Lion VoicesSeptember 30, 2024

Jennifer Holland: The Glue Holding UAFS Together

Written By: Ian Silvester

At the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, Jennifer Holland, the executive director for student retention, is undoubtedly the glue that holds it all together.

From the southwestern Oklahoma town of Frederick, Holland is the third of four children, and growing up she knew that receiving financial assistance woudl be crucial to making it to college. That meant staying close to home.

If you'd asked her then, she might have said she wanted to move further from home instead of attending Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma, just 46 miles from home. But in hindsight, she says, it was the best decision she ever made.

Cameron University is where she met her husband, Todd, the head baseball coach at UAFS. It's where she earned two degrees, a bachelor’s in communication and a master’s in business administration. And it is also where she first started her career in higher education more than two decades ago.

“I started in student activities as a graduate assistant and moved into the director role,” she said.

During her time at Cameron, she worked with student conduct, career services, and disability services while serving as director of student development. After that, she served as dean of students and, later, vice president for student services.

After nearly 15 years at Cameron University, Holland arrived at UAFS in the spring of 2015 – doing a little of everything from student affairs to recruitment and retention. She worked as a non-traditional student coordinator, Title IX coordinator, and in financial aid, admissions, and advising offices before she accepted her current role in the spring of 2018.

“The university created a retention plan and decided they needed one person to keep all the plates spinning,” she said.

In the five years since accepting the job as executive director for student retention, everything Holland did before and since has culminated into one mantra.

“Everything that is UAFS impacts student retention. How the grounds look on campus, how a student feels in housing, how we make students feel at events, or what happens in the classroom impacts retention. It takes every single one of us to make sure that UAFS operates smoothly and that our students are treated with the care they deserve,” she said.

Holland went on to say that though UAFS may be small, there are big opportunities for every student here.

“I love that in a short period of time, you can see how education transforms student lives, and you can see that it will change the trajectory of their futures. I don’t say that lightly. I have seen it happen over and over and over. We get a front-row seat to watch them accomplish their dreams.”

Holland understands that sometimes life gets in the way when students navigate going to college. From financial barriers to unexpected challenges with family or living situations, Holland knows things happen outside of the classroom that require attention regarding student success.

“Sometimes people just need a cheerleader, somebody to encourage them,” she said. “It’s going to be hard, but no matter what hard comes, I’m going to keep (supporting students).”

When she isn’tworking one-on-one with students who have stopped-out, managing student emergencies, curating the Monday Minute email,  or serving on committees from Workday Student to Navigate and the Student Success Mini Conference to Staff Senate, Holland focuses on retention behind the scenes. Some of her most impactful work is her role in helping find scholarship support for students who just needs a little assistance when life gets extra tricky. From Finish Scholarships to the Student Emergency Assistance Program, she finds a way to help dozens of students every semester - keeping them on track, and cheering them on until they reach the finish line.

“I work at every graduation because that’s why we’re here. I like it when a student encounters a difficult time and figures out how to get over it. I like being an encourager and a supporter when a student has a challenge, and we work together to come up with solutions. I like all the moments along the way, overcoming barriers and difficult times, because it makes the reward at the end so much sweeter.

“I’m glad our students chose us,” Holland said.

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• Tags:
• Student Retention