What are some of the responsibilities that your position as Assistant Dean of Students is in charge of?
One of the things I obviously do is the orientation program and the FOCUS program. I oversee student government and I coordinate the meal plans on campus. I also serve on various committees as deemed necessary by Anthony Lammons and Kent Dacus. I coordinate the ID card system through the Campus Life Office and perform any other duties that are assigned to me.
How long have you held the position?
Well, after I graduated from UC Irvine, I came to California Baptist University in 1990 and served as an admissions counselor. I served in that position for two years and then I left in 1992 to go to Wheaton College in Chicago to get my master’s degree. After I finished at Wheaton, I went to Seattle Pacific University and worked there as a hall director for a couple years and then came back to CBU in 1996.
Do you have family in Seattle, why SPU?
I don’t, that’s just where the job was. When I graduated from grad school, I applied for residence director job, and that was one that I applied to. I met my wife in Chicago at Wheaton, a guy from California met a girl from Tampa, Fla. while in Chicago and we moved to Seattle.
How did you acquire your current position?
When we came back to CBU in 1996, I was asked to be director of residence life and freshman year experience. I oversaw orientation and housing. Eventually that job turned into the director of campus life and at that point we hired a director of residence life. After that I became assistant dean of students and acquired more responsibilities with that.
What is the most exciting part of your job?
I love to see students grow up. I think that is the great thing, to see someone come in as a freshman and watch them grow up to be men and women of God and to gain those friendships and feel like you have been a part of that growing process. It’s cool to see them come back when they have their families and kids and see how they have progressed.
When did you begin to be known as the guy who gives away crazy free stuff like “Joe Gum”?
I don’t remember exactly when it started but I know the first item it started with was the BCU lanyards that we got. It started to be that if you had stuff left over, give it to Joe and Joe will take it. It became a lot of fun. I have given away stuff like glow sticks. I remember one year we had someone ship a bunch of cartons of glow sticks and glow bracelets and nobody could figure out who they were for or who ordered them, so the first person they called was me. They said “I don’t know who ordered them or why we have them but do you want them?” I said sure, so that year we gave glow sticks to everyone at orientation. It just kind of developed that way.
Do you love being Assistant Dean of Students or do you have other career plans?
I am happy here, I am happy with what I do and to be honest this job is different every year because of how much the school is growing. There are similarities in this job, since the beginning but every year there are new challenges or something is added or taken away. It doesn’t really feel like the same job so I am excited, I love CBU and I love being a Lancer. So I don’t have plans to leave but I am not limiting God either, if he needs to take me somewhere I will go.
Why do you like the Dodgers so much?
We had Dodgers season tickets when I was a kid; my dad had a friend of a friend that shared his season tickets with all his friends families. We would go like twice a month pretty consistently growing up. That was back when the Dodgers were winning a lot. I guess I was kind of just brainwashed. I grew up going to a lot of Dodger games and it just becomes part of your essence.
