mentioned, there's also some information here on the consulting role and some other things that are really valuable. There's a chapter also on shifting institution types and particularly I've heard from people that are trying to start serving community college spaces from four years and are struggling with that because the community college needs are quite different than a four year need and complete mindset shift around that. So an interesting one to call attention to. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:16:42]: Absolutely. And I do think we're aware that serving different kinds of students makes a really big difference whether it's community college going to maybe an HBCU or an hsi urban versus rural. So those are all ways to kind of challenge our skill set, learn something new and then the going global chapter. Still you being in the uk, I dream someday of moving to a foreign country and having that experience. But the learning in that chapter and the opportunity to bring student affairs in America, which is not how most other countries deliver higher education, is great, but also the learning those authors shared because they had to also learn a new culture, not just of a campus but of a country to be able to deliver. I think is is a really interesting for those that can Find that kind of work and move their families or move themselves. I think it. That's a really exciting way and that Glass Going Global chapter. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:17:41]: And I'll give it a shout out to those authors. It's Dr. Ainslie Carey, Dr. Raphael X Moffat, and Dr. Baishaki Taylor, all of whom have been on Essay Voices. So if you want to hear their international voices, go check out our past season on International Voices in Student affairs and just give some credit for them because their episodes are wonderful. One of the things you feature in the book as well at the very, very beginning is something called the deck of Disruptors, which is kind of a theory that comes out of an author called Bruce Filer. And this deck of disruptors is basically a list of all the things in our life that can derail the pathways that we're on. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:18:14]: And I'd never seen this image before, and I thought it was quite interesting because I went, oh, well, these all are, I think, in some ways pretty obvious, but when you put them in one infographic, you go, oh, wait, this makes a lot of sense about why my pathway might need to change. Can you talk about your choice to include this image and kind of how that sets up the book? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:18:32]: I think we don't talk about that a lot. I do think Covid has led many of us to collectively have a disruption. But disruptors can be positive and in some ways they can be negative. But they could be the birth of a child, a marriage, a spouse, getting a really new, exciting opportunity that requires you to move. It could be a divorce, illness, any number of pieces that make you stop and reexamine that goal of did I really always want to be a president or always want to be a vice president? It might not fit into your current priorities of what's important in your life at that moment. And I think that that is okay to acknowledge that, you know, we always. I. I laugh and I do this to my girls as well. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:19:15]: What do you want to be when you grow up? And it's rare that you actually know the answer to that or you're going to stick to it, but I do think there's maybe an unconscious desire to stick to what we said we were going to do when we started out. I knew a lot of folks that said, I'm going to go into higher ed and eventually become a president. I know very few of them who still want to become a president of an institution. So I think it's also giving grace of just because you said you always wanted to become X, your journey might require something different. And that's okay. It's okay to shift. And there's lots of disruptions. And in fact, we in our life are having more of those disruptions than we've ever had. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:19:57]: And that is why our careers ebb and flow. And that is a natural part of life is those kinds of things that might disrupt us, our path. And growing up, you don't think of getting married or having a child as maybe causing you to reorganize, organize your priorities. But it absolutely does. And it's always interesting to see why people go on those paths. And some of our authors do share their reasons for stepping out of higher ed into consulting or going into the faculty. Some of it is just professional and career fulfillment, but some of it is because life things happened in their life and they needed to adapt and evolve. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:20:34]: If you'd like to look this up again, it's called Deck of Disruptors, and it breaks down the disruptors into five major categories of love, beliefs, work, identity, and body. So it's things like a car accident or being diagnosed with an illness or maybe a change in your living situation or, you know, something related to a change in your relationship or something like that. So lots of different ones to look up again. The author of this infographic is Bruce Filer. Fantasy E I L E R Amy, I want to talk a little bit about the process of creating an edited volume like this. You've been an author and a scholar for a long time and published your own work, but it's a little bit different when you're the holder of the keys for a volume like this. If I've been authoring and I want to do something like this, how do I even begin? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:21:19]: Sure, that's. That is a good question. I've had folks ask that. Jason and I have now done two edited books. Some people love that process and some people do not. I love it. It is important to pick great authors. So we shaped the idea and submitted it to NASPA with our wish list of authors of who we know, who we may tap to write some of the chapters we came up with. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:21:44]: And after being approved by naspa, we started inviting authors and in some cases needed to get new recommendations, making sure we had kind of a diversity of experiences that we could find and know people who went to K12 or who became president. And for us this time we divided those authors and we go back and forth on their chapter. We have found asking them to outline it and have a due date and then write us a little more. And then we are constantly reading, giving feedback, making sure that they are staying true to the purpose we submitted to NASPA at the beginning, but also capturing their voice and their expertise and their journey and making sure that as we read it, we hope that the readers aren't going to be left with any questions. So we ask, you know, them to expand on this or if you're willing, can you share the reason why you did Y or X, Y and Z? Because I think for authors, being as raw and as vulnerable is really useful to know that other people are struggling with maybe taking a step back in their career for their children or maybe stepping out so that their spouse can do something different. And we don't often talk about that. So I thought that was that was kind of part of it. I mean we read it multiple times, but then we read it holistically and together to make sure that it flows and kind of tells a cohesive story. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:07]: And you've got another volume coming out next year on empowering women in leadership and student affairs. Can you say anything about that at this point? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:23:14]: Yes, we have submitted that book and we're waiting for edits from our editor. But that book is will be called Telling Time. It is authored book me and four other women on senior women in student affairs and how they use their time. We conducted over a hundred studies of women's use of time in 15 minute increments, really trying to capture the story of how women prioritize different aspects of their life, how in which they care for children, care for loved ones, spend time on relationships and attempt to balance everything and prioritize at different points. And you know, you really can't have it all. We know that. But but how are women kind of using their most precious resource, which is time, when they have a lot of competing priorities. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:02]: Would you like to shout out your co authors? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:24:03]: I will Angela Chong, who is the VP at the University of Oregon Brittany Deves, who works at Florida State with me and fraternity and sorority life Kelly Hennessy at the College of New Jersey and Tina Torme, also at the College of New Jersey. Some awesome women writers. And so we are, we are really excited for that book to come out hopefully in 2026. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:25]: Looking forward to reading that study. Any highlights that you can share about your findings early on? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:24:29]: Some highlights is most of us, most of the women do not spend time thinking about how they use their time like we would our financial budget or budgeting our time doing the study kind of forced some of these women to do that and reprioritize wastes of time, things that we do to kind of decompress that feel good in the moment, but in hindsight, don't. Just like a diet, if you're writing everything down, you're going, oh, that wasn't probably the best thing for me to eat. It felt good in the moment. We found that with, with time as well. And just even if you're not participating in a study, even just doing that has helped people feel more productive. But we also found what I say, I prioritize. The majority of us don't spend our time on the things that we say are a priority. And I think that doing this periodically, even with a friend, can just help you stay true to what you say, you value or what's important to you. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:25:23]: This season, we're focusing on the value of student affairs as our theme. And we've been asking the same three theme questions to all of our guests, so I'd love to pose those to you now. Our first question is, when you think about the value of student affairs, what comes to mind first and why? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:25:38]: What comes comes to me first is really community. I think community both on our campuses, that is what we do. We create places for people to belong, for people to feel that they matter, people to find their purpose. We do that with our students. I feel we do it with our staff and our teams. And I think naspa, they do it actually for the globe because we're an international organization. But there's so many different levels of community that I have seen throughout my career. Help students, help staff, help vice presidents and others, navigate really tough issues, but feel like you are not alone. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:26:15]: And I think that is probably our superpower. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:26:18]: Our second question, can you share a specific story or moment when you saw the value of student affairs come to life? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:26:23]: Quite a bit. During my 8 years now at Florida State, we've had a significant challenge almost every year. I'm going to knock on wood, but we had a, most recently a campus shooter in our student union, which is the living room of our campus. Brand new building, beautiful, very open space, purposefully all glass so you can see throughout the multiple levels. And our sense of safety for the staff and our faculty and our students was disrupted in that moment. Several students were injured. We lost two administrators, one that worked in our dining and one who is a visiting vendor. And in the heels of that, seeing my team come together to support each other, to support students, to do things outside of their job description, to help heal both themselves and our students and our community. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:27:16]: Everything from creating new community centers because we couldn't use our student union. So we did that on campus. But then the outpouring from colleagues across the country, offers to help was incredible. And the value of student affairs flexibility, our knowledge of emergency protocol, our ability to counsel students to be vulnerable with them was really telling. Myself and the president would often come to our newly created community center and the president would say, this is as healing for me as it is for these students. And I say, you know, absolutely, being in community with people after a crisis is the best way to heal. And I think our contributions were seen by everyone and we felt at Florida State the love from those that were thinking of us during that tragedy. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:12]: Thank you for sharing that really vulnerable piece of the student affairs stories because I think when we have violence and other components like that that happen to our campuses or loss of a student or something like that, I know for me, I've carried those moments with me personally for a really. And so we're there supporting everybody else and also trying to figure out how to take care of ourselves as human beings in those moments. And those are incredibly hard. So thank you and your team for holding, holding all that for the Florida State students. Our third question is what do you think that student affairs needs to do to be better understood and better seen in today's educational environment? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:28:49]: I do think that that is a challenge. It's one what we're facing at Florida State, I think some of it is we've got to translate our impact into the language that our institutions are using. Graduation, retention rates, career readiness. How are we contributing to the metrics that in the state of Florida and elsewhere, we are being measured on. We know there are other words that we can use that are important and valued, but we need to be speaking the language that others at the institution are using. We need to do better with data and telling our story and having the data to show some of what may be seen as an extra or an add on or a nice to have the value of that and the benefit, whether that's to mental health, a sense of belonging, graduation and retention, a lot of those pieces. And I feel there are so many contemporary issues on our campus event safety, free speech, mental health, workforce development, career readiness. All of those things are within student affairs realm, things that we do naturally, not just in the departments whose name, you know, are associated, but all of what we do. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:29:59]: And so I think it's really sharing that. And being at the table, I think is important for the policy and the budget, I would say, are some of the top things we need to do and Become like Pat Whiteley, also one of our authors, the best vice president on the cabinet. How are you part of those conversations and shaping the narrative and bringing the student voices and the student experience to the table? Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:21]: As someone who gets to interact with that cabinet and also the students and the families that are at fsu, what data points are you bringing to the table right now that are really helping tell that story? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:30:32]: Some of them are the fact that students that are living on campus with us and we have 45,000 students, but only 6,700 on campus beds. But of those, they have higher GPAs, they're retained at greater rates, and they graduate at higher levels. So that is a telling, powerful story of what is happening in our residence halls that does not happen in an off campus apartment. And how do we grow that experience so that more students have that opportunity? And so we are adding to our bed count. We are also investing in six months post graduation. Where are our students? Where are our graduates? Are they in graduate school? Are they gainfully employed? And then where are they five years out, 10 years out telling that story? And what were those experiences they had at fsu? You that they contribute to their career success? And oftentimes it is the job at campus recreation, it is being an ra, it is being in the student government that was a powerful experience that they still refer to. And I think telling those stories and putting alumni out there is really important. But part of kind of that value of what we do. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:31:41]: Are you using any narrative data points in order to help tell the story of student affairs, especially for areas of student affairs that maybe we can't as easily create cause and effect data or demonstrate that the support that we're offering students in those spaces might, might have that long term impact on their journey, but maybe is not evident. Semester one to semester two, we do. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:32:04]: We can do better. We do collect some narratives, especially when it's a sensitive topic like our emergency Student aid fund and the impact it has or victims advocate program or case management. We could do more, of course, and really bringing those stories to life. But I do think it's very impactful. I've seen it impact our board of trustees who hear one story and then we say there are 30 others behind this story that show the impact of, you know, our food pantry or any of the programs we have. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:32:33]: Amy, as we conclude our conversation on the book and the work that you're doing at Florida State, is there anything else you want to put into our space today? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:32:41]: One of the great things about my current gig is that you can kind of dream. I'm really proud of like a number of things we're doing, some of which are advancing like the greater goals of Florida State. We just launched a DC Study Away program which is modeled after our International Study Abroad program. We have property housing purchased in Washington D.C. and we will have our students living there and interning fall, spring and summer and that aligns with our President's goals as well as our VP of Research goals which is to have a greater presence in D.C. and it was really fulfilling to be able to kind of plant the first flag for Florida State in D.C. and hopefully others will come. A lot of schools have already gotten to the DC market and have different programs, but the one we're contributing right now is a very student centric experience that we want to give our students the opportunity to live and learn in Washington D.C. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:33:41]: so that's exciting and who knows what new ideas we'll come up with here and try to implement. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:33:46]: It's time to take a quick break and toss it over to producer Chris to learn what's going on in the NASPA world. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:33:53]: Thanks Jill. So excited to be back in the NASPA world and there's a ton of things happening in NASPA. The NASPA Annual Conference has identified two of their keynote speakers for the 2026 NASPA Annual Conference. The Tuesday keynote will be Dr. Kevin McClure. Dr. McClure is a professor, researcher and speaker dedicated to reimagining the higher education workplace. A distinguished Scholar of higher education, McClure holds the joint title of professor of Higher Education and Department Chair at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:34:25]: He is the author of the Caring Reimagining the Higher Education Workplace after the Great Resignation. His research on college leadership, workplace culture and organizational care has been featured in the Chronicle of Higher Edition Education and at national conferences. Through McClure's writing, keynotes and workshops, he helps leaders create people first campuses where faculty and staff can thrive. McClure is passionate about helping colleges and universities build a culture where faculty and staff can thrive because when employees feel supported, students and institutions succeed. Our closing keynote is Dr. Amelia Parnell. Dr. Parnell is an accomplished higher education executive and an internationally recognized thought leader regarding current issues in EM trends in the field. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:35:11]: She is a passionate advocate for higher education as a tool for personal advancement and impact, and she is committed to work that centers students needs. In her first year as NASPA President, she has met the members across the world, including NASPA regions, divisions, knowledge communities and areas, and has visited more than 25 campuses to speak directly with student affairs professionals. She frequently delivers keynotes on the value of student affairs and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and the PBS NewsHour. Dr. Parnell holds a PhD in higher education from Florida State University and a master's and bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Florida A and M University. Just a reminder that the early registration deadline for the 2026 conference ends on December 17th. You can register today on the NASPA website. Do you need help funding attendance at an upcoming NASPA event? Event NASPA Foundation Access Scholarships may be able to help Donor Gifts have funded scholarships directly supporting conference registrations and on site housing for select NASPA events and opportunities. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:36:19]: The following dates are the deadlines for some of the upcoming applications. November 12th is the deadline for the first cycle of Student affairs educator certification. November 14th is the deadline for the 2026 NASPA strategies conferences as well as the 2026 NASPA institute for new AVPs and the 2026 NASPA AVP symposium. You can find out more on the NASPA website. Finally, NASPA, alongside a coalition of 38 science, business, education and research organizations, submitted public comments to Citizenship and Immigration Services opposing the proposed rule to implement a wage level lottery for cap subject H1B petition. The comments indicated that the proposed rule would privilege seniority in lower wage occupations over genuinely high wage, high skill roles, undermine the retention of early career STEM talent educated in the US and weaken US Scientific and economic competitiveness. The coalition urged USCIS to withdraw the proposed rule. If you'd like to see the comments on this proposed rule, you can learn more in the Policy Hub on the NASPA website. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:37:34]: Every week we're going to be sharing some amazing things that are happening within the association, so we are going to be able to try and keep you up to date on everything that's happening and allow for you to be able to get involved in different ways. Because the association is as strong as its members and for all of us, we have to find our place within the association, whether it be getting involved with a knowledge community, giving back within one of the centers or the divisions of the association. And as you're doing that, it's important to be able to identify for yourself where do you fit? Where do you want to give back? Each week we're hoping that we will share some things that might encourage you, might allow for you to be able to get some ideas that will provide you with an opportunity to be able to say, hey, hey, I see myself in that knowledge community. I see myself doing something like that or encourage you in other ways that allow for you to be able to think beyond what's available right now, to offer other things to the association, to bring your gifts, your talents to the association and to all of the members within the association. Because through doing that, all of us are stronger and and the association is better. Tune in again next week as we find out more about what is happening in naspa. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:38:59]: Chris, thank you so much for another informative NASPA world. We appreciate you keeping us up to date on what's going on in and around naspa. And Amy, it is time for our lightning round where I ask you seven questions in about 90 seconds. You ready to roll? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:39:13]: I'm ready. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:39:14]: All right, question number one, if you were a conference keynote speaker, what would your entrance music be? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:39:19]: The Fugees, Ready or not. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:39:20]: Number two, when you were five years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:39:23]: A doctor. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:39:24]: Number three, who's your most influential professional mentor? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:39:27]: Ainslie Carey. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:39:28]: Number four, your essential student affairs read right now. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:39:31]: The next act. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:39:32]: Number five, the best TV show you've been binging lately. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:39:34]: Scandal. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:39:35]: Number six, the podcast you've spent the most hours listening to in the last year. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:39:38]: The Daily New York Times. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:39:40]: And finally, number seven, any shout outs you'd like to give, personal or professional to? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:39:44]: My friend Jason Pina, thank you so much for always calling me to partner with any crazy idea you have. So so shout out to him. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:39:52]: Amy, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom today. If anyone would like to converse with you after the show, how can they find you? Dr. Amy Hecht [00:39:58]: Best Way is LinkedIn. You can find me on LinkedIn @AmyHacked or my email at FloridaState is ahactsu. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:06]: Amy, thank you so very much for sharing your voice with us today. Dr. Amy Hecht [00:40:09]: Thank you. It's great to be with you. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:15]: This has been an episode of Savage Voices from the Field brought to you by naspa. This show is made possible because of you, the listeners. We continue to be so grateful that you choose to spend your time with us. If you'd like to reach the show, you can email us@savoicesaspa.org or find me on LinkedIn by searching for Dr. Jill L. Creighton. We welcome your feedback and your topic and guest suggestions always. We'd love it if you take a moment to tell a colleague about the show and leave us a five star review on Apple, Podcast, Spotify or wherever you're listening now. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:45]: It really does help other student affairs professionals find the show and helps us to become more visible in the larger podcasting community. This episode was produced and hosted by Dr. Jill Creighton. That's me. Produced and audio engineered by Dr. Chris Lewis. Special thanks to the U for your support as we create this project. Catch you next time.