STUDENT AFFAIRS 8 ANNUAL REPORT Willams named assistant director for Multicultural Student Affairs Mr. Thomas Williams was named Assistant Director for Multicultural Student Affairs in February 2022. Williams was most recently Director of Education for the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe. He earned a Master of Science degree in parks and recreation from South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D. Williams has worked to promote belonging, inclusion, engagement, and student success throughout his career in higher education and public service. As the Assistant Director for Multicultural Student Affairs, Williams will build inclusive communities, facilitate programing, and assist with recruiting, retaining, and mentoring historically marginalized students. Using best practices from across higher education, Williams will be responsible for providing institution-wide leadership around student belonging, connection, and engagement This strategic investment of university and student fee resources fulfills Key Result 158 of the Student Affairs Strategic Plan (20212025), and is consistent with Northern’s first and second strategic priorities of “Build[ing] an increasingly diverse, engaged, inclusive, welcoming and supportive culture that nurtures achievement and success for all students, faculty and staff ” and “Build[ing] a growth strategy to expand student access, success and educational attainment to increase students’ socioeconomic mobility while serving the public good.” “We are grateful to student leaders on the Student Budget and Appropriations Committee (SBAC) for allocating 50% of the funding for this position” said Megan Frewaldt, Director of Student Involvement and Leadership. This funding was first approved by students for fiscal year 22. Sense of belonging is positively related to engagement and student development. For students to have a sense of belonging, they must feel like they can relate to others in the campus community (McMillan & Chavis, 1986; Strayhorn, 2019). This is an important concept because sense of belonging impacts student persistence (Hausmann et al., 2007). In alignment with Opportunity for All, Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) strives to create a sense of belonging for all students at Northern. Through utilizing data such as National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and SkyFactor Benchworks Campus Climate Assessment, specific student populations reporting a lower sense of belonging can be identified, which allows MSA to intentionally develop programs and enhance campus culture to create an environment where all students feel connected and are able to succeed. Williams will report to Megan Frewaldt and serve within the Student Involvement and Leadership department of Student Affairs. Williams may be contacted at Suite 222, Avera Student Center, (605) 626-3007, or thomas.williams@northern. edu. Strategic Investment of Resources Utilized to Advance Student Enrollment and Sense of Belonging At Northern
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