Higher Education & Student Affairs Careers

Involvement on Campus is the First Step...

Without realizing it, many college students develop skills related to careers in higher education and student affairs. Student involvement in academic and social activities on campus as well as experiences as club leaders, RAs, campus government representatives, orientation leaders, research assistants, or work-study students all foster skills relevant to higher education and student affairs. Please use this page to explore the possibilities of a career in higher education or student affairs and contact any of the alumni or staff listed below if you have questions.

Careers in Higher Education Include

Graduate Programs/Guides

Both ACPA and NASPA provide valuable information about student affairs careers including articles about the field, graduate school preparation and graduate program overviews. The CAS Standards provide a set of guidelines and standards for the programs. As you explore the possibilities, be sure to get involved with some activities on campus, check in with Career Development for help with the application process and talk to people on campus who work in fields that interest you.

• ACPA’s Directory of Graduate Programs
• NASPA's Graduate Program Directory
• Additional NASPA Resources
• Student Affairs programs at GradSchools.com
• Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) Standards

NU Alumni/Staff

The following Niagara University alumni and staff have volunteered to speak with students about careers in higher education and student affairs. Any additional NU alumni or staff who wish to be added to the list or update their contact information/positions should email jps@niagara.edu.

Buffalo State College (Master's)

  David Blackburn - deb@niagara.edu - NU Staff
       Director of Multicultural & International Student Affairs

  Amanda (Chapman) Casali - alcasali@buffalo.edu - NU Alum
       Admissions Counselor, University at Buffalo

  Stephanie Currie - sbc@niagara.edu - NU Staff
       Assistant Director of Academic Exploration, Niagara University

  Antonia Knight - abk@niagara.edu - NU Staff
       Director of Career, Academic, & Service Experience (CASE), Niagara University

  Stephanie Newman - snewman@niagara.edu - NU Staff
       Assistant Director, Career Services & Internships, Niagara University

  Mati Ortiz - mortiz@niagara.edu - NU Staff
       Director of Campus Activities, Niagara University

  Piraino, Sarah - sw28@buffalo.edu - NU Alum
      Academic Advisor, Academic Challenge & Enrichment Program,
      University at Buffalo

Canisius College (Master's)

  Josh Coyne - coynej@my.canisius.edu - NU Alum
       Graduate Student / Residence Life, Canisius College

  Daniel LaRosa - dlarosa@buffalo.edu - NU Alum
       Admissions Advisor, University at Buffalo

  E.J. Gonser - NU Alum

  Kathryn Marzec - kam@niagara.edu - NU Staff
       Adviser - Academic Exploration, Niagara University

  Bill Newton - wjn@niagara.edu - NU Staff
       Assistant Director of Campus Activities, Niagara University

  Nicole Piorkowski - nmp@niagara.edu - NU Staff
       Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Niagara University

Kent State University (Master's)

  Ashlee Burrs - ashleeburrs@yahoo.com - NU Alum
       Assistant Director of Student Activities , John Carroll University

Miami University of Ohio (Master's & Ph.D.)

  Carrie McLoughlin - cmclaughlin@niagara.edu - NU Staff
       Dean of Students/Student Life, Niagara University
       Also Ph.D. in Progress at Syracuse University (Below)

Nova Southeastern University (Ph.D.)

 Dr. Kevin Hearn - khearn@niagara.edu - NU Staff
       Vice President for Student Affairs, Niagara University

Slippery Rock University (Master's)

  Sarah Georger - sarah.dobe@gmail.com - NU Alum
       Coordinator of Living Learning Communities, College at Brockport

Springfield College (Master's) - M.Ed. in Psychology: Student Personnel Admin Concentration

  Kristy Cragg - klcrla@rit.edu - NU Alum
       Community Enrichment Coordinator, Rochester Institute of Tech 

Syracuse University (Master's & Ph.D)

  Kelly Colangelo - klcolang@syr.edu - NU Alum

  Carrie McLoughlin - cmclaughlin@niagara.edu - NU Staff
       Dean of Students/Student Life, Niagara University
       Also Master's from Miami University of Ohio (above)

University at Buffalo (Master's & Ph.D.)

  Jennifer Herman - jherman@niagara.edu - (Ph.D. in Progress) - NU Staff
       Director of Institutional Support, Niagara University

  Dr. Teresa Miklitsch - tam24@buffalo.edu - NU Alum
       Senior Academic Advisor, Engineering/Applied Sciences, University at Buffalo

  John Sauter - jps@niagara.edu (Ph.D. in Progress) - NU Staff
       Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Niagara University
       Also M.Ed. University of Vermont (below)

 Christopher Sheffield - crs@niagara.edu - (Ph.D. in Progress) - NU Staff
  University Planner, Niagara University

  Jessica (Biegaj) Wangelin - jbiegaj@buffalo.edu - NU Alum
  Community Relations Associate for Programming, University at Buffalo

  Dr. Judith Willard - jaw@niagara.edu - NU Staff
  Assistant to the President for Planning, Niagara University

University of Vermont (Master's)

  John Sauter - jps@niagara.edu - NU Staff
       Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Niagara University
       Also Ph.D. in Progress at University at Buffalo (above)

College of William & Mary (Master's & Ph.D.)

  Kelly Knox - kmknox@wm.edu - NU Alum

Other Programs & Related Experience

Stephanie Atti - attis@dyc.edu - NU Alum
       Work experience through Financial Aid
       Academic Advisor, D'Youville College

Stephanie Cattarin - cattaris@canisius.edu - NU Alum
       Interdisciplinary Studies: Higher Education Administration Focus
       Executive Director, Center for Professional Development, Canisius College

Michelle Semski - michelle.semski@yahoo.com - NU Alum
       Interdisciplinary Studies: Student Affairs Focus
       Academic Advisor, Bryant & Stratton College