Our members are our greatest asset at ACTP and we love to highlighting the work that they do and the resources they are proud of on a weekly basis. On ACTP Thursdays, we put the spotlight on a member of the week, a resource of the week, or a best practice of the week. We’re a community of learning. We work best when we share our passions and practices.
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Today, we bring you the work of Kris Goldberg — an ACTP Member who has previously presented at ACTP’s annual conference! Kris is the Director of the Office of Learning Resources at Saint Joseph’s University. Here’s Kris!
ACTP: What drove you to the field of academic support and coaching?
Kris: I knew as soon as I stepped foot on a college campus that I wanted to work for a college. I thought I was going to be a professor. During my sophomore year, I got a job as a tutor. I haven’t left since!
ACTP: What do you love the most about your job?
Kris: I love watching the growth and development of our tutors and Supplemental Instruction (SI) Leaders. Our student staff often stays about 3 years. I get to see them develop from timid sophomores to seniors who have leadership roles in our organization. I love being a part of that process.
ACTP: What’s a big challenge that you are facing at your center?
Kris: Due to a re-structure, we lost one full-time staff member. It’s been a challenge maintaining the same level of quality of services with less resources.
ACTP: What’s one piece of advice you would give to your colleagues?
Kris: I would tell them to focus on the student experience. That’s the reason we are here — the students. There are a lot of other things that can transpire on the job, but we ultimately need to focus on the student experience.
ACTP: What’s a fun fact (not related to coaching/tutoring) that we should know about you?
Kris: I left the field of academic support after 8 years to work as a high school English teacher, which I did for 5 years. The experience allowed me to understand the incoming freshmen at our university more – what skill sets they have, what they don’t have and how we can fill in the gaps. Additionally, my first job out of college was as a traveling science educator for the Franklin Institute. I traveled up and down the east coast – from Connecticut to Virginia – blowing things up. Kind of like Bill Nye!
ACTP: What do you like the most about ACTP?
Kris: I like that the organization is going into coaching! It shows that the organization is paying attention to the pulse of what is going on and is willing to evolve.
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Are you interested in being highlighted on the ACTP Blog? Simply contact Jen Nguyen, PR Board Member, at [email protected]. All that’s required to become ACTP famous is a quick phone conversation. We’re looking forward to talking to you!