Although Valerie Glassman is a seasoned student affairs professional, having served Duke University for the last twelve and a half years, this assistant dean of students is a new SACSA member, having joined recently in summer 2019. Valerie shared after learning the SACSA Annual Conference was being held down the road from Durham, North Carolina in the state capitol of Raleigh, it motivated her to become a member and register for the conference. Even though Valerie is a new member, she has already become engaged in our organization in several ways.

When she is not adjudicating allegations of academic misconduct and advising the Undergraduate Conduct Board in her role in Duke's Office of Student Conduct, Valerie is a second-year doctoral candidate at East Carolina University. Valerie's dissertation is a mixed-methods study researching the impacts of student attorneys, public scrutiny, and litigation on student conduct practitioners. In fact, Valerie applied for a SACSA Research Grant and was given enough funding to support the purchase of participation incentives for her survey respondents. In addition to receiving funding from the Research Committee, Valerie also received valuable feedback from her SACSA colleagues that she incorporated into her already-approved IRB study to make her survey structure even stronger and more reliable.

Outside of student affairs, Valerie has spent her Sunday afternoons this fall serving as a coach for her first grade son's First Lego League, Jr. team. With the help of a robust curriculum, Valerie guided the group of six children in responding to a challenge to create Lego structures that are environmentally friendly, accessible, and durable. The program is geared towards getting children involved with STEM education at an early age, and even includes programming that teaches kids the basics of coding. While it's been a fun experience, Valerie is pleased that she has a career educating college-age students and not elementary school students.

Valerie has become a huge advocate for SACSA, stating that it is one of the most collegial organizations she has been involved with in her many years as a student affairs professional. Valerie appreciates that folx at every level in student affairs from undergraduate students to tenured faculty are welcomed, valued, and supported in SACSA. To have the ability to connect with so many outstanding colleagues in our region is one reason why Valerie will continue to be involved with SACSA. Valerie stated her only disappointment is that it took her twelve years to find SACSA! She will continue to be involved in the organization and promote the wonderful opportunities it offers to her colleagues at Duke and beyond.