Jazmine Johnson/ The Towerlight

Joyce Herold knows that to be successful, a balance between work and life must exist.
“I’m a normal person who loves what I do and I like to have fun, I’m a really down-to-earth person,” Herold said. Herold uses this doctrine in any professional position she takes on. Most recently she was named the University’s coordinator of off-campus student services, a position that entails making students who commute feel welcome to campus and a part of the community. “When students leave class, they want a place to go and have fun, and that’s what our activities will be centered around,” she said.
Herold, a New York native, went to college at West Virginia University where she received a doctorate in educational leadership. An intimate connection with students, especially off-campus residents, is especially important for Herold.
Part of that challenge is meeting the concerns of the various types of commuter students, from those who live in the Towson area to those who live further and whose commute is an hour or more.
“I’m still learning what the challenges are of this position, and I’m still trying to learn the area,” she said. “Towson seems like a small place, but it has pockets that take some exploring to find out what this community is really about.”
As part of exploring these pockets, Herold enlisted the help of four student ambassadors for various off-campus living communities with high student residency, including the Cardiff Hall and Donnybrook apartments. These ambassadors report to Herold, and work to aggregate complaints from students living in those complexes. Herold said she will also be taking tours of apartments with the ambassadors. “I want to see which areas need my attention the most,” she said. “I really want to use my student leaders more, to find out what students can be doing in the communities.”
The full list of commuter student programs planned for next semester because they are under review, but Herold said they would be an addition to the regular commuter student appreciation days. “We really want to shift things up next semester,” she said. “Student expectations are always changing, so we need to keep programs fresh.” While brainstorming ideas for these programs, Herold said she looked at the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education and several other award-winning off-campus student programs in the country. “Students should know I am here for them,” she said. “Come and talk to me in or out of the office and I’ll always be willing to hear concerns or ideas … When I go down to Paws to get food or I’m just walking around, I say ‘hello’ and I introduce myself to anyone who is down there,” she said. “I just want them to voice concerns to me.” Herold said once she gets a consensus of what the concerns are major for students, she will present them to other administrators. Herold’s position was previously held by Carol Galladian.