Higher Education Administration
Director of Student Involvement
William Peace University

As the Director of Student Involvement at William Peace University, Chelsea Hayes ‘17MED oversees the planning and execution of New Student Orientation, manages the operations of more than 25 registered student organizations, overseas student-leader training and development, plans and executes campus-wide events and traditions and consistently evaluates and assesses office programming, policies and procedures, to name a few.

In her current role, Hayes has had the opportunity to partner with the College of Education and the higher education administration program as an internship host for graduate students in the college, where she provides hands-on experiences and the students are able to provide great insight and support to the William Peace University community. This also allows Hayes to take advantage of her skill set, give back to the college that has given her so much and continue learning from future educators. That is one of the most impactful experiences for Hayes.

She was also recognized with the 2020 Higher Education Distinguished Alumni Award.

The higher education administration program not only prepared me with the skills I’ve needed to be a strong professional, but it’s connected me with strong mentors that I can depend on for guidance as a young director.

Chelsea Hayes

Her Story

“The higher education administration program really emphasized theory to practice and taught me how to apply what I was learning in the classroom to how I can best serve all of the students I have had the opportunity to work with. I can recall various assignments and projects from my time in the program that really developed some of the skills that I need in my current position, such as training and development, budgeting, assessment and designing educational interventions for ‘real-life’ problems.

Along with these skills, I am thankful that the higher education administration program also prepared me to think critically. In my role, I am constantly challenging myself and my team to evaluate how we view student engagement, support and student retention as we advocate for students from diverse backgrounds. This program not only prepared me with the skills I’ve needed to be a strong professional, but it’s connected me with strong mentors that I can depend on for guidance as a young director.”