December 8, 1998

Shannon Murphy helps develop leadership skills that last a lifetime

by Legia Coyi, Intern in the Office of Public Affairs

Shannon Murphy, assistant director of student activities, along with the Division of Student Affairs, hope they are “Hitting the Sweet Spot” of the student body with the programs they plan and produce throughout the year.

Murphy is the young and dynamic advisor for the University Programming Board and is closely involved in other committees that fall under the Division of Student Affairs. Among her other duties, she publishes a relocation guide for students moving off-campus and is the head of commuter services. She pursued a career in student activities because of her active involvement in campus activities while in college. Also, because her advisors in college were so helpful and had such a positive affect, she wanted to be a motivating factor in students’ lives.

Her success as an advisor is evident based on the abundance of leadership roles students hold. Even The Maroon, which is never long on praises, printed a glowing editorial about the UPB at the beginning of the semester. Under Murphy’s leadership, the UPB has seen an increase in student participation to planned activities. For example, the ballroom dance classes are filled quickly. Although she shrugs it off modestly, a lot of praise goes to Murphy for her hands-on involvement. She has guided these students through their infancy stage and now is able to allow them to take more control of event planning. Murphy says one of her objectives is to “urge students to learn accountability and develop leadership skills they can use in the real world. Now is the time for them to start because it’s easier to take a risk; the university environment encourages it and supports students.”

While things are beginning to move smoother for the student­run committees and Murphy, there are still areas in which she would like to pay more attention. One such area is the commuter student population which has not received significant attention, she says. Murphy is trying to make them more involved in the school by co-hosting a weekly event called “Commuter Coffee Talk” with New Student Orientation on Wednesday mornings and she produces a commuter newsletter, Commuter Connections.

As she reflects on her ultimate goal at Loyola, Murphy says she would like to make a difference by offering “help in personal and academic matters as well as helping students develop into strong leaders within the student community and then take those experiences into the real world and lead others.”