Andrea Allan
Staff Q & A
Pronouns: She/her
Hometown: Russellville, AR
Title: Director, UA Cares
Years of Service: 14 years
Education: Bachelor’s and Master’s from Arkansas Tech University
How long have you been at the University of Arkansas in Student Affairs? What have you enjoyed most about your time here?
I’ve been in Student Affairs for 14 years now! I started as a CRE (hall director) in Housing and then worked in Conference Services for a few years. I’ve been with UA Cares for almost 6 years now. I have really enjoyed how collaborative student affairs, and really the entire campus is when it comes to helping students succeed.
Tell us a little about your role in Student Affairs. What brings you joy in this role?
I currently work helping students overcome barriers to their academic pursuits. Getting to be a part of helping students succeed—the joy they find when they are able to take a positive step forward is the best part of the job!
What is the greatest misconception people have about Student Affairs and how do you break that?
I think for UA Cares it’s that a student has to be in crisis to connect with us. But really we can help students facing any barrier—big or small. I’d say the same can be said for all of student affairs—it doesn’t have to be a huge concern or huge thing a student needs help with for someone in student affairs to be able to help. I hope students feel comfortable connecting with us in some way at the first sign of distress so we can mitigate that and maybe even prevent things from turning into a crisis.
What do you like to do with your time outside of the University?
I have a toddler so we spend a lot of time playing outside and watching Disney movies—mostly Moana. I also love going to any kind of live theatre events or concerts when I have the time!
What do you hope students and colleagues will remember about your interactions?
That I do genuinely care about them and want them to be able to achieve success—based on what that means for them. Success isn’t the same for everyone and I try to never measure one person’s success against another’s.