Wichita State University recently named Jamarco Clark its new vice president of student affairs. Clark’s academic and professional career have taken him across the Midwest and Great Plains, ultimately leading him to his first gig in Kansas.
KMUW’s Daniel Caudill recently spoke with Clark about his background, his goals for the job and what drew him to Wichita State.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
So I know that you're currently in a similar position in the University of Illinois Springfield. What made you interested in applying for the job here at Wichita State?
I think the thing that really appealed to me about Wichita State, as I shared through my interview, what I realized is that this was a place that wasn't just talking the talk, they were walking the walk, too, about what it means to create access.
I'm a product of when that access is provided and those doors are open, and so I really wanted the opportunity to do the work that I've been able to do successfully at the University of Illinois-Springfield on a larger scale, and Wichita State provides that opportunity.
So (I’m) excited to partner with those around campus who are doing that, partner with the community to do what we can to make sure our students are getting that access that we often talk about, but that they show and actually deliver on.
So you said that you're a product of that access. Could you talk a little bit about what you mean by that?
First generation, typically that's your immediate household, but for me, it's extended. It's not just that nuclear family, it's cousins as well. So, (I’m) one of the first to go to college and graduate — obviously have done that three times now with my master's and doctorate degree. From Pensacola, Florida, originally. Grew up in [an], I would say, underprivileged background — single-parent household.
And so I really realized, probably not early enough, but around my middle teen years, the power of education and what it could do for my life, and really allowed me to no longer be a product of my environment. So I went to an institution that provided that access, very similar to the access that Wichita State provides for the students of Kansas and beyond.
And so that's why it's really important to me to be a product to show, “Hey, if you really get after it, if these institutions are helping you, as they say they will, and say they are, this is what you can become.” So it's really personal for me to be able to provide that access, and ultimately to help students get to the goals that they're trying to achieve.
As you step into this role, do you have goals of your own, any short-term or long-term goals that you have?
My chief goal is to make sure our students have the best experience possible, right? When I think about the Shocker experience, I've got to learn from students what that means for them. You know, where are there opportunities to be greater? Where are there things that we're doing great, that we can make even better? And those will be probably the baselines of the goals. And then from there, it's going to be situational. I operate in the space of meeting the needs of the time and operate in the space of being proactive, so that we can be effectively reactive.
So really getting in and going on a listening tour. I know it sounds cliche, but that's going to really help me understand what it is that we need to do. I'll work with the provost, work with the president to make sure the goals that we establish within Student Affairs are aligning with what the institution is looking to get after. I'll work with the Student Affairs Cabinet because there's a lot of great work that they've already been doing that we've got to sustain.
One thing that comes up in local school board discussions is the looming “enrollment cliff.” Basically, people are having fewer babies, and that means lower enrollment, especially at the grade school level. But as far as I understand, it's already starting to impact colleges, too. Are there things about student life that you think Wichita State can leverage to try to recruit students into college?
I talk about retention work because that's one way to battle the cliff. I want to create experiences from pre-entry to commencement, where students are coming back year after year, because they know we're going to give them a top-tier experience. And I want to be one of the best schools in Kansas at doing that, and best schools in the Midwest at doing that.
I believe if we can do that, paired with the goals that enrollment management will have, that our academic partners will have, we can retain students, and that's going to be one of the keys to tackling that enrollment cliff. I believe that students are going to continue to want the on-ground collegiate experience, and so again, I go back to one of the first things I said: How do we make sure the Shocker experience is so great that students are going to want to continue to come here?
Our students will be our best storytellers, and so again, when I make sure they're having a good experience, they're going to talk about those experiences at their high schools, they're going to talk about those experiences at their community colleges they may come from. They may be coming from a different state … and that's going to keep us relevant and keep our names out there for the students to see.
One topic also that has become pretty prevalent in education in the past couple years is diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. In Kansas, lawmakers have pretty much eliminated traditional DEI programs. What do you think Wichita State needs to do to ensure that students who are traditionally supported by those types of programs still feel welcome on campus?
I think it's always been about how you treat people and how you make people feel. Again, I go back to that experience thing. I want to make sure everyone has a good experience. One of the things I talked about during my interview is that, as your vice president, I'm everyone's vice president, you know? No matter your race, no matter your nationality, no matter what it is. I'm everyone's vice president, and we've got to operate in that space, right?
I think the other piece, too, though, is just helping people understand there is a beauty and appreciation for differences. Traditionally, when you hear diversity, it's usually about race, but there are so many things that make us special and make us different, and so I've got a track record of working with students, working with communities of really just working to appreciate differences because that's really what it's about.
Our job is to help students go out and be good contributors to society, and to do that, it's really learning how to appreciate differences, so that's what we're going to do. I think that's important. Obviously, we will certainly be compliant with rules that are put forth and legislation that's put forth, but I think finding opportunities just to help people respect each other and appreciate the differences will be key.
