It’s a unique time for students – a time of both discovery and uncertainty, as they adjust to campus life. For many of the students who recently began their Fall term at MacEwan University, it will have been over a year and a half since they had classes on campus, and many second-year students will have never taken a single course in person.

So now more than ever, having a strong offering of supports, services and extracurricular programming will play an important role in keeping students connected to their university.

That’s where Tim Tang comes in. Tang stepped into the role of associate vice president, Students back in June, and is pleased to be kicking off his first academic year at MacEwan. “I’m looking forward to getting to know our students and being part of this community,” he says. “I want to help create an environment in which all students can participate meaningfully.”

We spoke to Tang about his goals, his background and how his work in a protein crystallography lab prepared him for academic administration.

What attracted you to MacEwan?

I was drawn to MacEwan being a student-centred campus with a strong connection to the downtown community. I was attracted to the AVP Students portfolio in particular because of the ways I've seen MacEwan play a leadership role on the national stage. I've seen the adoption of the Okanagan Charter, for example, as MacEwan strengthens its commitment to creating a healthy and supportive learning environment. The Sexual Violence Support Guide program was recognized as a promising practice by the Courage to Act Project, a national framework for addressing and preventing gender-based violence on postsecondary campuses. I've observed the incredible work of kihêw waciston, a leader not only in supporting students in their journey at MacEwan but also its deep connection to the community and its dedication to building authentic and meaningful relationships and partnerships to move the university forward.

How did your previous experience prepare you for this role?

It's been a long and winding journey. Over the past 15 years I've worked at several different universities in Ontario and Alberta, supporting students through various phases of their postsecondary journey. I've worked in student affairs, enrolment management, internationalization, advancement and alumni relations, and program and policy development. Just prior to coming to MacEwan, I oversaw admissions at the University of Alberta where I led, motivated, and mentored staff through periods of intense change and facilitated the start of that student journey in terms of how students navigate different pathways to higher education, and the role that universities play in helping to facilitate access to education.

Prior to that, I held leadership roles at Queen's University, York University and the University of Toronto. While at Queen's, I played a key role in establishing the Student Experience Office and served on the Principal’s Advisory Committee on Racism, Diversity and Inclusion to develop a comprehensive set of policy recommendations relating to anti-racism, equity and inclusion.

I'm also informed by my interdisciplinary academic background. I completed my first degree in molecular genetics at the University of Toronto, where I conducted research in protein crystallography at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, studying the structural and functional characterization of a key virulence factor in a deadly pathogen that infects cystic fibrosis patients. Subsequently, I pursued graduate studies and research in Education (MEd) and Public Policy (MPA). I then continued to progress through different functional areas within a university setting and, over time, brought together the fields of higher education and public policy into the career I have now.

Were there any lessons from the sciences that you apply to your current job?

The spirit of inquiry and the process of testing a hypothesis is something I still use. Whether it's looking at how bacterial infections propagate, or looking at how administrators use evaluative inquiry to inform decision making, the research methods may differ, but the overall process of how you might approach answering those questions is similar. You start by reasoning through first principles, identifying your hypothesis, and establishing a research environment that enables you to develop new knowledge. I draw a lot on that process of systematic inquiry, even though I'm no longer working with bacteria, yeast or fruit flies.

What are your goals in this role?

My overall goal is to ensure that programs and services continue to be developed and delivered in an integrated and coordinated way that meets students’ evolving needs. One of the things that I think is unique about working in Student Affairs is that no one unit, office or individual can truly own student success and retention, given the complexity of students’ experiences on campus. We need to work together. We need to reinforce the importance of an integrated, holistic approach that not only supports all phases of the student journey, but also recognizes and facilitates student learning and development across different domains: personal, social, academic and community.

There’s also a growing need to find a balance between reaching a broad student population – promoting a sense of connectedness and belonging, a shared identity as MacEwan students – while also providing customized supports. We know that our Indigenous and other equity-deserving students experience different barriers in their learning environment, and so we need to be customized and targeted in our supports to ensure that all students are able to participate fully and meaningfully in the postsecondary experience.

What do you believe is integral to a good student experience?

A theoretical framework that resonates with me is Alf Lizzio’s five senses that drive successful student transitions. He proposes that there are five elements to help students make the transition to university: a sense of connectedness, a sense of academic culture, a sense of capability, a sense of resourcefulness and a sense of purpose.

These have been shown, whether directly or indirectly, to contribute to student retention, engagement and academic performance. As staff, faculty and student leaders, if we are purposeful in fostering these senses, we know from research that students will persist at higher rates, have higher GPAs and be more satisfied with their undergraduate experience. Our shared challenge in the student affairs context is to think carefully and critically about how we set our students up for success starting on day one. Lizzio’s model offers a great framework for understanding both the transition of first-year students into the university and upper-year students as they transition out and prepare for further study or work.