Work Life

Stepping into Counseling

COCM encourages use of the employee assistance program provided by Behavioral Health Services. Many people have never been to counseling for a variety of factors – access, cost, culture, fear, and lack of information. I am going to use an analogy to help you get in step with the benefits and some tips to counseling.…

Facilities & Operations in Student Housing – with Patrick Shanahan

What does it look like to serve students from the facilities and operations side of student housing? What does it take to keep a residence hall complex well-maintained and running smoothly? Patrick Shanahan is the Director of Facilities and Administration at The Heights, Montclair State University’s newest residence halls complex. Patrick has worked at The…

Getting Connected on a New Campus – with Amy Lorenz

Student affairs professionals are sometimes hesitant to pursue a role with COCM, thinking that the transition back to a university setting will be challenging. Today, Amy Lorenz joins guest host Tara Wilkinson to share her successful move from facilities and operations at Capstone to UNF, explaining how to make connections on a new campus!

Reflections on Working in Student Housing – with Brian Collins

After working with COCM for over 10 years, IT Coordinator, Brian Collins, made the decision to move to a new company in a new professional field. Brian explains why he needed this shift and encourages others at COCM that the need for growth doesn’t necessarily mean leaving the company to find ways to stretch yourself – he suggests to engage in opportunities outside of your defined roles, and see what you learn.

How I Got Into Student Housing: Kelly Podach Francis

Join the Conversation Podcast How I Got Into Student Housing – with Kelly Podach Francis When a residence hall comes in under budget, that money can be invested in the building itself. But how do you make decisions around what improvements to prioritize? Kelly Podach Francis designs an action plan based on student feedback, and…

Gens X, Y, & Z and the “Academic Workplace”

  The Chronicle of Higher Education recently featured an article entitled “How Generations X, Y, and Z May Change the Academic Workplace.” College campuses are home to a variety of generations of students, faculty, and staff.  More senior faculty and staff may be a part of the Baby Boomer generation, characterized by hard work and grittiness.  Many…

From Wasting Time to Tasting Wine: Vacation and Wellness

Have you seen the MasterCard “One more day of vacation” commercial[1] yet? Elementary aged school kids look at the camera in disbelief as they talk about all the unused paid vacation days each year. As one of the children says in the commercial, “That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard. They’re paid vacation days.” I…

Top Five Suggestions/Tips for Effective Use of Downtime

I know what you are thinking! “Downtime… What’s that?”  While some departments and sites experience downtime during the break season, others are busy all year round.  Eventually, we all hope to have downtime at some point throughout the year; so don’t stop reading!  After a brief survey of colleagues at different locations and within different…