LAUREN A. HARDING

Promoted to plan and manage the university's Fall and Spring Orientation programs for incoming students and their families. Oversee the development of the university's Student Engagement transcript initiative, creating out of the classroom educational opportunities centered around self discovery, critical thinking and global citizenship.

Notable Contributions:

• Assisted with the research, implementation and naming of a new student engagement platform, blueprint. resulting in more student participation and enhanced reporting tools for administration and staff.
• Increased student engagement in co-curricular programs through development of more interactive and creative content offerings.
• Develop strong relationships with community partners to enhance and create educational opportunities for students.
• Revamped the Orientation check-in process to be more efficient, resulting in over $4000 in savings for the institution

Promoted to manage and oversee Divisional projects and initiatives that foster student learning and development. Assists with campus-wide programming and event projects across departments and divisions. Manages Student Affairs Division programming calendar, maintain financial records and work to create efficiency and productivity in all departmental processes.

Notable Contributions:

• Assisted in planning and execution of New Student Transitional Programs at 2022 Welcome Weekend.
• Selected as Program Coordinator for Lynn Leadership Institute. Responsible for creation of program curriculum and all event logistics (organizing speaker lists, room reservations, session set up and break down).
• Assigned as 1 of 4 staff members to serve as NASPA Certified Peer Educator Trainer, facilitating workshops for student on leadership skill development and how to successfully create and implement campus programs.
• Coordinate Safe College training for students. Work to select and administer relevant trainings for students such as, Alcohol and Drug Awareness and Cyber Security.
• Requested to serve as Advisor and advocate for Caribbean Students United and Black Student Union.

Project Assistant for new departmental initiatives. Arranged programs, events, and conferences. Coordinated office operations and compiled departmental reports. Improved systems and tracking for student affairs projects. Provided administrative support to the Associate Dean, ranging from project management to coordinating travel reservations and negotiating contracts with vendors.

Notable Contributions:

• Served as staff mentor to incoming students and presented in Lynn 101 classes on various educational topics such as Up-stander and Diversity.
• Along with Assistant Director for Student Involvement hired, supervised and trained 15+ student workers.
• Recognized across departments as “go-to” person for help with developing new events and programs.
• Improved operations through consistent hard work and dedication

Directed planning and coordination of New Student Orientation, Discover New York, and Learning Community programs. These were annual institution wide events serving 3,000+incoming students. Collaborated with Marketing and Communication departments for printed and web materials for programs. Responsible for a budget of $1.5M. Managed two professional staff members and two graduate students.

Notable Contributions:

• Hired, trained, and supervised 124 student leaders and student workers for New Student Orientation and Discover New York. Also worked with 75 faculty members on Discover New York, researching activities and events, organizing transportation, and coordinating event logistics.
• Developed semester-long training program for student leaders creating curriculum and course descriptions and teaching weekly classes on various topics, including leadership skills, customer service, university history, problem solving, organization and planning, mentorship, and more.
• Created and managed Academic Lecture Series, researched and selected monthly speaker lists, and supervised event organization. Booked well-known speakers across variety of disciplines associated with majors offered by university.
• Served as staff mentor for Project AIM program (Asian and International student Mentoring), helping students transition to college, cultural assimilation, academic achievements, and leadership development
• Selected to represent university as speaker at key events:

Customer Service Success - Orientation Leader Training

Driving the Car Called Your Life (Encouraging students to take the wheel and parents to let go) - Parent Orientation Sessions.

Community Service in Orientation – The National Association of Directors.

Hired to manage planning and execution of events for President's office and alumni and donors. Defined event objectives, identified all requirements, and allocated the budget. Researched venues, vendors and negotiated contracts. Oversaw events and managed event staff, ensuring proper set-up, execution, and breakdown. Arranged pre-and post-event publicity and advertising. Prepared post-event summaries, reviewed the budget's billing and use, and recorded event impact, highlights, and areas for improvement.

Notable Contributions:

• Saved payroll costs while also benefitting students by developing work/study program for event management students. Partnered with Hospitality Department chairperson to hire 6 students per semester into full-time, paid student event management positions in office from sophomore year through graduation.
• Established standardized procedures to create consistency across events.
• Organized departmental systems, creating vendor database, event archiving process, and photography management system, all enabling easy access to details of past events and help with future planning.