this is how i’m doing: in case you were wondering…

So, I was filling out the Texas common app to apply for grad school at UT Tyler and at the end I get to this question:

“If you are a U.S. citizen and were born outside of the U.S., explain how you became a citizen. If this does not apply to you please note as NA.”

Okay, I’ve filled out the common app a few times and have never had to answer this.  To be honest, it kind of ticked me off.  I already told them I was a U.S. citizen, why the flip does it matter HOW I became a citizen?  If you don’t know, I tend to be a bit of a smart-ass when I get frustrated (I get that, and my citizenship, from my father), so my response:

“Jus Sanguinis.”

If they don’t know Latin (like I don’t) they can google it (like I did).  Jus Sanguinis means “right of blood” which sounds much better than “my dad is a citizen” and is certainly much easier than saying:

“Birth Abroad to One Citizen and One Alien Parent in Wedlock: A child born abroad to one U.S. citizen parent and one alien parent acquires U.S. citizenship at birth under Section 301(g) INA provided the citizen parent was physically present in the U.S. for the time period required by the law applicable at the time of the child’s birth. (For birth on or after November 14, 1986, a period of five years physical presence, two after the age of fourteen is required. For birth between December 24, 1952 and November 13, 1986, a period of ten years, five after the age of fourteen are required for physical presence in the U.S. to transmit U.S. citizenship to the child.”

Consequently the same policy is what kept me from being able to claim dual-citizenship.  Italy is one of those countries that does not grant citizenship by jus solis (right of the soil), only by blood.

That’s it for today’s citizenship lesson.

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” –  Phillippians 3:20-21

The e-mail “interface” that is.  Back when I was a freshman, using your student e-mail account was a bit of a chore.  For some reason I decided to see if I could still log in through the terminal and it still works!  This was PINE:

I have 184 messages to read…

This is why nobody used their student e-mail account.  Well, that and the ridiculous e-mail addresses they gave us: z_jamespj@titan.sfasu.edu.  Apparently in 2000 we weren’t worried about identity theft — my student ID was my SSN.

Okay, so I’ve had a bit of a career crisis (bonus points for the alliteration) but I’ve got a new plan.

My career goals haven’t really changed — I still want to teach at the college level — but I’ve been re-evaluating how I’m going to get there.  My initial plan of working in higher ed. until I can earn my degree(s) just isn’t working out for me.  Also, I’ve had a shift in teaching interests which has me starting from scratch on choosing a master’s degree program.

I’ve decided to try my hand at freelancing full time.  I’m actually more at peace about this decision that I thought I would be.  I had an interview scheduled with Lon Morris College last Friday (which pretty much was a done deal) but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.  I just couldn’t see myself taking a job that wasn’t going to get me to where I wanted to go.  Sure, it would have been a stable income, but people should LIKE what they do for a living, right?

So, Part 1 of my new plan is to focus on building up a client base and pile up some cash.  To supplement the unstable freelance income, I’ll be looking for a part-time job.

If Part 1 wasn’t exciting enough, Part 2 should be!  Over the past few months as I’ve been running, my fascination with health, exercise, and fitness has been rekindled and now I’ve become consumed by it.  I’ve often thought “It would be great to have a job where I could wear athletic clothes all the time; like a personal trainer.”  Well, I’m now at a point where that could become a reality!  There are a few gyms in the Tyler area that are looking to hire certified personal trainers, so I’ve begun looking into becoming certified.  I really like the Cooper Institute’s certification program and will probably go that route.

Now for Part 3.  I’ve started looking into graduate programs at the University of Texas at Tyler.  Specifically their M.Ed. in Health & Kinesiology.  Unfortunately, I’ll probably have to take some undergraduate leveling courses since my undergrad is in Speech Comm and I chose physics and astronomy as my two science courses.  I hated biology and chemistry in high school which is why I avoided them in college.  At that time I really didn’t care about cells and chemical reactions but now I can’t get enough — in the context of health and exercise of course ;-).

So there you have my 3 part plan.  I’m excited to see how all of this pans out!

Oh, and when you get some time, check out my latest web project — LIFE, Inc. — at www.lifeleading.com.

Ryan, Angela and Abigail!  According to the 2000 census, the bachelor’s degree was the highest degree earned for 15.5% of Americans 25 years old or older - so Ryan’s answer of 15 percent is sorta right.  24.4% of Americans held at least a bachelor’s degree which would make Angela’s and Abigail’s answers of 21% and 27.8% equally 3.4% off, so they win too!

Thanks for participating in my little quick poll — I’ve got some ideas floating around in my head and needed some real life input.

So what do they win?  They get to find out my “big news” before anyone else… that is unless you are not one of the above mentioned and are reading this post prior to their reading it.  But how would we ever know?

I’m moving… to Tyler, Texas!

The last few months have been very frustrating for me work wise, and church wise which has not been good for me physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually (hey, that’s MOST of Dr. Towns’ “Life Quotient Formula”!).  After a lot of careful thought and prayer I made the decision to head back to East Texas which is where my heart is.

So what will you be doing in Tyler?  Good question!  I’m still working on the whole job thing.  I’ll let you know more when I know more.  I feel my calling is in higher education and my ultimate goal is still to teach, so whatever I do it will be closely related.

That’s it for now — more details to follow.

Sort of.  This is an article I wrote for our office’s monthly advising newsletter.  Still working away at that portfolio…

Advising Through Storytelling

Academic advising requires both the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel and the creativity of an artist’s brush stroke.  Just like a great musician, an advisor has to have “soul” as well as a firm grasp of theory.  While the technical aspects of advising can be taught, the creative side has to be developed.  Storytelling is a practice that can help develop even a seasoned advisor into an true artist.

Stories connect with people on an emotional and intellectual level and can help people make sense of complex situations in ways that other forms of communication cannot (Daft, 2005).  In a profession where effective communication is much more beneficial than efficient communication, a good story might find itself a place on an advisor’s shelf next to the general bulletin.

This does not mean advising sessions should turn into story-time.  Stories can be simple and as short as an analogy or metaphor.  The medical field can be used to explain the difference between faculty and academic advisors.  An academic advisor is like a general practitioner while a faculty advisor is like a specialist — both are well trained professionals, but the specialist focuses on a specific area (the major/career field) while the general practitioner has a broader focus (graduation/student development).  A student could use this analogy to remember which advisor a question should be presented to.  It could also be used to explain the benefits of a dual advising system.

Stories and analogies can also help to avoid stress.  Rather than becoming frustrated with students over an issue that has been explained multiple times, step back and recognize that there is an obvious misunderstanding.  Just as speaking louder rarely adds clarity in a situation involving a difference of languages, repeating the same information in the same manner will rarely result in the student understanding your point.  Instead, see this as an opportunity to be creative and draw on your own personal experiences and acquired knowledge to paint a better picture.

No analogy or story is perfect.  It should not substitute but rather supplement the idea or point you are trying to convey.  While storytelling can be a great tool in any advisor’s tool-box, sometimes facts, figures, and requirements just have to speak for themselves.

Daft, R. L. (2005). The leadership experience (pp. 364-365). Mason, OH: South-Western.