Working With Your Administration
Understanding system and building relationships are keys to success
By Christy Zamani, California State University

“Student Government is an addiction.” That’s what I tell the student leaders I work with at transition every year. Working in Student Relations for California State University Office of the Chancellor, I get to work with 23 very different campuses and student bodies on a daily basis. As different as our universities are, there still are some issues that apply to everyone across the board. Each of you has goals to meet—and things you want to make happen! The relationship you build with your campus administration can be the key to your success. Here are a few words of advice that can help make your year a successful one.

Understand your university system. Every college or university is a part of a larger system. For example I encourage the student leaders I work with to explore the California State University system and ask questions. How does your campus president get selected? Who makes up the search committee? Who does the president report to? Where does your campus budget come from? Understanding these basic questions can help you locate your points of power as a student leader.

Know who you’re working with. Most administrators have a bio of themselves on the campus web site. Take some time to do a little research about who you’re working with. This will provide you with an understanding of who your administrators are, where they went to school, what they majored in, and what they’re all about. You can also look over some of their past speeches to get a feel of their style. Your bits of collected trivia can help break the ice during your meetings.

Come to terms with the limitations of your power. As student leaders, egos can easily get inflated. Remember the people around you will still be there when your term is over—you want to keep a good rapport with them. Burning bridges won’t get you anywhere.

Create a good relationship with your campus president. It is essential for you to establish a positive working relationship with your campus president. Remember your campus president will always have the final say in matters that regard your campus. Scheduling regular meetings with him will open communication lines between the both of you and establish a mutual respect for one another’s positions.

Compliment your administrators when they do well. Administrators are no different than you: they love being recognized when they do well on a project or issue. Students tend to be very vocal when they don’t like something. When was the last time you complimented an administrator for doing something well? Remember everyone needs positive reinforcement—even the big kids.

Be willing to compromise. We don’t always get everything we want as student leaders—at least not right away. Compromising gives us something which is better than nothing. I choose not to look at compromising as loosing but as beginning. Let’s say your ultimate goal is to be president and you’re offered the VP position. Do you turn it down? No, you should look at it as a step closer to where you would ultimately like to be. As students it is important to understand that a number of times you will be able to launch a project but not see it through. It is important to understand that without you starting it the next person wouldn’t be able to complete it.

I hope you find these words of advice helpful throughout your leadership aspirations. While there will be times where everything will go just as planned, there also will be times where everything goes wrong. The most important thing you have to do as a student leader is enjoy yourself! You have an amazing opportunity that doesn’t come around everyday so embrace it—even the challenges that come with it! Trust me: this will all be the best experience of your life!

Christy Zamani works in Student Relations for California State University Office of the Chancellor. For more information contact her at (562) 951-4724 or czamani@calstate.edu.

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