Mapping the Future of Student Affairs

About Pete Mather

I’m an adventurer. Not sure I would have opened with that line prior to my sabbatical. But, I have long liked to travel and explore. This includes working at a study abroad center in the UK and leading students into Latin America for service-learning courses. But, my adventures have also taken me to an assortment of different positions and places in the U.S. both urban and rural.

My first full-time position in higher education was as an admissions counselor in 1983. Between 1983 and 2005, I worked in a variety of administrative positions, mostly in student affairs. My employers included the University of Findlay (Graduate Assistantship), Harlaxton College (British Campus of the University of Evansville), Emory University, Duke University and The Carter Center. Since 2005, I have worked as a faculty member at Ohio University and performed various other roles at the university, including serving as an interim dean and vice provost, and serving as the secretary to the board of trustees.

Over almost 4 decades of work in higher education, I’ve witnessed substantial changes in society and in the work of student affairs and higher education professionals: Increased attention to diversity, inclusion and social justice; and technology adoption, among the many changes.

I’m interested in taking the things I’ve learned and, more importantly, what many others have learned, to ensure that students of the future have the best mentors and guides to help them live a rich life, full of learning and adventure.