DOS STARS Spotlight: Otis McGresham
“Otis has made incredible contributions to our students and staff. We often overlook how difficult student affairs work can be. Burnout is a very real thing and we work long hours. Otis the kind of colleague that helps his co-workers out. He’s a team player who strives to make people feel included. This takes pressure off our shoulders and allows us to support students far better than we could if we didn’t have that incredible teamwork.”
What do you love most about working in Vanderbilt Dean of Students?
The staff that I am surrounded by and their commitment to the students that we serve. We come from a wide variety of backgrounds and functional areas, and across the board, DOS has managed to find really good staff not just committed to doing excellent functional work, but also constantly improving ourselves and the work that we do to services students. We all see our students from different perspectives and genuinely view other DOS staff as partners in their success. DOS does a really good job at trying to cross-functional areas. Whether it is hiring new staff or programming the awareness that what anyone one office or staff member does impacts the others is clear.
What led you to Vanderbilt?
My partner received an offer she couldn’t refuse. As she was finishing up her post-doc and beginning to look at what was next for her career, she got an interview at a biopharma company here in Nashville. When she left North Carolina to come for her interview, it was exploratory. Testing the waters of industry to see how that compared to academia. When she returned home, it was a matter of how could we make the move work? There is no way to explain the grace that brought me to Vanderbilt. My professional career had been purely at large, land grant, state institutions. Vanderbilt intrigued me as someplace completely different from what I had previously experienced. With a mid-academic year move I was not certain that I would be able to find anything available. To my surprise, there were multiple positions available in DOS that matched my career interests. When I started the application process and researching Vandy, the more I learned about Vandy, the more I knew that this would be a good place for me.
If you could give one piece of advice to a new staff member, what would it be?
Take time to enjoy the moments that you are creating for others. Our work often requires long thankless hours committed to the betterment and success of others. Take time to enjoy your role in the higher education environment. We all come to work in higher ed for a reason. Every now and again focus on that reason and how your work is fulfilling you. It is easy to burn out in higher ed because there is always more to do, more to give. We have to be intentional about recognizing and appreciating what we get. It may never be balanced, but it is definitely more sustainable.
Did you always know that you wanted to be in student affairs?
Yes. I come from a long line of educators in my family so I have always seen the value of education and knew that I wanted to play some role in the education field. The functional area that I have focused on has changed over the years, but my interest in working in higher education has remained. I still have multiple interest and enjoy the opportunity to participate through programming in different functional areas. I have also been fortunate enough to teach at the university level. As I look forward I envision my career being some combination of student affairs administrator and classroom instructor.
What is the best piece of professional advice I ever received?
Do your homework. When you job search you aren’t just looking for someone to hire you. You are looking for a place to continue your career. Ideally you find a place and position that fits both you and the institution. Don’t worry as much about title or prestige, if you can find the right the rest will generally fall into place.
After work I can most likely be found doing what?
Spending quality time with my family unit. I make conscious efforts to ensure that my unit is always making memories. That includes grand events like vacations and renaissance festivals as well as everyday events like having dinner together. There are a lot of pulls for my time and I try to make sure that my family never feels it. Sometimes it is hard, but definitely worth it.
My phone camera reel is full of…?
Three things, pictures of my family doing things, food that I have cooked, and my woodworking projects. I had to look because my partner is the one that usually focuses on picture taking. I think what I have is a pretty good representation of my interest. I joke with my partner that woodworking will be my retirement plan. I do enjoy the process almost as much as the final product.