Former dean of the Student Center for Community and Connections, Marjorie Trueblood (Ed.D.), recently stepped into the role as the interim vice president of student affairs. Having previously served as the dean of multicultural life at Macalester College in Minnesota, Trueblood joined the Rollins staff in 2022. Trueblood took from her past experiences which provided her with the insight, care, and experience she needed to take the next step as interim.
Trueblood met with The Sandspur to answer some questions about who she is and how she works alongside various people to ensure that students are provided with fun and engaging experiences outside the classroom. Student affairs has six areas they focus on: intercultural competency and belonging, student development engagement, student health and wellbeing, staff development and wellbeing, thinking intentionally about spaces; and innovation.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What were your thoughts about taking on this position?
I have a huge heart for students and want to see them be successful. About two years ago, I started thinking that I wanted to start engaging in some professional development around what it would be like to be a vice president of student affairs. I wanted to expand the impact and the good work, not just for underrepresented students, but our whole student body, making sure that they have a voice and can co-create this experience together.
What about student affairs interests you? What challenges you?
When I was little, I wanted to change the world. I know that’s pretty cliche. Then I realized that I can’t change the world on my own and so it means that I have to align myself with other folks to make a positive impact. The fact that I get to be a partner with students as they think of ways to make a positive impact on the world is a huge blessing and a privilege to do that. And I love it.
When I was in college, I had people in student affairs who poured into me and helped me lean into my leadership. When I decided that I wanted to go into student affairs, it was because I wanted to pay it forward and do it with lots of love and care because that is what was extended to me… I really want students to feel agentic, to know that they have agency and power. When I was at Macalester, our core purpose was to empower students, to believe in their abilities, and work to change the world around us. I’ve taken that philosophy with me…
The thing I struggle with, or that is challenging within student affairs is that there’s a lot going on. A lot of barriers, a lot of obstacles that can get in the way of helping students reach their goals. What I try to do is not get too distraught or frustrated and try to figure out ways with whatever that is in my power how I can change some of those obstacles into opportunities. There’s a lot of things especially in terms of accessibility and cost, and then just some of the life things that can come up. So, it’s hard… but I believe that education is still a viable path to try to make positive change in the world.
What is the most fulfilling part of your job?
The students. No matter where I go, the students are always the best part of my job. They are my why… The students here are super special. I love the students at every institution that I’ve been in, but the students here are not only smart but they are kind. Even when we disagree about certain things, we can still show up in ways that can be respectful. I truly appreciate that.
What do you hope to accomplish?
My interim appointment is only for the year, so I hope that it can become a permanent position. I would love to stay at Rollins and do this work long term. There are a number of priorities that we have within student affairs … but my hope is to create more space for dialogue, so that our students can learn skills to communicate better with each other. I want to help our community be better at being resilient when challenges come.
I want us to be innovative, not just around technology’s sake, but to think creatively about how what we do can positively change people’s lives, and I want to be more intentional about some of the experiences we offer, helping students make really keen connections and have them be able to articulate how it will help them post college.
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