St. Petersburg College President Dr. Tonjua Williams was the featured guest at the Council of Student Affairs’ webinar series, Presidential Conversations, which was held on Nov. 30. Dr. Gerald Jones, Chair of the FCP’s Council of Student Affairs, moderated the virtual event.
The Council of Student Affairs serves the Florida College System’s Council of Presidents by advising them on matters relating to student affairs. Their Presidential Conversations webinar series features a different college president each month. Williams is the current chair of the Council of Presidents, after serving as Vice-Chair last year.
Go with the Flow
At the event, Williams addressed questions from the moderator and attendees. She noted that changes are afoot in higher education and that colleges must be nimble to remain relevant.
“We are in the throes of a revolution that challenges the way we onboard, educate and retain students,” she said. “Don’t sleep on making sure you’re up to speed on new information. Be intentional, check the data, don’t walk around with blinders.”
Support Students, Faculty and Staff
Williams also discussed some key issues in higher education and how SPC is addressing them, including the importance of student and employee recruitment and retention. She noted the many job openings at campuses everywhere since the tumult created by 2020’s COVID pandemic.
“We need every single role we have at the college. We have to retain our people so that we can retain our students,” she said.
To address employee exodus, Williams said SPC adjusted pay rates after a compensation and classification study and reassigned roles due to emerging needs. She also noted her desire to establish guided pathways for employees so that they can maximize their career potential.
“We have to ask, ‘Are you in the right job? Were you onboarded correctly? How do we help you move to the next level?’”
Noting that students have put their faith in the college for their education, the college must do what they can to help them succeed, like supporting faculty needs and closing achievement gaps.
“Our students pick us,” Williams said. “So our job is to help them build their dream, and it all happens in the classroom, where a student is either blocked or blessed. You’ll never increase success rates if you’re not focusing on students who are struggling the most.”
On her definition of leadership, Williams advised the college leaders to strive to inspire people to be successful.
“You have to inspire and motivate leaders to move their teams forward,” Williams said. “When I leave, I feel like my biggest accomplishment will be leaving the college with great leaders.”
She also noted the importance of inviting discourse.
“We can never be right about everything,” she said. “I invite my team to change my mind with data and information. Vulnerability has to be there, and leaders have to be ok with being wrong.”
The final word of leadership advice: Take care of yourself.
“Unplug sometimes. This is the hardest thing for me to do, but we have to take care of ourselves so that present our best to the college. And let your team take care of themselves, too. You just have to turn off your phones and enjoy your families.”