Eva Hughes interviewed Chris Sligh, the Director of the Office of Student Engagement at WMU, for her informational interview. Chris discussed his career path in higher education, starting as a graduate assistant and working his way up to director. He explained that the field focuses on connecting with students and problem solving. Chris also touched on changes in higher education like increased focus on mental health and declining budgets. He emphasized the importance of time management, work-life balance, and developing strong relationships to avoid burnout in this career.

1. Eva Hughes
WFED 3050
Informational Interview
For my informational interview, I chose to interview Chris Sligh, the Director of the
Office of Student Engagement at WMU. I decided to interview Chris because not only do I look
up to him in the higher education field, but I also consider his job to be a dream job of mine. To
prepare for the interview, I added a few questions of my own in addition to the ones on the
rubric.
To begin the interview, I asked Chris about the career ladder in his field. He explained
that “student affairs” is the general field to which most of the positions require a masters degree
with a graduate assistantship (i.e. - leadership, Greek life, RSO’s, advising, housing). After the
masters degree would come a full-time position as some type of coordinator, program planner, or
advisor at the university level. The next step would be to get a position as an Associate/Assistant
Director. Chris said that typically in this role, the position is more policy-based and contract
focused. In the case of Abby Wallace, the current Associate Director of Fraternity and Sorority
Life at WMU, she sits on multiple university committees, assesses student life, and supervises
student leaders. Climbing up the career ladder, the next step would be to take on a Director role,
similar to what Chris does currently, overseeing the entire office, focusing on day-to-day
operations, and providing a vision for the office. Chris also added that this position is constantly
doing a lot of problem-solving at this level. Chris explained that a perk of this field is that there
is not one way to advance up the career ladder, as there are many different pathways, including
becoming an Assistant/Associate Dean of students or even sometimes the President of a
university.

2. To continue the interview, I asked about what changes have occurred in the field of
higher education in recent years. Chris touched on two big changes that he has seen, including a
more intentional focus on students’ mental health and the decline in budgets. Chris said that
when he first began his professional career, students struggling with their mental health were
coined as “students in crisis”, whereas now, the language surrounding mental health has very
much changed and the definition of mental health has expanded to fit this newer perspective.
When talking about the decline in budgets, Chris highlighted that enrollment is down and this
parallels how budgets work at the university. He said that he has learned to get more creative and
efficient with the tools and resources that are given to him, which he stressed was an important
skill to have in any facet of life. Chris went on to detail some of the initiatives put on by WMU
to fundraise money, such as finding more sponsorships for events like Bronco Bash and using the
creation of the “RSO Spotlight” on social media to show what great things the student body is
doing. As a student leader at WMU, I concur that these factors are very prevalent amongst the
student body and the professionals who work with the student body, like Chris.
When I asked how hiring expectations have changed over the years, Chris was quick to
say that not much has changed from his interview for his first position at WMU to him now
interviewing new candidates in the years to follow. He noted that although the students have
changed, the need for professionals who are responsive to student needs has always been at the
forefront of the hiring process. He did include, however, that the field of advising has changed
and taken on the role of counseling, in addition to working with students in an academic
capacity. Overall, Chris said that in any higher education position, the biggest strength is the
ability to connect with students, and that that has not changed and should never change.

3. One of the questions that sparked the most dialogue was that of how schools could better
prepare students for the world of work. Him and I really got to talking because we found this to
be super applicable to myself and my undergraduate experience. We discussed how there should
be more of an option to start the career ladder of higher education in undergrad, such as an
internship working with a higher education professional. Additionally, Chris said that there needs
to be a better spread of knowledge in regards to graduate programs and what that can offer
students. Chris said, which I agreed with, that mistakes you make in student leadership positions
in undergrad are more public and looked down upon, whereas the goal of leadership positions at
the graduate level is more so to push you to learn from your mistakes. He wishes that that
mentality began at the undergraduate level, even if that student leader is not looking for a
masters degree in higher education because then they may “miss out on that important lesson”.
Lastly, Chris and I worked together quite a bit when I was the President of the College
Panhellenic Council; therefore, we were able to brainstorm a few things that looking back, we
would implement in undergraduate student leader scenarios. We discussed having case study
situations/simulations for the students to practice before making actual decisions at a high,
finalized level. For example, we reflected on the Rho Gamma process. Rho Gammas are sorority
women who “give up” their chapter affiliations throughout the recruitment process to help the
women going through recruitment to find the best chapter for them. We talked about how myself
and the recruitment director lead a training for Rho Gammas on what to say and what not to say
to the women going through recruitment. In hindsight, Chris and I discussed the possibility of
creating role play situations for the Rho Gammas to actually think through themselves and
practice out themselves before actually being put in that situation come recruitment week. It was

4. cool to see how this question sparked new ideas for future leaders and how, as Chris put it,
“being the President of an organization can turn into a career.''
To continue the interview, I asked Chris a couple of questions that I was curious about,
such as “What was your undergraduate degree in?” and “Why higher education?”. Chris went on
to explain how his undergraduate degree was in Communications and how he has a minor in
Psychology, and while he was getting his degree, he even served as an RA for two years. This
undergraduate opportunity gave him the idea to get his masters degree in College Student
Personnel and Higher Education Administration. He went on to explain how he was always been
interested in helping people, as well as connecting and bringing people together. I then asked,
“Why WMU?”, to which Chris candidly said “the students”. He said that the students at WMU
are what attracted him to Kalamazoo in the first place and are the reason why he has stayed for
so many years. I also asked about his day-to-day responsibilities and how many people he
oversees. He said that his days consist of lots of emails and meetings, in addition to plenty of
planning and reporting. He went on to explain that he directly oversees 13 full-time and part-time
graduates, 5 student employees in graphic design, 30 lead corp interns, and 6 Bronco
Bash/Homecoming employees in the Office of Student Engagement.
To conclude the interview, I asked about what advice he would give someone that wants
to work in the field of higher education. Chris said to focus on time management, keep a good
work/life balance, develop a strong support system, and have a healthy outlet/hobby to avoid any
burnout. He talked about how he likes to volunteer outside of WMU as a hobby and simply put it
as, “don’t eat, work, and play in the same place”. He included that these outlets should be
supportive of the work you do during the day, and if they are not, then that is not a good fit for
what you need. Additionally, Chris highlighted the importance of fostering strong, working

5. relationships with your supervisors. He said to constantly think about how they support you and
how you can support them. In doing this, you can help each grow and stay passionate about what
you are doing. In regards to the salary, Chris added that the field does not pay well right away,
but it will increase as you move up over time. He suggested to put money away all throughout
your career and to focus on fulfillment and not always the paycheck. Chris said that the true
payoff is working with students for multiple years and helping them become better versions of
themselves. He included that in this field, you get to see a full range of human emotion,
hopefully for the betterment of that individual, and that the most rewarding part is “having a
front row seat to shape and mold their college experience”.
After the interview was over, we talked a little bit about my post-graduate plans and
Graduate Assistant positions that I can apply for when applying to graduate school. I was able to
learn a lot about Chris’ professional pathway, what has kept him in the field for so long, and how
I can achieve the same. Chris has always been a great bridging tie for me and I hope to maintain
our working relationship even after graduation.