James Pillar

Creating a sense of belonging at a university starts not on the first day of classes, but well before that – with intentional early engagement and a deep understanding of student needs. As Vice President for Student Life at Monmouth University, James Pillar has put this understanding at the heart of his approach. 

In today’s conversation, James took the time to meet with Max Webber, Co-Host of The Interview, to share his insights on ways to build a sense of belonging for students, encouraging civil discourse across divides, and the importance of relationship-building in student success.

James's Journey

Max: Let’s begin with a brief introduction to yourself and your institution…

I’m James Pillar, and I’m Vice President for Student Life at Monmouth University. Monmouth University is a private non-denominational liberal arts institution located in central New Jersey. We have a total enrolment of 5,000 students, 2,000 of whom are residential. I’ve been here for 29 years now: I started as an Assistant Director of Residential Life, progressing through several positions before being appointed Vice President for Student Life. I also serve on the education department’s faculty as a part-time doctoral instructor.

Max: What inspired you to pursue a career in higher education, and student affairs more specifically?

Like many of my colleagues, I fell into it by accident. It’s really down to some of the mentors I’ve had over the years. When I was finishing my undergraduate degree, I had no intention of leaving my institution, and I wanted to stay on. But I went to see the Vice President of Student Affairs, and he advised me to leave the nest; he set up a meeting with someone working in residential life, so I could learn more about it from a professional standpoint. That helped me learn more about the role of student development, and it was a real lightbulb moment for me. I’d always had a gift for talking and engaging with my peers, so stepping into a leadership role was a natural next step. So I took up a position as a graduate assistant at Westchester College, and that was the start of my vocation. From there, I spent several years at Seton Hall University before coming to Monmouth. 

Max: What are the key things to keep in mind when trying to create a sense of inclusion and belonging for all students? 

It’s all about early engagement – reaching out to students before they get here. Some of that is one-directional, such as mailing materials, links to pre-recorded videos, and welcome letters. But we also include surveys to find out what students are concerned about, what they want to achieve, and what they would like to see from their college experience. We synthesize that data to create a comprehensive plan for student engagement. For example, we found that 33% of our students expressed an interest in sports events, so we’ve developed a number of events based around that. We want to provide events that suit students' interests to allow them to come together and build a sense of camaraderie. It comes down to three things: assess, plan, and act. You need to have a good sense of who students are so you can provide targeted events to fulfill their social and educational needs. And that support needs to be holistic, taking all elements of wellbeing into account, from nutrition to mental health. We incorporate all of that into our three-week welcome program, and that really helps students feel at home here on the campus. 

Max: During orientation, students can feel overloaded with information from all sides. How do you cut through the noise to ensure that your key messages get across?

It’s certainly a challenge. We take an incremental approach, tackling critical issues one at a time and making sure students understand why they are important. Direct messaging is important, but it’s also important to build those messages into the learning environment – that helps to raise awareness through passive absorption. For example, when it comes to food insecurity, people assume that because we’re a private institution, it won’t be a problem. But it’s a reality for many of our students. So we’ve set up an information table in the dining hall to help bring the issue to light, and we then back that up by incorporating the message into programming. We also have a food bank on campus, and we work hard to make sure students know how to access it. Even if it’s not applicable to a certain student, it will matter to their friends and peers; ultimately, we want students to care and look out for one another. 

Max: Free speech and protest have become contentious issues on college campuses. How can we encourage students to engage in civil conversations across divisions? 

It’s a huge challenge, not only for our students but also our professionals. There’s a lot of emotion attached to some of these topics, and that can sometimes blur the line. So there are a few things to keep in mind. First, don’t listen to respond; listen to understand. You need to understand where the other person is coming from. Second, use your mind before your mouth. Really think about what the other person has said before you respond. Everyone has the right to an opinion, and we need to respect that right. And it’s important to try to understand how people arrived at their opinions. We want dialogues, not monologues, and in our society right now, we’re all doing too much of the latter. 

Max: What’s the top piece of advice you’d give to anyone starting their career in higher education?

No one is an island; we’re all interconnected. To be successful in any endeavor, you need to develop relationships. But they can’t be transactional; they need to be based on a sense of genuine care. The success I’ve had hasn’t just come from hard work, but also from two decades of building relationships with colleagues and students. Finally, you need to be sincere – don’t say anything you don’t mean.