Kelsey

Nerland
Foundations of Student Affairs
Jeremy Stringer
November 12, 2014

Competency Analysis

As I was filling out the assessment form, I realized that I am really lacking in some areas
of my Student Affairs professional career. While I may have felt more confident in some areas
than others, I realized I have a lot of growing to do. Taking note of these competencies made
me realize how I can do a better job about being more intentional about seeking out
opportunities to learn about those competencies on campus.

Strengths:
I realized one of my strengths was advising and helping. I think I have had a lot of
experience developing my knowledge and skills for how to counsel, mentor, and listen
to people. I believe I am good at asking individuals questions that cause their own
reflection; and I am good at giving intentional feedback, direction, and critique.
I believe I am very skilled in the leadership aspect of competency. I have grown up as a
leader, and I have learned how to develop others into leaders. Leadership development
is something I am very passionate about. One of my strengths is maximizer, and I love
maximizing peoples potential. I believe that everyone can be a leader, and want to
cultivate that within each individual. I love working with individuals to develop goals,
dreams, and plans to put into effect. I love working with dreamers and helping their
dreams become a reality.
I believe I have a deep-rooted understanding for ethical professional practices, as well
as philosophies and values. I believe I am good at reminding myself and others about
those competencies and how to apply them to daily life situations. I am rooted in values,
and want to be consistent. I am working on how to articulate my values and
philosophies with others and how to be ethical while doing so.

Areas For Improvement:
I need a lot of help in the area of equity, diversity, and inclusion. I think Im good at
giving resources to individuals who want to seek out wisdom through different
departments on campus; however, Im not skilled at articulating my understanding of
social justice and the role of higher education. I need to be more confident in
articulating and addressing my awareness and cultural awareness.
I have some experience with undergraduate research; however, I have no experience
with assessment. I am very interested in developing learning outcomes and evaluating
research; however, Im not exactly sure how to do that if Im getting my M.Ed.
I am extremely interested in law, policy, and governance; however, I have no experience
knowing background knowledge of the laws and policies in higher education. I want to
develop a personal way to be able to articulate my knowledge and understanding of the
contexts of those laws.