TIFFANY GAFFNEY – PROVIDING AN EXTRA MEASURE OF “CARE”
I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Tiffany Gaffney, our Assistant VP for Student Affairs and Associate Dean of Students. Tiffany is a dedicated professional who, as she so often says, “bleeds black and white.” As a member of the Student Affairs Senior Leadership Team, led by VP and Dean of Students, Dr. Steven Sears, Tiffany provides support to students on so many levels.
I feel privileged to share Tiffany’s story with you, and truly fortunate to know her as a colleague and friend.
Jackie
Please share a little bit about yourself.
I’m originally from Westborough, Massachusetts, and came to PC as a freshman in the fall of 1999. Twenty- four years later, my husband and I have four sons (two, soon-to-be three, teenagers) who I hope will be future Friars. I’ve earned both my bachelor’s degree (class of 2003) and my MBA as a Friar. This academic year marks my 20th year as an employee, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have the opportunities that I’ve had and to have made my career at Providence College.
As the Assistant VP/Associate Dean of Students, can you tell us about your role and what you like most about what you do?
I spend most of my time in support of students who are struggling, in some way, at PC. I work with students who are living with difficult health conditions, who are coping with major life stressors, who are struggling to make healthy and responsible decisions, or set appropriate boundaries. I do work directly with many students, but I also work to support staff and systems at the College who work directly with students. I oversee the CARE Team, the Office of Community Standards, Title IX, and Student Outreach and Support. I really enjoy being in a position to help students who are struggling with something, to help them problem solve, to connect them with appropriate resources, to challenge them, and then to see them experience success.
As you work towards helping first year students acclimate to their new environment, I am wondering what do say to those students who may be struggling with homesickness, difficulty making new friends, or just not feeling a sense of belonging to their new institution?
When I first came to PC as a student, I had a hard time finding my place and called my poor mother every night for almost the entire year, crying and asking her to let me come home. As a parent, I now have so much empathy for what that must have been like for her. In the spring of 2000, I applied to be an RA because, frankly, I knew it would get me a single room and there just wasn’t anyone I wanted to live with. Not to be dramatic, but that one decision completely changed my experience. On the first day of RA training, I met the people who would be my best friends and my “family” at PC. Finding people who I felt genuinely connected to transformed how I felt about being at Providence College. It wasn’t the classes, the facilities, or the social scene that I struggled with. My roommate was wonderful, and I had friends, but I didn’t feel true belonging until I joined the Residence Life team. And now, even though it was never the plan, I’m 20~ years into a career in Student Affairs at Providence College. Some might call that “providential.” I realize that my experience does not perfectly translate to every student, but I do think the themes are relatively universal:
- Belonging takes time. It might be a month, it might be a semester, or, as in my case, it might take a year.
- Get involved early. All of our students were involved in something before coming to college – sport, club, hobby, job. They all have a passion for something. Find it at PC. Find the people who are passionate about the same thing and then spend time with them!
- Have faith. The people you encounter and the experiences you have are all part of your journey. You might not know where your path may lead but have faith that you will get where you are meant to be.
I know that the Dean of Students’ Office provides strong interdepartmental support for students who may be experiencing emotional or physical distress. Can you tell us what kinds of systems are in place to support these students?
The CARE Team is an interdepartmental intervention & support team for students of concern and/or at risk. The team is led by the Dean of Students Office, and is comprised of staff from Residence Life, Academic Affairs, Personal Counseling, Student Health Services, the Chaplain’s Office, Public Safety, and Community Standards. Through our work, we hope to:
- Achieve genuine wellness, health, and safety for all members of our community.
- Assist students to develop the life skills and resilience necessary to persist and achieve their goals.
- Create a culture where people notice one another, care for everyone, and report concerns in support of fellow Friars.
What advice do you have for parents and families as to how they can assist their students to make the most of their PC experience and to enable them to become all that they are called to be?
Our culture creates these arbitrary expectations about what it means to be in college – what it should look like, what it should feel like – and often students struggle because their reality is just not meeting their expectation. If we can help them shift their perceptions about what this experience is supposed to be, draw connections between their goals and the opportunities before them, challenge them to be intentional and true to their values in their decision-making, we can help them to also recognize that challenges and discomfort is where the most growth happens. My favorite daily affirmation and particularly relevant when working with college students, in the words of Catherine of Sienna, “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
