Watch Out, Wakehurst! Meet Heather Barbour, Director of Student Activities, CAB Advisor

By: Mary Grace Donaldson
Posted In: News

The door of the office formerly shared by Mosaic and SGA is propped open on a Monday afternoon. Boxes everywhere, papers scattered, maintenance workers moving boxes and tables in and out on hand trucks, the phone ringing off the hook, students in and out with questions.

In the midst of this commotion stands Heather Barbour, the enthusiastic and amazingly collected new Director of Student Activities at Salve. Barbour doesn’t miss a beat as her new office is being brought to life before her eyes; she happily answers the questions of students, politely pauses our interview to answer the phone, and somehow, remembers the question being asked. The fast pace and surprising nature of her job is no foreign concept to Barbour, as she applied for the job on a Thursday in early August, and was hired one week and one day later.

“It did feel like I was going away to college in a way,” Barbour said of her rapid transition to her new job and new location. Barbour’s former employment was also in the position of director of student activities. She fulfilled the position for eight years at Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts, which is nearby her hometown of Thompson, Connecticut. Barbour enjoyed being close in proximity to friends and family. She had no intention of leaving her employment at Nichols and did not conduct a full job search. The opportunity for the job at Salve presented itself in a random online search; Barbour had heard of Salve as their athletic teams and Nichols’ athletic teams are in the same league. Barbour was able to find a new abode on very short notice. She says that Newport has so much to offer, it’s making her transition to a new neighborhood much easier.

The transition for Barbour has not just been a move from Thompson to Newport. Nichols, a college specializing in business with a predominantly male student body, is about half the size of Salve. Her role as student activities director at Nichols also involved being the adviser to their SGA equivalent, a role she won’t have to fill at Salve. Barbour says her first week on the job was a bit challenging, but she enjoys being busy.

Barbour was born on April 20, 1978 in Thompson, Connecticut, the oldest of three sisters. She says she grew up with “the best of three states,” as Thompson boarders both Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She attended Thompson High School and went on to the University of Connecticut, initially as a nursing major, but graduated with a degree in sociology. Barbour quickly became involved on campus, becoming the chair of student films. The job involved coordinating Sunday night showings in the campus student union. She also knew that she wanted to be an orientation leader right after attending her own freshman orientation. She achieved her goal as she was one of 11 orientation leaders selected during her sophomore year.

Barbour rapidly moved up the ladder of student activities. She became the vice president of UCONN’s equivalent of CAB during her junior year after her successful efforts as films chair, and by her senior year, was named president. Her love of student life encouraged her to change her major to sociology, and realize that she could make a career out of what she already loved to do.

After graduating from UCONN in 2000, Barbour landed a graduate assistantship in the department of student activities at Lynchberg College in Virginia. After a year at Lynchberg, Barbour set her sights back north and returned to UCONN. Her mentor, Kevin Fahey, associate director of campus activities, offered her a job as an assistant in his office. She continued to work toward her Masters’ degree at UCONN for until 2004, but in the meantime, landed a job at Nichols College in 2002, as the assistant director of student activities.

Barbour remained dedicated to both her job and the furthering of her education. She commuted to UCONN for her Masters’ classes while working at Nichols and eventually became their head of student activities. Barbour says that she had lots of support; Nichols allowed her to leave work early to get to class at UCONN, and her mentor, Kevin Fahey, remained extremely helpful.

Barbour says that Fahey was part of what led her to student activities. He mentored her while she was a student, encouraged her to further her education, opened a job door for her at her alma mater, and was a reference when Barbour applied for the position at Salve.

A significant part of Barbour’s job is raising the profile of the Wakehurst Student Center. Already, she has planned an event titled “Wake Up Wakehurst,” which will consist of the first two floors of Wakehurst open to all students with free food and activities on a Saturday night. She is getting ready to move the contents of the Game Cave, currently located in the Wakehurst basement, into Wakehurst 101.

Barbour’s speaks highly of her office location, saying that the former SGA/Mosaic office is more centrally located than the old student activities office. She stresses her open door policy and quick responses to emails. Students have embraced both. “From day one, students have dropped by to introduce themselves to me,” Barbour said. “I’m so glad everyone’s ready to hit the ground running with me this year.”

While Barbour has plans in motion, she is willing to take a step back and advise the activities that CAB already has planned for the school year. She hopes to make the transition “seamless” for students in the short-term, and is in search of an assistant director of student activities who will not work as her administrative secretary, but will acquire lots of responsibilities that she can’t fit into her already busy schedule. She says that most of the events have been planned already, but she hopes to increase the number of student activities over the course of next semester, especially with the help of an assistant director. She is also proud to announce that the spring concert will be returning to Salve this year.

Barbour says she hopes to see students at Club Rush on September 22 on the Wakehurst lawn, and invites anyone to stop by at Wakehurst Room 006. After all, her door is always open.