Brandon Winslow honored for heading Misericordia University’s welcome week
As high school seniors, students are to decide what they want to be for the rest of their lives. Some have a plan in place they will go to this college to study engineering or that college to study education; others are not quite as sure.
When Brandon Winslow graduated from Washington Township High School in 2013, he continued his education at Widener University where he earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in sociology. From there, he decided to work toward a master’s degree in organizational management at Misericordia University. It wasn’t until his time at Misericordia that Winslow knew what his career path would be.
“My goal now is to continue in higher education,” he said “Move to another institution and continue on this path I’m currently on. It found me, I was not looking for it. A lot of people in the field say the same thing.”
While a career in higher education isn’t necessarily in vogue, Winslow has found a niche that suits him well. This past year, he was nominated for and won the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators award for outstanding graduate student for his work setting up the welcome week celebration at Misericordia.
According to Winslow, Misericordia never had a true welcome week. In past years, it had a day or two of celebration, but never one that ran from Sunday to Monday.
“The task was given to our department from the VP of students,” he said. “It was something they wanted to see on our campus. I found it interesting because I was able to brainstorm and have the opportunity to bring things to campus.”
The welcome week collaborated with 15 departments and had more than 60 events ranging from carnival festivities, giveaways and crafting.
The purpose of the welcome week is to get students involved and active on campus.
“This showed them what the school has to offer,” Winslow said. “It creates the sense of community and welcomes the students in.”
Some highlights of the welcome week were “the taste of the mountains,” where local restaurants visited the campus, and a “Cash Cab”-esque transportation service where faculty drove students around in golf carts.
In Winslow’s opinion, the best event was “Res-Life Night Life,” a carnival-themed event that took place in the school’s sports and health center. The event had inflatables, carnival games and free food. It happened in the evening, which gave more students the chance to attend.
“It was a nice program outside of the typical day,” he said.
For his integral role in planning Misericordia’s welcome week, Winslow will be honored at the NASPA Conference in June in Washington, D.C.
“I’m excited to be recognized for the hard work I put into this project,” he said.
In the meantime, however, Winslow has already begun planning next year’s welcome week.
“It’s important that welcome week isn’t just for first year students — it’s an extension and starts the academic year on the right foot,” he said. “We’re going to grow from here. It gives the students an opportunity to get involved. If students don’t get involved right away, they miss out on so much. This was to promote the students to get involved quickly on campus.”
