AIMHO College

Committee Information:

Contact AIMHO College at aimhocollege@aimho.org

Chair:		Deb Coffin				deb.coffin@colorado.edu
		UC Boulder
Co-Chair:	Sara Grijalva				sjgrijalva@admin.nmt.edu
		New Mexico Tech

Members:	Valeria Chase				vchase@nmsu.edu
		New Mexico State University	
		Kara Curcio				curcio@life.arizona.edu
		University of Arizona
		Rebecca Freer				becky.freer@colostate.edu	
		Colorado State University	
		Julie Howe				Julie.howe.1@asu.edu
		Arizona State University
		LeAnne Jones				LeAnne.Jones@nau.edu
		Northern Arizona University	
		Julie Love				love_j@fortlewis.edu
		Fort Lewis College
		Lynda Pruitt				lpruitt@coloradomtn.edu
		Colorado Mountain College-Alpine
		Kate Tomten				tomten@life.arizona.edu
		University of Arizona		
		Liz Zavodsky				zavodsky@life.arizona.edu
		University of Arizona

What is the AIMHO College?

The AIMHO College is designed to be an intensive learning experience for entry-level staff. Created by a team of top faculty members, the AIMHO College will combine presentations, hands-on learning, and group experiences for participants.

Who can attend the AIMHO College?

The AIMHO College is designed to be relevant for individuals with less than three years of post-baccalaureate housing and residence life experience. Graduate students are also invited to apply. Individuals will be grouped according to their education and experience levels with each group assigned a faculty mentor.

How are participants selected?

Participation will be limited to approximately 25 individuals. In early fall, application materials will be distributed via e-mail across the region. A selection committee will review the applications to balance participation among educational/experience levels. A scholarship to AIMHO College will be awarded.

How are the AIMHO College and the AIMHO annual conference related?

The AIMHO College is designed as a day-and-a-half pre-conference session. After conclusion of the college, participants will attend the AIMHO conference. Applicants to the AIMHO College will also register for the annual conference.

Testimonials from Past Participants:

AIMHO College was a wonderful experience! It was filled with learning, development, and sharing. The small setting of new professionals to housing was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know 12 new Housing Officers that were in the same position I was in (being NEW) and sharing those experiences together. Furthermore, I enjoyed getting to hear the variety of experiences that occur on other campuses and how they deal with them. Learning from the faculty, well "seasoned" Professionals, was an amazing experience and one that motivated me to advance further in housing. By the time that the AIMHO College was over I felt like I was ready to take on the AIMHO Conference with confidence and excitement.

-Brent Waller, Residence Hall Director, Regis University (Denver, CO)

To be honest, the AIMHO College did not appeal to me. I thought it was designed for seasoned professionals and it sounded...well...boring. My supervisor did not agree and asked me to sign up for 2004. I prepared myself for a long weekend and discovered a weekend was not nearly long enough. The AIMHO College is designed specifically for new professionals like me who need to develop a stronger background in student development theory and supervisory skills. Even more impressive, the “faculty” for the College were those seasoned professionals I had always admired from afar at my first AIMHO. Suddenly I was sitting side by side with the directors of our region’s universities and getting real advice on how to make the most of my job. The faculty prepared incredible presentations on ethics, supervising, budgeting, and networking. They designed lots of fun, interactive activities that challenged us “newbies” to evaluate where we are professionally and where we want to go. Between the presentations, we sat down with the faculty for meals and discussed the topics of the day. We were encouraged to ask any and all questions and I took the time to investigate graduate school opportunities at other campuses. After the College, I felt like I knew everyone at the conference. I was excited for the sessions and felt well-prepared for the case-study competition. I also made a ton of new friends among the new professionals and I can’t wait to see them again next year! We are now ready to become the next seasoned professionals...

Shannon Jolley
Theme Housing Coordinator
Housing and Food Services
Utah State University

As an individual with four years of Residence Hall supervisory experience, I was at first doubtful as to the benefits of attending the AIMHO College. Because I was new to the region, I decided to take the opportunity to experience AIMHO College and I am very grateful that I chose to do so! I feel that the College served as a wonderful “refresher course” on relevant issues in the field. It also provided me with the important opportunity to network and make connections with experienced professionals as well as other new professionals. It was much easier (and more fun!) to attend the conference after I had made those preliminary connections. In short, the AIMHO College was a highly valuable experience for me, one which I would not hesitate to recommend to any new (or slightly seasoned) professional.

Marit Bessesen
Wilson RHD
Northern Arizona University

The AIMHO College was awesome! I went into the college having a good background of Residence Life, but knew that I could use a little more training to help strengthen my knowledge and abilities. While at the college, I had the opportunity to work one-on-one with Residence Life experts who have been in the field for many years and who took a genuine interest in me and my work. They taught me how to be a better supervisor and how to run a successful program at my college. They also became good friends and willing individuals that I can seek out in times of need. The other students at the college brought with them different ideas and backgrounds which made the experience very interesting and engaging. Their friendships were ones that I treasured during the AIMHO conference and I felt more comfortable having met a few more people before everybody else showed up. I highly recommend the AIMHO College to anybody that is thinking about making a career out of Residence Life because it will help you in ways you never thought possible!

Dustin Conover
Acting Director of Housing & Student Activities
Western Wyoming Community College