Starting any new adventure can be daunting, whether you’re a Husker student stepping onto campus for the first time or, in Dee Dee Anderson’s case, as Vice Chancellor of Student Life leading departments that span the entirety of student life.
But, with her first year at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln finished, Anderson is more energized than ever to help Huskers have a safe, successful and healthy school year.
“I absolutely love it here. This has been an amazing adventure for me,” she said. “The students are phenomenal, and I've really enjoyed getting to know all the different people that work in Student Affairs and seeing all that students can accomplish in a year.”
Student Life at UNL encompasses 20 departments — spanning everything from housing and dining to counseling and student advocacy.
“Our main goal is to create powerful experiences and communities so students can be successful,” Anderson said. “This year, we’re really focusing on student well-being and making sure we’re providing students with every resource they need.”
And, she said, Student Life has adopted a campus-wide framework for finding success that any Husker should be able to remember — the Husker Student POWER initiative.
“We figure that if students do these five things, they'll be successful: define their Purpose, Own their experience, take care of their Well-being, Engage in the community and develop strong, healthy Relationships," Anderson said.
Along with the Husker Student POWER initiative, Anderson and Student Life are also encouraging Huskers to wear red on Fridays this school year in a collective show of school spirit.
“We want students, faculty and staff to rally around the idea of wearing red every Friday," she said. "Break out the Husker gear and wear red to support our school!”
Reflecting on her own first year on campus, she offers a simple word of advice for success: “Try new things. Get out of your comfort zone. Go to the club meeting or event you didn’t think you’d be brave enough to attend. Whatever it is you’ve been wanting to try, just go for it.”
