The latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field kicks off Season 14 with a truly inspiring conversation with incoming NASPA Board Chair, Dr. Darryl Holloman. Hosted by Dr. Jill Creighton, the episode dives deep into the evolving landscape of higher education and what it means to work in student affairs today.
Dr. Holloman brings over three decades of experience to the table, spanning roles at HBCUs, PWIs, and across governance, academic administration, and talent management. His journey to Vice President for Student Affairs at Spelman College is a testament to the power of mentorship, professional exploration, and seizing unexpected opportunities.
The conversation focuses on the value and challenges facing student affairs professionals, particularly in a period marked by ongoing turmoil—post-pandemic disruption, shifting enrollment, and threats to DEI initiatives. Dr. Holloman emphasizes the need to move beyond accepting the "new normal" and instead frame current challenges as "new possibilities," encouraging professionals to be both forward-ready and future-ready.
At the heart of his vision is the "North Star Project," an initiative designed to reclaim public trust and redefine the purpose of higher education. This multifaceted endeavor includes three key arms:
Rebuilding Public Trust Survey: A national study examining how those outside higher ed perceive colleges and universities, pushing for deeper understanding beyond the usual Gallup poll data.
New Professional Task Force: A focus on early-career professionals, listening deeply to their needs, and developing skill-building opportunities—like real-time badging systems—to help retain talent and strengthen the student affairs pipeline.
NASPA Commission on HBCU and Community College Pathways: An effort to amplify the voices of HBCUs and community colleges within NASPA's governance, reflecting their crucial roles in access and mission-driven education.
Dr. Holloman's personal values—knowledge, God, family, humility, and hard work—shine throughout the discussion, reinforcing the importance of aligning purpose and professional philosophy.
If you're looking for insight into the future of student affairs, practical strategies for professional development, and a fresh take on the value of our field, this is a must-listen. Tune in to hear how Dr. Holloman and NASPA are charting a new course, and discover ways to get involved in shaping the next chapter.
Listen to the episode and join the conversation!
TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:01]:
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 education professionals wherever you happen to be. This is Season 14, continuing our conversation on the value of student affairs. I'm Dr. Jill Creighton, she/her/hers, your SA Voices from the Field host. Welcome back to Student Affairs Voices from the Field. We are thrilled to kick off our current season with Dr. Darryl B.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:33]:
Holloman, who is a distinguished leader in higher education with over 3 decades of experience in student affairs, academic administration, institutional advancement, governance and board relations, and human talent management. Dr. Holloman has worked at several regional and nationally recognized higher education institutions where he supervised collectively over 300 employees and overseen budgets of over $300 million. Dr. Holloman's extensive experience strategically vision and unwavering commitment to student success and institutional excellence make him a transformative leader in higher ed. He currently serves as the VPSA at Spelman College, but he's held senior-level positions at Georgia State University, Columbus State University, and Rutgers University-Newark. He's held faculty appointments at each institution, including full-time faculty appointments at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and the institutions aforementioned. His contributions continue to inspire and shape the future of academic communities.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:23]:
Dr. Holloman has several articles and book chapters to his credit. His research examines the way that disadvantage manage groups, develop, and demonstrate their agency in educational systems, particularly within urban school settings. He's the co-editor of the book entitled From Boyhood to Manhood: Deconstructing Black Masculinity Through a Lifespan Continuum through Peter Lang Press. His most current manuscript is entitled In the Middle: Leading as a Mid-Level Professional in Student Affairs, which was published by NASPA. He's an active member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church, and he lives in Atlanta with a spouse of 32 years, Glenn Williams, and their two sons, Delbert and Delvin. But most importantly, and why we have him on pod today as he is our incoming NASPA Board Chair.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:04]:
We hope you enjoy this conversation. Darryl, welcome to SA Voices.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:02:08]:
Thank you so much. I'm glad to be here.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:11]:
We are absolutely honored to have you as our season premiere for this season of SA Voices here in spring of 2026, and you are joining us in a long and illustrious line of NASPA Board Chairs-to-be. It's one of our favorite episodes to record in the springtime. Last, last year we had Mike Christakis on who is just finishing up his full year as Board Chair. And in just a couple of weeks now, that gavel will be passing your way. So this episode is one where we like to introduce you to the NASPA membership, what you hope that your leadership will bring to the association over the next year, and messages for our NASPA membership. So before we get into all of that, our favorite question to start the show off with is how did you get to your current seat, both at Spelman and at NASPA?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:02:59]:
Well, I got to Spelman. It was a really interesting journey because I was serving on the board of a local charter school. And the guy that we hired as a CEO said, hey, I really want you to meet my mom. And his mom works at Spelman. She's still on my staff at Spelman. And he's, you know, we just, let's go to lunch. And so we went to lunch. And at that time I was AVP Dean of Students at Georgia State University.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:03:23]:
And I was starting to think about, you know, where would I go to be a vice president for student affairs? I have this lunch and at the end of the lunch, my colleague said, "Hey, you should apply at Spelman. We have an opening." And at that time, I said, "Oh, okay, sure, I'll look at it." But, you know, Spelman is an all-women's HBCU in Atlanta. I've not ever worked at an HBCU. I've not worked at a liberal arts college, small college, and definitely an all-women's college. And so I applied. I applied with 6 very wonderful women. Half of them I knew very personally. And then I got the call that I had the job, which totally caught me off guard because it was— was not in the trajectory of where I thought my career was going.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:04:07]:
I had worked— done most of my work at large, larger public institutions, predominantly white institutions. And so I got the job. I have had a tremendous, tremendous experience here. I got to NASPA 30 years ago. I had a dean of students, Dean Curt Kepler, who hired me. I was a student worker, and then he hired me on as a staff. And he said I should go to this thing called a new professional institute. And at that time, NASPA had this nationwide platform, onboarding new professionals, and it was at UGA, and it was so impactful that it led me into a lifelong volunteer commitment with NASPA, and it's been extremely rewarding, and I've, I've just done so many things, have so many opportunities, have an upcoming book in the middle, co-edited with Gigi Segubin and Spencer Platt, that'll be coming out in the spring.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:04:57]:
So there's so many wonderful opportunities to NASPA, so I've just been really blessed professionally and in my volunteer activities.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:05:04]:
What have you done in NASPA in terms of volunteerism, leadership, contribution before deciding to run for board chair?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:05:12]:
So I had a wonderful opportunity from one of, one of my colleagues, Danita Brown-Young. And Danita, she called me, she said, hey, I think I want you to be my member at large, and I want you to focus on how can NASPA better support HBCUs. And so I joined the board. We did surveys, like some really great work around that, but that really gave me gave me some great insight into how NASPA runs as an organization, the work that it does, the commitments that it makes, and, you know, kind of the engine in the car. And so that was very powerful for me to be able to have that experience as a member board chair. Prior to that, and this was really a great experience for me, I had joined the NASPA Foundation Board, and those two in tandem have been really helpful to help me understand not just in NASPA, but how organizations run, how nonprofits run, how boards run, the decisions that have to be made. And so it's just been a wonderful experience. And outside of presenting and doing some of the other stuff, those have been the most significant governance opportunities that I've had at NASPA.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:19]:
And now let's think about what is ahead. So again, in just a couple of weeks here, we'll be seeing you in Kansas City. The board will be convening, the membership will be convening for our annual learning opportunity at conference. What are you thinking about going into this transition?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:06:35]:
So, you know, we are in such turmoil right now in higher ed. You know, we followed the pandemic. It was very, very much a disruptor. And then now we're just faced with a lot of challenges, enrollment cliffs, DEI leaving many of our institutions that have become such a part of our fabric, funding in so many ways, federal funding being taken. So it's a real difficult time. And I think I keep hearing people talk about this is our new normal. This is our new normal. And I want to really challenge us to start to think beyond that and to think, how do we turn our new normal into new possibilities? And how can we be more forward-ready and future-ready? And I think the best way for us to do that as an association is to really lean into our memberships.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:07:23]:
I think sometimes when you work in student affairs, we have such an emphasis on students, and that should be, that's important. That's, that's our lifeblood. But if we are not in really good spaces in terms of our our own professional development, our own training, our own understanding, if we are not having holistic wellness, then we can't do the work that we need to do. We don't have the capacity to do it for students. And so my idea is kind of wrapped into what I'm calling the North Star Project. The North Star historically had been seen as a symbol in African American communities as that guiding point, that place that took you from oppression to a place of freedom and enlightenment. And so, um, The North Star Project is all about reclaiming the purpose and public trust of higher education, because I do believe there's a lack of trust in higher education. And so I have three arms of the North Star Project.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:08:17]:
One is a national study that is being conducted by Tim Bono, who is my member at large. And we really, through the Rebuilding Public Trust national survey, we want to get an understanding of how people outside of higher ed view us. And so we're kind of expanding upon the Gallup poll. The Gallup poll tells us there's a lack of confidence in higher education, but we want to drill down a little bit deeper and know why. Because I think a lot of times in higher ed, we preach to the choir and we're talking to one another and we really don't know often what are the perceptions of individuals who maybe not have even attended college. And so to be stronger, I think we need that information. And so Tim Bono will be doing that national survey. Survey on the trust in higher education, the confidence in higher education.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:09:07]:
Very excited about that. I've seen the survey a bit to get the results and see what happens. The next thing is, as I mentioned earlier, something that impacted my career. And so I'm really looking to bring together a group of people under the new professional task force to get a better understanding of professionals that are coming in with 1 to 5 years of experience. And I think we have a flood of new professionals that think differently about the work, that perceive the work differently. In my generation, I'm a Gen Xer, my generation has a tendency to keep saying like, why don't they just do like we did? But it's a different time. They're presented with way different challenges, having to make decisions in a very different way and under a lot of pressure. And so I'm really interested in seeing how our association can pour into our new professionals.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:09:57]:
And so the New Professional Task Force is all about strengthening the student affairs pipeline because what What I'm hearing now are senior-level people who are just really, really burned out. I jokingly say we're all a lottery ticket away from not being vice presidents of student affairs. And then I think you have mid-levels who see the stressors that the VP does and they don't wanna do it. And they're like, I'm fine. Like, I'm, I'm gonna stay in this role. I'm good. I don't need to be the vice president. And then you have new professionals who are coming in with a different set of expectations.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:10:32]:
And so I think starting at the front end of the pipeline will help us to guide people to those senior-level positions. And the last thing is a NASPA commission on HBCU and community college pathways, because I think these institutions provide a lot of opportunities for students. Many are access-driven, deeply mission-driven. And I think what I'm seeing definitely at HBCUs is a resurgence of high school students who are interested in HBCUs. They're kind of seeing some of the ultra micro-aggressions the oppressions that are occurring in society, and they're looking for space that affirm them and validate them. And so HBCUs play a critical role in being able to do that. And so I think it's critically important in the alignment with HBCUs is really focusing also on community colleges. Our country is really beginning deep discussions about affordability and what that means.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:11:28]:
And we've been talking about that in higher ed for like the last 20 years of affordability. And you can't have a conversation about affordability and being able to manage loan debt in higher education without also thinking about community colleges and the works that occur within community colleges. I'm extremely excited about this initiative because I think our association has an opportunity to better understand the needs and the engagements at HBCUs and community colleges and really figuring out how we not only have these members as participants, but how do we get them as well into governance structures. Cultures. I'll use, for example, HBCUs. I don't always want to be the only HBCU voice in the room because we're all so very different. About 103 HBCUs, all institutions with different types, different missions, and that brings a different type of voice into the room. So the North Star Project really is comprised of three arms.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:12:29]:
It is rebuilding public trust survey, trying to gather and gain information about how people view us on the outside. Pulling together a group to look at the new professional task force, which is about strengthening student affairs pipeline. And the last is the NASPA Commission on HBCU and community college pathways. So we get a better understanding of how we can support this sector of our field.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:12:53]:
I really like your theme of it being the North Star and being our guiding light for the profession and helping us find some direction as professionals. And I'd like to take these one by one. The first project being that external survey, who are we surveying to ask about the perceptions of higher education?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:13:09]:
So we are specifically looking for folks who are— that don't work in higher education, that may not have attended higher education. And so it is the segment of the population that probably have the most questions about higher education and the value of higher education. But we're also in that survey will be included people who graduated from colleges. And so I think there are segments of our population who have— we've been required to get graduate degrees. And I think there's some frustration about that, right? You've gone to college, you've spent a lot of money, and then you're not working in your major. You're not working in the field that you thought you were, and you have all of this college debt and this degree that you may not be having the best usage of. And so it's gonna be a combination of people that are completely outside of higher education. So it won't be us speaking to us.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:14:05]:
It will be really gathering the ideas and perspectives of people outside. So for one of the questions that I can remember, we are looking at college presidents asking the question about senior leaders in higher education. Do people even know what a college president is supposed to do? Do you have perceptions about that? But I think we may be— college presidents may be out of sync with what society is expecting of a college president. And so we just want to get some cleaner insight, deeper insight into the work that we do. It's almost like a 360 for higher education.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:14:40]:
I think that's an interesting statement that maybe the general public doesn't know what a university president does, but I also wonder often if internally within our organizations, we all know what a college president does, especially if we're several hierarchical layers removed from that position. We've talked to several college presidents on the pod who have been former VPSAs, and I think our student affairs folks, we all know what a VPSA does, but that college presidency is a little bit mystical sometimes. And some of the presidents that we've spoken to are focused on fundraising, some are focused on legislative action, but almost all of them seem to be externally focused more than internally focused right now. And I think that's an interesting shift.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:15:19]:
And I was talking about this with a friend that, you know, probably 50 years ago, people talked about— they were— I'll use Georgia State as an example, right? Not, not to say that the Georgia State president says this, but, you know, they would say, I am Georgia State's president. Right? But now I think people think, I am the president of XYZ institution. And it's a small nuance in the differences of that. But saying, I am Georgia State's president, or I'm said institution's president, puts the president really in the center of the mission, that they are part of the community. But when you start to say, I am the president of X, it almost makes it it feel as if, you know, and you rightfully so, the leader, but you're in this kind of real corporate leader mind, you know, kind of mindset and running. And I think just over time, the idea of what it means to be a college president has changed so drastically that I wonder sometimes if some college presidents even— I think they get surprised when they get into the role and they figure out it is not necessarily what they may have thought it was going to be, because it's a definite difference in being a college president today. You're running more of an enterprise now than just a college. And I think that sense of higher ed being an enterprise is where I think communities are feeling like, well, I don't understand, like, what does the college president do? And so getting information on the outside, I think helps to inform and align the expectations of what college presidents are doing in society today.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:16:54]:
Absolutely. I'll be very much looking forward to learning what we learn, because I think we have kind of our own narrative. Our own communities about what we hear from friends, family, social spaces, what, you know, what we do at universities and especially in the American context right now, there's a lot shifting about higher education and the perception of higher ed. Let's go to that second part of the North Star Project, which is the new professional pipeline. That 1 to 5 year space, I think is incredibly critical as we're seeing a generational shift of who's occupying that 1 to 5 year space. We're seeing the last of the millennials come through the early stages of Gen Z coming into student affairs. And you mentioned that we're seeing seeing different value set come forward from this generation. And one thing that I have noticed and very much appreciate is a focus on work-life balance from this generation.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:17:42]:
And I don't mean work-life integration. I truly mean balance of people that are much more comfortable advocating for that balance and maybe shouldn't have to advocate for that balance because we need to do a better job of modeling it as the senior leaders. But the space that's occupied has also consistently been one that requires a master's degree to enter, which I think is an ongoing conversation in student affairs as a profession. But what else are you thinking about as you look at what is affecting new professionals and their retention into the field?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:18:10]:
I think we have to, to listen deeply to our new professionals, which is a part of this task force. We haven't quite determined how, how we're gonna gather that information, but I think you, you know, right now my generation, which is the Gen Xers, are senior VPs and in these senior level roles, and we were horrible horrible at work-life balance, like horrible, like wasn't even a concept. And so we had a tendency to just grind ahead. Many of us were first generation. And so we just have this idea of forging ahead and then we're looking at the generations behind us and we're saying, well, why don't you just do the work that the way that we did it? But the way that we did it wasn't always as perfect either, right? Like we, my generation, I think opened up a lot of access to us, right? You know, and folks are calling us at 3 in the morning and 4, you know, and we are just forging right ahead. I'm really interested to see what new professionals need from us versus us trying to train them to be the way my generation saw it. And I think that the generations that follow us are just so amazing and so creative and really able to think about problems in a very different way. But if we keep beating them over the head saying, well, you're not doing it the way that I think you should do it, I think it's making them leave the profession.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:19:36]:
Like, I think these generations are also very easy to just say, I don't have to do this, and, and, and will leave after a year or two. And what that means is there's a lot of talent that leaves the room. And leaves the space. And so I'm interested in this because I think at most college board level and president levels, I don't think they really recognize the crises that student affairs is in right now, just in terms of human capital and talent. And I think that has a large part to do with my generation just always being there, always being available. And I don't think they are thinking very deeply about the void that could be created coming behind. I also think I want the task force to focus on what are some kind of badging skills that we can present to new professionals. How do you deal with conflict? How do you deal with protest? How do you problem solve? How are you being a critical thinker? I envision maybe not the kind of new professional institute that I had when I came through, but something that's more real-time, more vibrant, where if I'm a supervisor that has a new professional that I don't think is really handling conflict well, they could go to some kind of workshop, virtual workshop, and almost get that skill set after, you know, 5 series or something.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:20:59]:
I don't know what that looks like, but just some kind of way that new professionals can go or their bosses can send them to enhance whatever challenges they may be facing and, and do it in somewhere that's not necessarily, they gotta go and go to a conference, but something that's more accessible and that can really be more like a badging system, right? I think that's really, really important. Not a certificate, but just a badging. And you can choose that level of professional development as you go through your journey, your tenure. So that's what I'm thinking about in my head, but I really want the task force to pull together to give some good recommendations to our association.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:21:35]:
I think our pod audience is more of that new to mid-level professional. And so I would imagine we have listeners who are really excited to hear that their voices might be able to be included in a project like this. Do we have any idea yet how I might be able to express interest in participating or ultimately apply for selection or something like that?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:21:53]:
I'm gonna— I am meeting with some of the members at NASPA, so to begin to really talk about, so I don't have a definitive answer now, but we're meeting to, to really talk about the projects and the scope of the projects and what could be done. And I think what I would encourage is if I reach out to you as a new professional, 'cause you can't have a task force without new professionals on the task force. That will probably be what I can definitively say. I want to not have this task force just filled with senior and mid-levels who are going to provide direction. I really am looking for new professionals to serve on the task force as well. Now, the size of the task force, you're on a large task force, you can't get anything done, but it will be a good mix of new professionals on the task force.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:22:39]:
And then your third arm is this inquiry into the new resurgence of interest for both HBCUs and for community colleges. Can you talk a little bit more about about what we're hoping to discover from this inquiry.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:22:50]:
So what I want to see as an output of this is how our community colleges and members of HBCUs pulled even more deeply into the governance structures. And they each have roles on the board and the foundation board, right? You know, we have community college members on our board, but how are they really getting into the mainframe, the organizational structure of NASPA, besides just attending the conference? So sometimes I'll go to the conference and, you know, I'll see some of my colleagues I know very well, very talented, and they come to NASPA, they maybe do a presentation, but then they're not really in any of the governance structure. And I think that voice for community colleges, HBCUs is critically important. And so I wanna learn more deeply about how we are engaging them outside of just, you know, inviting them to the conference, right? What, what are the things that are needed for, from our association that helps to support them as they go through work that they're doing. And we're doing some work around that, like NASPA is definitely doing some work around this, but I wanna pull all of that together under a commission. And I think a commission really is charged with being very clear about that and what we need to do as an association to continue to support HBCUs and community colleges.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:09]:
And kind of the same question here, if I'm currently working at a community college or an HBCU and this is piquing my interest, how do I express interest in being considered as a voice.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:24:19]:
The one way that I can say the most is I am going to be looking for a co-chair, and I'm looking for the co-chair to be one from an HBCU and one from a community college. And so that would be the first thing that I reach out as looking for volunteers for that. And I have some idea around the community college. I know someone that's out there who is just really amazed. I worked with this person before. I won't put their name out there yet. I won't get ahead of myself. And then I have some ideas of some folks at HBCUs.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:24:49]:
So for both of these initiatives, when I come a-calling, answer the call. That is probably what I could share the most.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:56]:
Darryl, is there something that you would like the NASPA membership to know about you that is not on your resume, not in these initiatives?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:25:04]:
I have 5 values that I think is critically important. I was actually doing a webinar. I was on a panel yesterday, a NASPA webinar with the Black Diaspora Knowledge Community. Community. So shout out to that. Shout out to Lisa and Miracle for pulling that together. And my colleagues, Dr. Younger, and for being on— serving on the panel.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:25:24]:
My 5 values are knowledge, God, family, humility, and hard work. And those are the things that drive me every day, personally and professionally. And they're so intertwined for me. I don't distinguish between the 2. They all rely on one another. So much so that it's wrapped into like professional philosophy, which is good work stands. And I think for me, demonstrating good work is the culmination of all of these values working in sync. And I think it's so important to understand your value system because that really helps you to survive the times that we're in now.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:26:01]:
When you hold your values, you know your values and they can help define who you are. It helps you to manage where higher ed is in this current space of new possibilities. I think it's critically important. For that. My husband and I just last week celebrated 32 years of union, and, and who would have known? We met in college, actually. I was a student at Georgia State and he was at Atlanta Metropolitan College. And so that has been phenomenal. Anybody that knows me knows I am a dad above everything.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:26:33]:
So I have two wonderful boys, Obert and Delvin. They will be turning 16 in a few weeks.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:26:39]:
Twins.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:26:39]:
Twin boys, and so they are just learning to drive and doing all that. And for me, having children has just been an amazing opportunity and experience. And as an openly queer man, there was a time that I didn't think, you know, we would be able to have children, and now look at us, right? We have kids. And so it has been the joy of my life. I don't regret it one moment. I have some really phenomenal kids. They're getting getting ready to go on a— they're in the Junior ROTC and they're getting ready this weekend, hopefully if the weather holds, to go on this robotics tour. They're going through confirmation at church.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:27:16]:
So I could talk all day long about my kids. Everybody knows that.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:27:18]:
Best wishes for the driving journey. You gotta be, I think, a parent made of steel to get through that one.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:27:24]:
I— that's all of my hair fell out.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:27:25]:
Well, Darryl, I'm gonna transition us because we're talking about values into our theme questions for the season, which are on the value of student affairs. So these are questions that we've been asking all of our guests over the course of the season, last season and this season. The first one is, when you think about the value of student affairs, what comes to mind first and why?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:27:46]:
What is important to me is that student affairs has to first understand that it has value. And I believe we've been spending too much time thinking, I'll be very honest, I think we often think we're second-class citizens in higher education, that we have this perception that other other aspects of the institution have more value. And so we've got to determine what that value is and how, more importantly, we articulate that value so that people not just continue to see us as problem solvers, but begin to really deeply see us as strategic thought partners. That's huge for me. And I don't think that our institutions always think of us as strategic thought partners. So I think knowing your value and what you bring to the table and being able to articulate what you bring to the table is very helpful.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:41]:
Our second question, can you share a specific story or moment when you saw the value of student affairs come to life?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:28:49]:
I hate to refer to such a dark period, but I think the value of when we were seeing the most, I believe, strategic partners was during the pandemic.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:59]:
Yeah, I hear you on that.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:29:01]:
And I know that that was a bad time, but I think that presidents and boards really saw the work that we do and how strategically we do the work, that we are able to gather data, that we make data-driven decisions, that our decisions aren't just in a snapshot way or roughshod way, that we really are very intentional about what we do. And I think I think, you know, we probably got the most kudos during that time than, than anyone else. And I think during that time, people saw that the impact that we have as a profession on our students as they navigate the campus isn't just in the residence hall, it's in the classroom, it's in their extracurricular activities, it's in the co-curriculum design. And so I think that fortunate global pandemic really placed us centrally in the mission. I think it was one of the clearest times that student affairs is a central, uh, integral part of colleges and universities' mission. I think that was most, on a global perspective, was the most significant time.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:11]:
I feel like for all of us, time broke during the pandemic. And so I think we're also in a situation now where we are half a decade removed from that time, which means an entire generation of students removed from that time.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:30:26]:
Absolutely.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:27]:
So we've got some interesting work ahead of us on how we harnessed our value from then to apply it to now and to go forward, because the students we have now were in middle school during that era. So very, very different. And our final question in our theme is, what do you think student affairs needs to do to be better understood and better seen in today's educational environment?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:30:48]:
So this really builds upon what you were just saying, right? The pandemic was almost a decade away and our memories are short-lived and it was a traumatic dramatic time. And so people want to put a lot of that behind. So we can't keep celebrating, right? We were great in the pandemic, right? So I think the best way to be able to do that is how do we tell the narrative of the impact of our work that isn't as qualitative as we've always relied on? You know, we are, we are a belly kind of profession, right? We, it feels good in the belly, right? And so we make, you make these decisions. And I think I was talking about this with a colleague at coffee this morning. I think that when we come to our boards and sometimes, and when we come to our cabinet-level tables, I think people don't always recognize how strategic and deliberate we've had to make a decision, that we are really strategically thinking about a decision. It is just not how we feel about the decision, but it really is how we've analyzed whatever was the problem. So what we've got to figure out how to do is how we turn this language of student success and tie it to the work of student affairs. And the best way that we can do that is through the development of legitimate KPIs and legitimate return on investments.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:32:08]:
And so if we are saying, if you participate in student Greek life, you're going to be a more well-rounded student, well, now we have to demonstrate that. And we have to do it in a way that is through trend and longitudinal data. We just can't keep keep coming to the boards and to our cabinets with this snapshot kind of, this is what happened this semester, this is what happened with this particular incident. We need to be talking about and demonstrating more ability to show longstanding data because that's truly what board of trustees are looking for. They don't want you to talk about, but they don't want you to just focus on what happened in that semester. They wanna know how has has that problem been impacted over the last 3 years, 5 years, 10 years? And so I am very proud to say at Spelman, we, I think, oh my God, I'm so excited about this. I think we're on the cutting edge of being able to manage and demonstrate that of student success. For the last 4 years, I've led my team through looking deeply at what I call student success pathways, which are community belonging and wellbeing.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:33:19]:
And that simply means if a a strong sense of belonging, they come to a place, they feel valued. If they also come and they're able to connect with other folks that reinforce that value, and then if they are ultimately able to navigate the whole spectrum of holistic wellbeing, these are all things that we do every day and that we control. I'm hopeful to present next year with some data. I just hired a data analyst. I got good word today that he will be starting February 2nd. Yay. And we are about to do some phenomenal work. So I am excited.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:33:54]:
I'm telling everyone, keep your eye on student affairs at Spelman College because we are gonna give you a pathway that I think will make our profession very successful. And I'm excited to do that. And I'm excited to be able to do that as a member of an HBCU community.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:34:08]:
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 [00:34:14]:
Thanks, Jill. So excited to be back in the NASPA world, and there's a ton of things happening in NASPA. Just last week, you should have gotten an email if you are a current NASPA member inviting you to vote in the open volunteer leadership positions within the association. The email provided you with a custom link for your ballot, and it allows for you to be able to vote for any individual that is running for a volunteer leadership position, including the Board Chair position, Regional Leadership positions, positions and Knowledge Community leadership positions. Voting is open from February 5th to February 19th. All you have to do is, in that email, you can cast your ballot at any time by clicking on the link that states click here to cast your vote. I encourage you to review the candidate information as many times as you want to be able to get a better chance of understanding why people want to be in these leadership positions. This is a great opportunity for you to have your voice heard on who you want representing you in these volunteer leadership positions.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:35:19]:
So have your voice heard today and make sure to vote. You can still attend the NASPA Annual Conference that's coming up March 7th through the 11th in Kansas City, Missouri. If you haven't registered yet, now is a great time to be able to join all of us attending in Kansas City, because I know Jill and I are really looking forward to being able to talk with all of you. As we mentioned in the opening episode for the season, we talked about the fact that we are going to be at the conference again, and we're going to have some specific questions that we'll be sharing with you in an upcoming episode so that you can think about it. Even if you can't attend, we'd love to have your voice connected with that specific— connected with those upcoming episodes. Again, the conference is March 7th through the 11th in Kansas City, and I hope that you'll be able to attend. If you see me walking around the conference, say hi. I would love to be able to meet people that listen and be able to hear some about your own experiences, not only with the podcast but just in general.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:36:20]:
If you've not already heard about it, inside of the NASPA website is our NASPA Bookstore, and inside the NASPA Bookstore we have a ton of great books that have been written specifically for NASPA by NASPA members. And every once in a while, I love being able to share with you some of the different books that are out there. And one today that I'm going to share with you is called Dismantling Hazing in Greek Letter Organizations: Effective Practices for Prevention, Response, and Campus Engagement. This was written by and edited by Jason L. Merriweather and Associates. Dismantling Hazing in Greek Letter Organizations offers practical practical strategies to address the complexities of hazing culture and the challenges associated with recruitment and initiation in varying contexts. If you work with Greek letter organizations, this book is a must-read. So if you've never read this, I highly encourage you to pick up a copy for yourself.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:37:17]:
You can find it in the NASPA Bookstore. Earlier this month, a follow-up brief was presented by NASPA on the top issues in student affairs. In the most recent brief that was released, a new analysis from NASPA's 2025 Top Issues in Student Affairs survey came out, and in it, it showed a clear rise in the prioritization of issues in the area of assessment and evaluation to demonstrate impact and inform decision-making. 5 of the overall top-ranked issues for the 2025 survey data fall within this area, pointing to institutional commitments to strengthen capacities to collect and communicate data to tell a more complete story about student experiences. This follow-up brief highlights practitioner insights about next steps, state policy trends, and NASPA resources all related to strengthening assessment and evaluation efforts across institutions. If you've not read this brief yet, I highly encourage that you do. Go to the NASPA website, go under under Research and Publications and down to Reports and Issue Briefs. And you'll find the Top Issues in Student Affairs Assessment and Evaluation Follow-up Brief listed right there.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:38:30]:
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, 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 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, 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 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 the association is better. Tune in again next week as we find out more about what is happening in NASPA.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:39:56]:
Chris, thank you so much for kicking off this season with another great segment of NASPA World. We always appreciate you sharing with us what's going on in and around NASPA. And Daryl, we have reached our lightning round where I've got 7 questions for you in about 90 seconds.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:40:12]:
Okay.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:13]:
You're ready. You're ready. All right, here we go. Question 1, if you were a conference keynote speaker, what would your entrance music be?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:40:19]:
Ooh, They Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:21]:
That Super Bowl halftime show was epic.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:40:23]:
Epic. He's my favorite artist.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:26]:
Number 2, when you were 5 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:40:30]:
A pediatrician gynecologist.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:33]:
Number 3, who's your most influential professional mentor?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:40:36]:
I actually have what I call my ancestral mentor, which is Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays. I love and follow his work and he's very influential. And then Laurie White has been phenomenal and Pam Whiteley have been just amazing people in my life.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:40:53]:
Number 4, your essential student affairs read.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:40:55]:
That's a good question. Right now I'm reading this really great book called The Turning Point by this author named Howell, and it's essentially, it's talking about how civil civilizations reboot themselves every 100 years. And it's just a really great critical read at this time because I think we are rebooting into a new civilization, and it's really helping to guide me through.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:41:14]:
Number 5, the best TV show you've been binging lately.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:41:17]:
Ooh, Abbott Elementary. Oh my God, that thing is hilarious. I love it. I try to catch it every Wednesday.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:41:22]:
I took the WB studio tour a couple of years ago, and I got to go to the set, just like the exterior set. That was very cool. Number 6, the podcast you spent the most hours listening to in the last year.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:41:33]:
Okay, so I am a, a huge history nerd. And so there is this— it's actually out of Britain. It's this podcast that looks at the history of Europe. And I just finished listening to this really wonderful series on the rise of the Third Reich. That was just phenomenal. And so I'm really new to listening to podcasts, and I do it when I'm walking. I found that I can really lean in and glean information while also exercising. So yeah, that's my favorite right now.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:04]:
Finally, number 7, any shout-outs you'd like to give, personal or professional?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:42:08]:
My goodness. Of course, my good brother, Michael Christakis. That's my dude. We banter a lot, and it's been such an honor and privilege to work with him. Emilia Purnell has just been phenomenal. I look forward to working with her. And then it's just beyond that, I'm going to get in trouble. And so it's just all of the people that have come into my life.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:42:27]:
There is one person I do want to give a shout out to, my girlfriend, Donna Lee, because she is so universally grounded.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:35]:
Grounded.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:42:35]:
And every time I'm in her presence, I don't care how disturbed I can be, she really calms me. And I just really love her. So shout out to Donna.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:42:44]:
Darryl, it's been wonderful to get to know you a little bit better and to hear more about your vision for where NASPA will be going in the '26-'27 year. If anyone would like to reach you after we air this episode, how can they find you?
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:42:55]:
So you can find me on LinkedIn. I got off of Instagram, y'all. I couldn't take it. It was too much for me. Got tired of it, but I am definitely on LinkedIn and it's just real easy. Darrell Holloman. You can look me up and from there we can set up a time to talk or meet. Try to be very accessible.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:11]:
Darrell, thank you so very much for sharing your voice with us today.
Dr. Darryl Holloman [00:43:15]:
Great. Thank you.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:20]:
This has been an episode of Essay Voices from the Field brought to you by NASPA. This show is made possible because of you, the listeners. 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 at savoices@naspa.org or find me on LinkedIn by searching for Dr. Jill L. Creighton. We welcome your feedback and your topic and guest suggestions always.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:42]:
We'd love it if you take a moment to tell a colleague about the show and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening now. 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 University of Michigan Flint for your support as we create this project. Catch you next time.