Kristin Biggins named one of the top student affairs administrators in the state

Associate director of residence life recognized by Rhode Island’s chapter of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

When first-year students move into the residence halls each September, they are sometimes leaving the comforts of home for the first time. At Bryant, dedicated people like Kristin Biggins, associate director of residence life, help ease the transition.

“I love working with students during this time, when they are exploring new interests and making major steps toward their adult lives in the ‘real world,’ ” she says. “They make every day different.”

For her efforts, Biggins was recently awarded the Outstanding Mid-Level Professional Award by Rhode Island’s chapter of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). The honor is presented to a student affairs professional with a minimum of five years’ experience who is experienced in creating a campus environment that promotes student learning and personal development. (Learn more about Rhode Island's chapter of NASPA, which is chaired by Judy Kawamoto, Bryant's associate dean of student life.)

In nominating Biggins for the award, John Denio, associate dean and director of residence life, lauded her ability to forge relationships with students, staff, faculty, and administrators.

“Kristin is a student-centered administrator,” Denio, wrote in his nomination letter. “She is one of the strongest mid-level professionals I have worked with during my twenty-three year career.”

Home away from home

Biggins, who has previously worked at New York University and Boston College, feels living on campus is pivotal to the college experience. As an undergrad at NYU, Biggins started her college career as a commuter. After two years, however, she felt she was missing out and decided to live on campus.

“I only lived 30 minutes from NYU, but it was an entirely different experience once I lived there,” says Biggins, who earned her B.A. in English and American Literature and M.A. in Student Personnel Administration from NYU. “It was the best decision I made in my college career.”

By living on campus, students learn to navigate the transition of living away from home, manage time and personal relationships, share a space with someone, and overcome conflicts, reports Biggins.

Nearly 90 percent of Bryant students live on campus. Interacting with them is Associate Director of Residence Life Kristin Biggins's favorite part of her job.

“Students get a great education through classes and internships, but so much personal development happens outside of the classroom,” she says. “The individual growth that happens by living on campus is incomparable.”

In addition to the committed group of professional staff members, student resident assistants (RAs) – full-time undergraduate student leaders – serve as integral members of the Residence Life team in managing the day-to-day operations of the University’s residence halls. Since arriving at Bryant in 2006, Biggins has helped increase the pool of students applying for the 20 or so open RA positions each year by more than 100 percent. About 100 students each year indicate an interest in becoming an RA.

One of Biggins’s favorite parts of her job is training the RAs for the multitude of situations they will face including planning events, counseling students, and mediating conflicts. “The RAs are such an amazing group of students,” she says. “It is always rewarding to be part of their coming together as a team and growing into their positions.”

Making a difference

In her nearly four years at Bryant, Biggins has gone well beyond her job description. She has created an online RA programming database through Blackboard, produced a Residence Life staff manual, and formalized the staff development program for resident directors.

She also teaches a Foundations for Learning class, serves as a Woman on Call sexual assault advocate, and has completed management and diversity training. All this work is focused on enhancing the experience of the students. “She is very approachable, supportive, and caring,” wrote Denio in his nomination letter.

Two years ago, Biggins created the Residence Life Big Give philanthropy competition. Each residence hall staff is challenged to make a presentation why the charity of their choice should receive a donation of $250. Last year’s winner bought school supplies for a small village in Africa and this year’s winner is supporting the Jimmy Fund.

But all the effort Biggins put forth is not for the recognition.

“This award is very flattering, as a lot of the work I do is behind the scenes,” she says. “It is nice to feel that what you do makes a difference.”

Biggins is just one of the members of the Bryant community to be recognized with a regional award. Check back next week to read profiles about Center for Student Involvement Assistant Director Rich Hurley and student Meghan Aloisio ’10.