TORRINGTON – The third and final candidate for Eastern Wyoming College’s Vice President of Student Services spoke about his experience and answered questions Tuesday at an open public forum.
Most recently, Dr. Don Appiarius worked as the Dean of Students at the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, Ind. from 2014 to 2017, where he also served as Chief Student Affairs Officer and Chief Housing Officer. In addition to 20 years in roles ranging from Residence Life and Student Development to Disability Services, Appiarius has 21 years of adjunct instructor experience.
“We like to be engaged in the community,” he said of his family. “I love the work that I do – I’ve always loved the work that I do.”
Appiarius earned two bachelor’s degrees – in Political Science and History – from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Va. in 1988; a master’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. in 1992; and a doctorate in Leadership and Organizational Management from Oakland City University, Ind., 2017.
During the forum, Appiarius said he believes resilience and grit, among other attributes, are important to ensure students succeed, especially “when a student encounters challenges they need to work through successfully.”
He added mindfulness is also important, as it allows focus and drives grit and resilience.
“I think incorporating the correct programs that fit the institution are absolutely critical to nurture student success,” Appiarius said, and recommended the potential use of a “multi-disciplinary group that looks at students who are at risk and fashions a holistic intervention based on everything that we know.”
In his first few months as Vice President of Student Services, should EWC offer him the position, Appiarius said he would work to build relationships.
“You have to have trust and transparency to effect change,” he said. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care … the first three months are about developing those relationships, not trying to effect rapid change.
“Once we have that trust and … transparency, and informed by key stakeholders … (we will work to) drive recruitment, expand the number of students coming to campus, asking, ‘What do we need to do to make good on our contract with them?’”
One of Appiarius’ proudest career accomplishments included the improvement – academically, athletically and otherwise – of a college basketball team.
“Our basketball team not only had a history of (National Collegiate Athletic Association) violations … but also (issues with academic eligibility),” Appiarius said. “In a year’s time, we went from multiple violations … and academic ineligibility to a Sportsman of the Year award” – voted on by the same referees who reported the team to the NCAA the year before.
“Although I led it, it was – no pun intended – a team approach,” he continued. “We literally saw that in one year’s time. Grades went up, academic eligibility went up … success on the courts, on the fields … also increased … The team GPAs went up, on average, .8 overall.”
