Talking with Jim Campbell

~Interview by Jill Thorson, Vice President of Social Events and Student Life.

Continuing the series that Acey kicked off about people to know in the Graduate School, I recently sat down and got to chat with Jim Campbell, Associate Dean of Student Life. His office provided the perfect backdrop for our interview. It is a warm and welcoming environment that you can almost feel as you enter.

If you are anything like me, you did not know that someone like Dean Campbell existed. He describes his role as one that supports graduate students in ways that enhance their academic success. He does this by providing a safe place to meet and discuss all the non-academic issues that may impact or interfere with graduate life.

What do you do on a day-to day basis? How does that impact the lives of graduate students?
I try to support graduate students in ways to enhance their academic success by helping out with all their non-academic parts of life that may interfere: medical, health, adjustment issues, or difficulties in relationships with faculty or peers. So it is a place a little outside the department, but with someone who is still familiar with the university, the system and those challenges. Someone who can help them sort out these matters and help them make some decisions on how their student life will fit in with their academic life. In doing that, we might give them a space to talk, a place to consider options, and a person to offer referrals to places on campus and off. We also can help think of ways they can approach an adviser or a dean around a particular concern or question. Our job description is fairly broad. But I can say we are fairly well utilized, and we are glad to help in any way we can.

Do you regularly see graduate students in your office?
Yes, I see a lot of graduate students. Besides me, there are also others in the Office of Student Life who are available to talk with, such as Mary Greineder [Assistant Dean] and Maria Suarez [Associate Dean and Director of Student Support Services]. I keep up the visibility of Student Life in the Graduate School, so my name often comes up first, but there are other people available depending on the type of issue you would like to discuss. Students come in sometimes just once, or multiple times if there is an ongoing issue. We provide support and help with a particular challenge, and then we follow through.

So, the issues that graduate students come to you with are fairly diverse. Are there one or two issues that are the most frequent or most common amongst graduate students?
The most frequent would be health issues, both physical and mental health, that can interfere with graduate study. As you know, graduate study can be quite challenging and demanding and if you are not at optimal health then it can be difficult. We help students get the appropriate support that they might need: counseling, therapy, connections with SEAS [Student and Employee Accessibility Services], etc. Sometimes it can be helping them to decide they need time away, perhaps a medical leave in order to come back and succeed later. Decisions like that are difficult. Students are usually quite motivated and want to stay in school and succeed, but we help them with that whole process of leave and readmission if that is needed. We provide a point of contact to guide them though the process and thus enhance privacy. Also, we work with graduate students to communicate with their adviser, DGS and chairs in order to advocate and communicate their needs.

Is this somewhere graduates can go to discuss issues that they may have with their adviser? Or with other faculty members?
We try to stay very respectful of the special relationship students have with their advisers, not wanting to interfere. But sometimes we can be helpful in giving a student a place to consider what it is that they would like to say or present to their department and how to do this in a productive way. We give them a place to pull this together, feel more articulate and prepared. We are cautious to not intrude or interfere with relationships, but rather to support them.

How long you have been in this position? And what was the path that led you here?
Well, I have been at Brown almost three years. Prior to that, I was Director of a university counseling center for many years and I am a psychologist by trade, so working through issues and problem solving is something I am familiar with. I work closely with a variety of other resources around campus (SEAS, Psychological Services, various deans), and I make sure students get all the support that we are able to offer them. I am not doing psychotherapy anymore, but it is often short-term counseling.

What do you find the most interesting part about your job?
I find this a very hard question, I really enjoy my job and I feel very privileged to be here. I work so many interesting people, students, faculty and staff. There are always new questions and there is a wonderful community here. Brown certainly seems to live that. Nothing is perfect but people really do come together to try and support students in any way they can. I also work with some great colleagues. I especially like that there is lots and lots of student contact. I see students all day long.

What percentage of the time do you think you meet with students versus your other obligations?
I have some meetings with deans and other colleagues, and I also see some undergrads, but most of the day is spent with meeting or emailing with students.

Can you provide an anecdote that describes how you have helped graduate students here at Brown?
Recently a doctoral student was having some real difficulty and was on academic warning. I connected him with both mental health resources and academic coaching for time management and so forth. He got things back on track and went on to be extremely successful. It doesn’t always work out so perfectly, but there are a lot of resources that students do not know about. Sometimes students are here for 5, 6, or 7 years, and there very well may be a need at some point. We want to provide a place to turn and offer support.

The GSC and the Office of Student Life will be co-hosting a Stress Management Resource Fair on October 1, 2013, with a short lecture series to follow. Please look to the GSC website as well as to our Facebook page for updates.


Dean Campbell is available at the Office of Student Life located in Graduate Center E, 4th Floor. His email address is: james_campbell@brown.edu.