To Earn Respect, Be a Team Player – with Kerissa Hobstetter

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Some student housing professionals are only inclined to perform the duties listed in their job description. And others are team players, willing to get their hands dirty to keep things running smoothly. Kerissa Hobstetter falls into the second category, doing whatever needs to be done to provide the best possible experience for her residents. Kerissa is COCM’s Assistant Director of Operations at Fayette Square on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Kerissa began her career with Capstone in 2011, serving freshman at Marshall University before transitioning to the graduate campus at UMB where she earned the 2015 COCM Excel Award. On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Kerissa joins guest host Alton Irwin for the fourth in a series of conversations with Excel Award winners to discuss the diversity of the graduate student population that makes UMB unique. Kerissa describes how her interest in student affairs grew over time, explaining how the opportunity to interact with students gives her the greatest satisfaction in what she does every day. Listen in for insight around the impact of facilities on student satisfaction and learn how being a team player earned Kerissa the respect of her colleagues—and the COCM Excel Award!

Topics Covered

  • The small, graduate-level campus Kerissa serves at the University of Maryland, Baltimore
  • What surprised Kerissa about serving graduate students
  • The diversity of the student population that makes UMB unique
  • What Kerissa has learned about communicating with students from all over the world
  • How Kerissa’s interest in student affairs grew over time
  • Why Kerissa was shocked to receive the COCM Excel Award
  • What Kerissa’s colleagues had to say about her willingness to go beyond her job title and get her hands dirty
  • How interactions with residents give Kerissa the greatest satisfaction in what she does
  • The impact of facilities on student satisfaction and retention

Connect with Kerissa Hobstetter

Connect with Alton