July 10, 2013
Two named to University College posts
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Phil Campbell is the new director of New Student Programs, and Katrina R. James is the new First Scholars Program coordinator, for Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Both programs are part of the University College and are integral to SIU Carbondale’s ongoing commitment to new freshmen. New Student Programs includes the restructured New Student Orientations and the expansion of SIU Carbondale’s orientation program into the first few weeks of the semester.
The First Scholars Program is a scholarship and comprehensive support program for first-generation students. A first-generation student as defined by this program is a student whose parents have not attended college for more than two years and who have not earned a post-secondary degree.
Campbell has served as coordinator of New Student Programs since 2011. He has been part of several recent changes that have taken place in that unit, and he has worked closely with Saluki First Year to launch the Saluki Peer Mentor program, a freshmen retention initiative that connects first-year students in the UCOL 101 courses with continuing students who can help them adjust to University life.
His work at SIU Carbondale earned him the Outstanding New Professional for Region V from the National Orientation Directors Association.
Campbell holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from Truman State University. He is originally from St. Louis. Before he came to SIU Carbondale, Campbell was a First Year Advisor at Miami University in Ohio.
James, is a two-degree SIU Carbondale alumna, holding a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies and a master’s degree in higher education.
She has experience with University Housing as an assistant complex director, a position that saw her working to improve daily life of graduate and married students. She was an academic adviser for DeVry University, and an academic support specialist for Waubonsee Community College before returning to SIU.
At SIU, James volunteered to mentor first-generation college students.