The Man for the Job

In the Writing Center at PVCC, there is a dimly lit modest office. In this office, sits a hard-working man who is passionate about his job. This man is Dr. Todd Parks of Student Affairs. 

Parks is from Charlotte, North Carolina. He moved to Fishersville, Virginia, in 2007. He then attended the University of North Carolina and received a degree in sociology and a degree in human services with an emphasis on non-profit management. He went on to the University of South Carolina and got a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs.

When asked to describe his job, he said, “I’m a part of a team, and our team is responsible for Outreach and Admissions. This includes both credit and non-credit programs.” Parks and his team are also responsible for the dual enrollment program, partnership with the Boys and Girls Club, SDV 100, Baber Leadership Program, Lead at PVCC Leadership Development Program for the faculty and staff, Student Government advisor, and student orientation.

Parks made quite the journey, ending up at PVCC. It all started when he was an undergraduate student. He was very involved in campus and Greek life when he had the thought, “I could continue to work on a college campus for the rest of my life.” So, he went to the University of South Carolina where he did an internship through the Association of College University Housing Officers International and had a chance to intern in either Manhattan or San Francisco.  Parks chose to go to San Francisco and went to University of San Francisco (USF). He went to USF for a summer internship for three months at campus and resident life. After he graduated, he pursued jobs in housing and resident life because he felt that it instilled the best foundation for future work in student affairs and higher education.

 Parks ended up moving to Gainesville, Florida, where he got a job as the dean of students at the University of Florida. He was still heavily involved in student affairs and was the advisor of the student government. He had 21 people on his staff, and there were 650 organizations. He was also responsible for a student activity budget of ten million dollars. He said, “I enjoyed being in Florida and thought that I would stay at the University of Florida for a long time.”

 Parks then took a job in Iowa directing diversity programs for the College of Business. There he would create a program called Iowa Edge. This is a summer bridge program for students of color and first-generation college students and is still in existence today. Parks said, “I loved living in Iowa. Wonderful place, wonderful people, great university.”

He then moved to Fishersville, Virginia, where he entered a doctoral program at the University of Virginia. Parks said, “My goal was to be a dean of students at a four-year residential college or university.” Parks said, “In my graduate work, to be honest, I had no interest in working at a community college; it was never something I considered but my advisor, Brian Pusser, suggested, ‘You know, I think you might like working at a community college.’”

 So, he took a course that Lori Smith taught about community colleges. Parks said, “Lori Smith actually teaches SDV here at PVCC as a part-time adjunct. We have known each other for a very long time.” After taking that class and doing some work on the Alumina Foundation with Brian Pusser, Parks did his dissertation on community colleges and workforce.

He said, “I thought, you know maybe being at PVCC I could contribute, maybe I could do something here to make a difference.” That is when he interviewed at PVCC. 

During his interview, he had lunch with the Director of Student Success and Retention, David Lerman, and that is when he thought, “That’s the kind of person I want to work with. That’s the kind of person I would like to have as a colleague… I like PVCC, and I believe in the work that we do.  I want to help the college as best I can, whatever that looks like.”

 Parks excitedly said, “I had a student the other day who informed me that after a few attempts she passed the entrance exam for nursing. That’s exciting!” 

“I think that the part I enjoy the most is seeing our students, I think everybody at PVCC would agree, it’s seeing our students succeed. The student does the work, I don’t want to take any credit away from the students. Just seeing our students be successful, that’s the best part,” he said.

 Parks offered some advice for students. “Take advantage of resources, make school a priority, focus, don’t get distracted by all the other stuff. Really hone in and say, ‘what are my priorities? How can I take care of those things that are most important?’ If I know what’s most important, then I can say no to all the extraneous stuff that gets in the way,” he said.