Angie Cooksy: 0:12

Welcome back to another episode of the Riley University Podcast. We are your host. I am Angie Cooksy. I serve as the Vice President for Enrollment Management, Marketing and Communications.

Ben Jedd: 0:21

And I am Ben Jedd, AVP of Marketing and Communications.

Angie Cooksy: 0:25

Ben, we have not chatted in a while. We went to lunch today and it was delicious.

Ben Jedd: 0:29

Yes, we went to Steak and Fries.

Angie Cooksy: 0:31

We did go to Steak and Fries. And have you been to Steak and Fries recently?

Anne Hollis: 0:34

I have. I was there like a week ago.

Angie Cooksy: 0:35

Oh, look at that.

Ben Jedd: 0:37

That's amazing. Uh, you know what I noticed is that they have styrofoam cups. I don't go to a lot of places that have styrofoam cups still.

Angie Cooksy: 0:45

Oh, yeah.

Ben Jedd: 0:46

I didn't even like and I didn't even bite it.

Angie Cooksy: 0:50

Is that something that you frequently do?

Ben Jedd: 0:52

I think the last time I had a styrofoam cup, I probably bit it yeah.

Anne Hollis: 0:56

Were you six?

Ben Jedd: 0:57

That's what I'm saying.

Angie Cooksy: 0:58

Older than 12? Like what is happening there?

Ben Jedd: 1:01

I mean, I don't believe I've had a lot of styrofoam cups.

Angie Cooksy: 1:03

I feel like that's something that we need to unpack a different version of this podcast. Um, I did very much enjoy the fries though today.

Ben Jedd: 1:10

They were delicious.

Angie Cooksy: 1:11

They were really good. Um, this is what you all tune in for is the witty banter between Ben and I, or not. Maybe you just fast forward uh from this part. But what we do here on the show is we get to interview and talk to the amazing people that are doing amazing things in and around the Bradley community. And today I am super excited to have one of my favorite people on campus, Anne Hollis, join the show. She is the executive director of student support services and our Title IX Deputy Coordinator. Anne welcome to the Bradley Podcast.

Anne Hollis: 1:40

Nice. I'm so excited to be here.

Angie Cooksy: 1:42

We're excited to have you. Um the way that we do the show is we ask some questions that we have not told you in advance. And um, then we go off of each other in hopes that we ask them in order and take turns. That usually goes off the rails at some point. Um, and then we wrap it up. So that's how we're gonna spend our time together. So to get started, can you share a little bit about your background and your journey to the seat that you sit in today at Bradley?

Anne Hollis: 2:07

Sure. Um So I grew up in Pennsylvania, um, did my undergrad at Penn State, did my master's in college administration at Iowa State. And when I was finishing my master's, um, my boss there saw the posting for what was the director of the Lewis J. Berger Center for Student Leadership and Public Service back in 1998. Uh, saw that posting and said, I really think you should apply for this job because you would love the supervisor. And so I did. Um, and uh turns out my supervisor when I got the job was the greatest man I've ever worked for, and uh thought I'd be here three years. I knew I would not cut it short if he was here. Um so I stayed for much longer than that to work for him. And then, as life or luck or fate would have it, I got married and ended up staying in central Illinois much longer than I had ever anticipated.

Angie Cooksy: 3:00

It's that famous three or thirty in higher ed, right?

Anne Hollis: 3:02

Yes, exactly. So um it's it's been a great tenure. Um I so I had that first role in student leadership from 98 to about 2005. Um taught COM 103, um, was the director of Res Life. I was gone for five years from 2008 to 2013, and then came back as the director of uh or executive director of student support services in 2013.

Angie Cooksy: 3:28

Nice. What does the executive director of student support services do?

Anne Hollis: 3:33

It's a really good question. I ask myself that every day. Um but every day is different, right? Yeah. And so it's really just responding to student need. Um, and sometimes it's crisis management, not in a counseling role, but more in a logistics role of helping students who have had a death in the family, like making sure they get home and they're safe, or um students who are food insecure making sure they have the resources and food that they need to, you know, get through the next week. Sometimes it is serving on committees, sometimes it is working with my own staff. Um, it really just depends, but it's about being there to meet the students in whatever need that they have.

Angie Cooksy: 4:13

As you were talking about that, the the phrase that popped up into my head is that a lot of your job on this campus is to make sure that students are seen.

Anne Hollis: 4:22

Yeah, that's a good way to say it.

Angie Cooksy: 4:24

Which feels like so imp like that feels so big. That's a that's an amazing job.

Anne Hollis: 4:29

It is, it is, and it it is an honor to get to do it because you know, life can be hard.

Angie Cooksy: 4:34

Yeah.

Anne Hollis: 4:35

And to know that um I played even a small role in a situation that could have completely derailed a student's education, but because of the resources, the helper, you know, the um support that myself or my team or anybody at Bradley was able to provide, if we can connect them to the right people and the right resources and help them overcome that and still go on to get their degree and and be successful, to know that we played a small part in that is just so rewarding.

unknown: 5:01

Yeah.

Ben Jedd: 5:02

So you've been at Bradley for a little while. I just kicked the mic, so if you heard that, that was me. Um and you have um your family has come and through Bradley as well, right? Um, what do you think makes Bradley unique?

Anne Hollis: 5:21

Oh, that's a good question. Um So I have left Bradley and I have come back twice. Um and I will say what I think always brings me back, which make which I think makes Bradley unique and so special, are the people that are here that are doing this work to serve our students. I don't know of better people, of better colleagues, of better team members anywhere than the people that come to the Hilltop every day, who come to Bradley every day to do their job. And so I think it's the dedication of our staff, of our faculty, um, of every person who works on this campus and their commitment to the students that really makes this place unique.

Angie Cooksy: 6:03

I I honestly that's why we started this show is to talk about those people and be able to highlight the work that sometimes goes unseen, not intentionally, but just because there are so many people doing really weird work that don't feel like they need to be recognized for it because they're just like, this is my job and this is how I show up, and I show up because I love it, but it's like, no, it's so important and it's so cool. And I I love that that's what you highlighted as part of this because the people here I think over and over that's what we hear is what makes this place so special. So you have two boys that are here now.

Anne Hollis: 6:35

I do.

Angie Cooksy: 6:36

What has that been like?

Anne Hollis: 6:37

Oh, so my husband is also a Bradley alum, and I like to say that he graduated before I started so that there's no rumors there. Um but he is a uh high school teacher. So he was with my kids K through 12 and saw them through those years. And then I feel like it's really been a gift for me to be able to see the boys um for for their college years and get to know their friends and and kind of see who they've become on this campus. Um, and it's been fun. You know, I my one role with them was if I'm ever gonna see your name in a police report, you better tell me before I read it.

Angie Cooksy: 7:09

That's a good rule. I think we should we have children coming up if I need to do that role.

Anne Hollis: 7:15

Yep. Um, and so that hasn't happened yet. Uh I don't want to knock on wood making noise here, but um we have lunch together. We always pick a day during the semester that we the three of us have lunch and kind of check in and and hear all how they're doing. And um, it's really strengthened, I think, my relationship with both of them in different ways. But it's been so fun to see them become like really successful young adults and and who they are and and their passions and kind of what drives them and the people that they've connected with and the opportunities they've had on campus. It's um I love being that person for any student, but to be able to see it for my own kids has been really rewarding.

Angie Cooksy: 7:56

I just like it gave me goosebumps.

Ben Jedd: 7:58

Yeah. Um so can you talk about Bradley from outside your role, but as a parent? How the experience has been. Um you have two kids at Bradley at one time, what that's been like. How how I I mean you have a unique experience because you get to have lunch with your kids, right? I mean, like that's awesome. But how how would you say, what would you tell parents of prospective students?

Anne Hollis: 8:29

You really should have given me that question in advance. Um I I think I would tell them, you know, one thing that I say at orientation every year is um your role in your student's life might be different, but it is no less important during these years. And uh continue to to show up for your student, um, even, you know, not in the physical sense every day, but in little ways through the through the memes that you send, through the care package, through the text that's just saying, hey, I'm I'm just thinking about you today. Good luck with that test. Because even though those students come here or go wherever they're going, families are generally the safe place for them to fall when they need help. And they're still going to go back to that. And so, you know, I think as parents, um, I mean, I still see my kids all the time, and it was still hard for me to let them go. I can't imagine what that is like for a parent who sees their kid go states away or hours away, and to not have that connection. Um, but trust in the job that you've done to raise these students who were admitted and clearly are successful and talented and have so much to offer. Trust in the job you've done. Let us partner with you because we know the parents are really important partners on the student's journey to success and continue to be that safe place for them to land when they struggle, because they're all going to struggle. And they need to know that it's okay and that you have their back and that we'll partner together to help them overcome it.

Angie Cooksy: 9:57

We had another parent recently on the show and they talked about having to learn when their student went to college the importance of asking, do you just want me to listen or do you want me to help you solve this problem? And I thought that was a really interesting piece of advice for parents. It's like navigating the transition of having somebody at home that you're like, oh, well, this is what you have to do. Oh, you forgot your backpack? Like, let me just bring it to you versus like you gotta figure it out because you're away and like I can be here. And I it's it's wild to parent adults.

unknown: 10:29

It is.

Angie Cooksy: 10:31

So on that note, so you talked about just that that moment a minute ago about like thinking about having your child go away or what that might be like. You get to see thousands of young men and women on this campus every single year navigate that for themselves and figure out what the growing up looks like and figuring out how they can become independent or you know, how they're gonna take those next steps. What's a student or alumni story that really kind of highlights that Bradley experience for you that you've seen over the years that you're like, oh, these kids are just awesome? There are just so many. Um I mean, you can share more than one, it's okay.

Anne Hollis: 11:12

This one's tough. So we've we've definitely seen students who have had um significant illness, um, who, you know, we weren't sure what their their longevity looked like, but were able to continue with their degree through creative ways from faculty that um went online at a time when online was not really something we were doing. Um, and do some distance and and and really think creatively about how to help this student because it was important to the student that they still had Bradley while they were working through um their health situation, right? It was the one stable thing in their life that they felt like they could control when so much else in their life was out of control. And so working with the faculty for this student to um make sure that they could still access their education long before COVID. Um and knowing that it took a semester longer than the student was planning, that they were able to get that degree. You know, they didn't have to step out completely. They were able to continue and work at a uh like a different pace, but still did met all the requirements and graduated and went into remission and um are healthy, you know, and have working very um and a successful career has a family doing all of these things that um they weren't even sure they were gonna be able to graduate. And seeing like how as campus, again, which makes us so unique, like we all rallied around this student to help them um get through that and and come back and be okay. There was another time um early in my career where we had a student whose uh parents and a sibling were killed in a plane crash and um they were a senior and uh coming together for that student and um working with their support system here on campus and um some of the organizations that they were involved with making sure that they had what they needed so that they could deal with the grief and the loss and everything they were dealing with, uh but also have a pack to continue here that was not going to be completely thrilled. And so um just some of those things again, knowing that so many of our students just have these uh situations that uh could completely change the course of of where they're going. And if we just think a little differently and creatively about the help we can provide, we can keep them on a path to success and not have this completely change um the way their life plays out.

Angie Cooksy: 13:46

Yeah, I mean the the i the the energy around the idea that the work we get to do literally changes somebody's life every single day is really big. And that's I'm so thankful for you to share those stories because I think those are the things that people don't necessarily see every single day because right, there's amazing people like you who are behind the scenes really making sure that those students are moving through the the paths and but they're being rallied around and they're being taken care of and and they're successful and they're graduating, and that's the heart of who we are on this campus, and I think that's so special. And and I'm really glad that you shared those stories.

Anne Hollis: 14:25

Well, and there's little ways that like people can help too. You know, it doesn't have to be these big situations, but there are little ways that we can make a difference for and show up for students. And students can show up for each other every day, you know, so it doesn't have to be the the big trauma, but um just checking in with your with your peers, you know, saying, Hey, I didn't see you in class, is everything okay? Like just recognize like helping people be seen. Yeah, like you said earlier, like um and and showing up for them in in all sorts of ways can really make a difference. So it doesn't just have to be the staff on this campus. Um, we all have the potential to do that.

Ben Jedd: 15:01

So I know there's a lot of different support services your office um offers. I I can you talk about how a student can request support?

Anne Hollis: 15:15

Um so the areas under student support services, you know, we have disability services for students who need learning accommodations, whether it's long-term disability or temporary accommodations, tutoring, supplemental instruction through the Academic Success Center. Um those are those are probably the two that students access the most. But um for students who just tend to have a lot going on, you know. So sometimes what we'll see is that a parent at home has lost a job, and so that has impacted the amount of money that they send. So the student picks up a second part-time job, and so they're working more, and so their working schedule keeps them from um maybe getting to the dining hall when it's open, so they're not eating as much or eating as well as they need to, so they're getting sick and they're getting run down, and all of these things are happening. Um, but if they could just connect with student support services, first floor, Sisson, myself, Molly, Kelly, anybody on that floor, David, Alyssa, um, Jen, or you know, moss scholars, any of them, even if they don't work directly in the day-to-day of providing those resources, they would know that resources are available. The other thing that they could do is on um Navigate, there is a hand raise feature now for students, where they can raise their hand and say, hey, I'm having trouble um with finding the right resources to pay my bill. I have questions about my bill, I need help with uh a class, um, all of those kind of things. They can pinpoint the question or the topic that they have questions around and raise their hand, and then that'll be routed to the appropriate office and we will follow up. So that's another way that students could do it. Um or they could just email student support and it'll come right to me and um we can figure out the best way to get them connected.

Angie Cooksy: 16:59

And I think tying that back to what you just said a minute ago about how as a campus we can provide support is that it's not always the student that has to raise their hand. If you're a faculty member, if you're a staff member, if you're somebody's roommate and you see something, like to just send that email to student support, or you don't have to know what the student needs help with, but just say, like, hey, somebody needs to probably can somebody just check in? Like, I don't know, I just have a feeling and I think that rallying around, if we all were better about doing that, then we can all take care of each other in a really great way.

Anne Hollis: 17:29

We get emails from faculty staff all the time that'll say, hey, student reached out and said they weren't going to class or couldn't come to class today because they have a family emergency. Can you just see if everything's okay? And we'll reach out and say, hey, I understand, you know, you have something going on. What can we do? Um, what other resources might you need? How long do you think you're gonna be out? How can we help support you during this time? And so we do have people who are paying attention to that and helping us connect with those students.

Angie Cooksy: 17:53

I love that. Um, so we're gonna flip it a little bit because one of the questions that we ask at the end of every show is to put you on the spot a little bit because we have people come on and they talk about all the amazing things that are happening in and around campus, which is wonderful. Um, but are sometimes reluctant a little bit to talk about their own self and their own role in that. Uh, and so what we want to ask you is as we think about people making Bradley special, what makes you, what are you unapologetically exceptional at, Ann Alice?

Anne Hollis: 18:24

So I've listened to all your podcasts.

Angie Cooksy: 18:26

So you knew this question was coming.

Anne Hollis: 18:28

And do you two ever answer this question as much as I did? We did. We did it on our first episode. On the first episode? Yeah. Okay, and we have to go back and listen to that one again. Yeah. Okay. Um, I did know this was coming. You think I'd be preparing. Um is it Bradley related or just in general? Anything.

Angie Cooksy: 18:45

And you can talk about anything. We've had all sorts of answers to this question.

Anne Hollis: 18:48

Okay. Um, so we did talk about the uh great opportunity I have with my boys to be here. Um, one thing people might not know is that I also have two daughters who both have Down syndrome and are on a different path in in their journey and through life. And so um I am a fierce advocate for people in marginalized groups and making sure that their rights and their um that they're respected and that they are given the opportunities that uh they deserve. Um, so our girls are the first girls in our school district to be fully included, educated with their peers. One of them just finished high school, fully included, is now in a transition program. And um I will never be quiet when I see somebody being hurt um through policy or words or systems that are not set up to support everybody. So um that's probably what I'm what my biggest passion is.

Angie Cooksy: 19:50

Well, and you're exceptional at that. And I will say um I had Noah on our panel this week for uh a visit day, and he talked about how. Him and his brother are taking that advocacy advocacy and that highlight to another level in the work that they're doing. And I think that's such a testament to how you've raised the boys and how you've shown up for everybody is that they see it as their role too. And I think that's really, really awesome. And I was so excited to hear him talk about um the inclusive sports efforts that are happening in on campus as a result of them being a part of our campus.

Anne Hollis: 20:26

Well, and I think it's a great thing for our whole community to see this happening because um one thing that we know on the like national level for Special Olympics is inclusive opportunities at the high schools are growing. Yeah. And high school students are looking to continue that in their college. And so if we can help grow that at Bradley for high school students to continue, then it just makes our whole community stronger and uh more appealing across the board. So we're excited about it.

Angie Cooksy: 20:55

It's really, really cool. And I'm excited to watch it flourish and get involved with that. Is there anything you would like to share uh that we didn't ask you or anything you'd like to add before we wrap up today?

Anne Hollis: 21:06

No, I think the only thing that I would say is um if it's a student that listens to this and they do feel like they need help with something and they don't know where to go, they can always reach out. If it's a faculty and staff member and they have a student that they don't know how to help and they want to brainstorm with us about how to do that, um, please reach out because we are we are student support services, but we also can support the faculty and staff who are supporting students, right? And so we're more like campus support services so that um we can help everybody take care of um each other on this campus. And it's just such a it's just such an honor, it's such a blessing to be able to do this job every day.

Ben Jedd: 21:44

Ann Hollis, thank you so much for joining us today. This has been really great.

unknown: 21:48

Thank you.

Angie Cooksy: 21:49

That wraps up another episode of the Bradley University Podcast. As always, if you want to come on the show, you should reach out to Ben Jed because he coordinates all of our visits.

Ben Jedd: 21:58

That's acooksie at bradley.edu.

Angie Cooksy: 22:01

How you spell Ben Jedd. That's weird. I don't know what you're talking about. Um, but for real, the best part about being able to do this job is that we get to talk to people like Ann, and we can only do that for if people are willing to come on the show and talk to us and hang out with us a little bit. So um we will see everybody next time from Hilltop Studios in the lower level of University Hall. That is all for us today.

Ben Jedd: 22:21

Thank you.