What Type Of Person Thrives In The Higher Education Industry, According To An Assistant Provost Institutional Equity At Willamette University
Emilio, an Assistant Provost of Institutional Equity, highlights the diverse approaches to success in higher education administration, noting that while "detail-oriented" and "actionable plans" are essential, the role also demands "patience," "a suspension of judgment," and "empathy," particularly within the DEI space where a commitment to ongoing learning and advocacy is paramount. The importance of strong relationships is also stressed, though the varied styles in building and utilizing these relationships are acknowledged.
Detail-Oriented, Actionable Planning, Patience, Openness, Empathy
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Emilio Solano
Assistant Provost, Institutional Equity
Willamette University
Willamette University, 2009
Loyola Marymount University, Master of Arts, Urban Education: Policy & Administration and Lewis & Clark College, Doctorate of Education, Education Leadership
History, Art History
Education
Education
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Strong relational skills are essential for success.
2. Detail-oriented, organized, and able to create and follow actionable plans are necessary attributes.
3. Patience, open-mindedness, and empathy are crucial, especially when working in the DEI space, requiring a willingness to suspend judgment and engage in continuous learning.
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically thrive in your industry?
That's a tough one for me to answer. I talked earlier about being deeply relational, and I could say that that's the way you do it – you've got to have the relationships.
But I can point to one of the other assistant provosts in this office. She's great with relationships too, but we organize ourselves so differently. The things she accomplishes make me feel like I do nothing, and yet she gets them done.
I think being detail-oriented is obvious. In any higher education space, actionable plans are needed to organize what needs to be done. Bringing people in, calendaring those things, and staying on track to meet deadlines – I think that all happens.
But maybe speaking from my own experience, I think there are multiple ways to approach this job. For me, I think it takes patience. It also takes a suspension of my own judgment or initial bias, understanding that that's going to happen, but still giving space for the conversation.
You need to give space for an idea, whether you believe it's a good one or not. So, I think there's an openness you need to approach this work with, especially in the DEI space. There are so many things in the world I don't fully understand.
But I know if we're talking about people, we need to take care of people. There's a continuing education piece that I know is really important, and then just that empathy piece. To have empathy in everything we do in this DEI space is really important.
Because then that can lead to the change, or at the very least, the advocacy that we need to make sure we're always prioritizing.