Boosting student satisfaction is one of Northwest Vista College’s goals and one way to get their faster is to have an advocate for students.
Darryl Nettles has moved from a coordinator position in Student Activities to an associate director of student success—now the Student Advocate. His new office is 204E in the Cypress Campus Center. Students can seek assistance from Darryl on a variety of issues, such as when:
- problems, concerns, or complaints can’t be resolved at the lowest possible level
- seeking clarification with an Alamo Colleges’ policy or procedure
- direction on filing a formal complaint or appeal is required
Darryl said NVC is the pioneer for this position; and no other college within the district has it. He said the position is aimed at helping to address NVC’s recent Community College Survey of Student Engagement results, which cited a decline in customer satisfaction.
Debi Gaitan, vice president of Student Success, said the Student Advocate position will focus on the complaints that come to or are about the Student Success area. Student Success leaders, she added, consider it a priority to partner with students to foster a spirit of cooperation, care and student centeredness.
Darryl said he will also augment student discipline by providing life skills and leadership training as a means of positive reinforcement and rehabilitation. Darryl hopes to also provide an outlet for students to voice their concerns in an informal and non-threatening environment.
NVC did not get a new position to accomplish the goals of the Student Advocate, Debi added, saying instead, the college felt it was critical to use an existing position to respond to student needs better.
“This is why we tapped into Darryl's existing role and talents in student leadership,” said Debi. “I think we have an opportunity by having Darryl watch for places where we can improve processes and services as well as looking for trends.”
To learn more about the Student Advocate position, see the attachment: [file 1]. To contact Darryl:
- By phone: 486-4007
- In person: Cypress Campus Center (CCC), Student Wellness Center, Suite 204
- Appointments: Recommended; walk-ins are welcome but are subject to availability
- General office hours: 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday and 9 am to 1 pm on the first Saturday of every month.
- By email: nvc-advocate@alamo.edu