“When I was invited to campus for an interview with the Student Affairs team, the feeling of community, care, and passion was undeniable. I knew then that this was a place where people were genuinely committed to caring and making our student experience the best. Meeting students on my campus tour who could explain their love for fraternity and sorority life at Doane alongside their commitment to change sold me on the role – to get to work with a population of students who are excited and ready to fight for things they believe in makes any challenge worth it.
The job’s most rewarding aspect as a staff member is growing strong connections with the students. I was worried after leaving a career in public education that I would have fewer opportunities to work one-on-one with students, but Doane makes that extra level of mentorship and collaboration with students and staff possible. As the saying goes, it takes a village, and at Doane, you have a village to help you every step of your journey as a Tiger!
I could not say enough wonderful things about our Leadership Team at Doane. Right out the gate in my position, I was supported to make the choices I felt were best for the University and the students from them – I had never experienced that type of trust and commitment from upper management before. Their evident love of this University excites me to be a part of Doane – when your leadership believes there is something special and shows it every day, it’s impossible not to feel joy daily.
As far as donations go, I think it’s so fantastic to see donations that go toward specific aspects of the University – I feel like donors are genuinely able to decide what their donations go to and see the impact instead of that feeling of tossing dollars into the void. Even with small needs from the fraternities and sororities, I have alumni asking, “What do they need?” and they’re ready to help however they can.
Watching the impact on students’ excitement to live on campus with the donations that made Brodie Hall possible alone makes me thrilled for the future. Such a significant project that was created, honestly, with our students’ best interests in mind makes me feel confident that whatever decisions Doane makes in the near future, it will always, always, always be with our students in mind. To me, gifts, no matter the size, help us focus on the details of the student experience – we aren’t just housing students; I truly believe Doane feels like Home.”
–Eden Diehl / Assistant Director of Campus Engagement – Fraternity & Sorority Life
