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Herman reflects on 45 years in student affairs

MAGGIE GILROY
Editor in Chief

“I’ve been spelunking, do you know what spelunking is?” Dr. David Herman asked when listing off his various hobbies. He will happily explain that spelunking is the act of exploring caves and list the different aspects of a cave.

Herman, the Vice President for Student Affairs, has had a 45 year career working in student affairs. Recent events pertaining to student behavior have caused Herman’s name to be synonymous with the generally unpopular changes, causing many people to expect the worst when they see his name in their inbox.

Despite this, Herman feels that disciplinary action is only a small portion of his job.

“I’ve always said that if more than 10% of my job is spent on conduct then I’m doing something wrong,” Herman said.

Herman was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., however his father’s job at a railroad caused him to travel with his family to 19 places in his first 22 years of life. Locations traveled included Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey, however he spent the latter portion of his highschool years in Hamburg, N.Y. And as this was the longest he had spend in any one place, Herman considers Hamburg to be his hometown.

He did not let this un-traditional lifestyle affect his involvement in each community he lived in.

“My mom and dad kept me very involved so wherever I was, I was very busy with scouts and sports and different church-related activities,” Herman said.

Herman attended Penn State for his undergraduate education, then Kent State for his Masters and Doctorate degrees. Herman, who comes from a family of scientists, majored in geophysical sciences during his undergraduate career, however his experience as a Resident Assistant caused him to pursue student personnel and counseling for his master’s degree and higher education administration for his doctorate.

“I was going to go work for Chevron Oil when I graduated, but I asked them if I could take a year or so for my master’s but they encouraged me and said ‘sure, go ahead.’ But I was kind of burned out on science by then and thought I needed a year or two to work with humans,” Herman said.

Herman attributes his college experience, and his job as an RA, for inspiring him to pursue a career in higher education administration.

Herman’s career in higher education administration took him from Penn State to Kent State, then to the University of Maryland Baltimore County and Oakland University.

“I kind of worked my way up through the Residence Hall, where I eventually took on other things: judicial affairs, counseling center, health center, enrollment, athletics and slowly took on more areas,” Herman said.

Herman arrived at Fredonia in 2001 — the smallest campus he has worked at.

“I thought it was a chance to have a more personal impact on students and have a better relationship with students in far as being able to learn and grow together,” Herman said. “So, I think one of the most impressive things, besides the people you are working with, is also the students.”

Amongst the skills Herman has learned during his time in higher education is bird carving, which he took a class in while in Michigan.

“I stain glass, I enjoy golf, I enjoy gardening, I enjoy travel,” Herman said of his many hobbies.

Favorite travel places have included Austria and Canada, and he hopes to visit Ireland one day to retrace his roots. His interest in the sciences resurfaced in his enjoyment for outdoor activities such as fishing, camping and repelling.

“When I was a geology major we went on lots of field trips all over the country all over the United States with geology students,” Herman said.

Herman’s children have remained in Michigan; his daughter currently works as a teacher and his son works in computer information systems. And while Herman currently has three grandsons, he will welcome a fourth planned for Jan. 5.

“That’s been a very fun time, being a grandparent,” Herman said. “It’s very exciting to see their energy and enthusiasm.”

After 45 years in student affairs, Herman said that he has had a hard time stopping.

“A lot of people are surprised how much I really enjoy my work, because they see student affairs as so complicated,” Herman said. “They wouldn’t want to deal with some of the problems we have to deal with. But I enjoy the challenge of that.”

Despite the many challenges Herman faces, he feels that higher education has made him a better person.
“I think working at a college has enriched me as a person,” Herman said. “It’s made me aware of things I never knew. College raises your consciousness, whether you’re a student or a faculty member, you learn from each other. And, for me, college has just been a tremendous career.”

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