Cohort 7 Retreat - Pilgrim Pines Camps & Conference Center, Yucaipa - September 19-20, 2014

Term:

Fall 2014

Description:

I attended the MSHE retreat with my cohort mates hosted by the MSHE department. The retreat was meant to help us to get to know each other and bring the cohort closer together. It was also meant to educate us about the values associated with the student affairs profession.

Learning Outcomes:

SWiBAT get to know my cohort mates by learning at least 10 cohort members' names, their interests, strengths and background.

SWiBAT gain a greater understanding of the student affair profession.

SWiBAT gain better understanding of my five strengths.

Assessment Rubric:

	Advanced	Competent	Basic	Needs Improvement
SLO #1	Able to recall 10 cohort members’ names and their strengths and their background	Able to recall 10 cohort members’ names and their strengths	Able to recall 5 cohort members’ names and one of their strengths	Recalled fewer than 5 cohort members’ names and was not able to recall their strengths
SLO #2	Able to recall 6 of Boyer’s principles for community and able to synthesize with personal experiences and experiences of cohort mates	Able to recall 5 of Boyer’s principles for community and able to synthesize with personal experiences	Able to recall 5 of Boyer’s principles for community	Able to recall fewer than 4 of Boyer’s principles for community
SLO #3	Gained a better understanding of 5 strengths, how they influence their personal and professional development and how they influence their interaction with students	Gained a better understanding of 5 strengths and how they influence their personal and professional development	Gained a better understanding of 4 strengths and how they influence their personal and professional development	Gained a better understanding of fewer than 4 strengths

Evidence:

Reflection:

I was at first doubtful of how necessary the retreat could be for my personal and professional growth.  It proved to be very meaningful.  My experiences at the retreat will stay with me for the rest of the program and throughout my career in higher education. I learned a great deal about my cohort mates, my professors, and myself.  I was not expecting the retreat to challenge me and bring up very sensitive issues surrounding race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, values, etc.  But I am glad it did because I got to learn my own strengths, my privileges, and what I and my cohort mates bring to the program.

We allowed ourselves to be vulnerable and in turn got to know each other in a deeper level.  I got to hear stories, sometimes emotional, about my cohort mates' backgrounds and challenges they faced.  This showed me the diversity of our students and what it means to have a dialogue about subjects that are at times difficult to discuss and the importance of cultivating a safe place for our students to do so.  Sharing my own struggles and stories also made me feel supported by everyone.  At the end of the retreat I felt a change in me.  The retreat helped solidify why I wanted to be in student affairs.  I will no doubt look back to this moment to inspire me as I face tough times personally and professionally.  I am glad that I was part of this retreat.