Kate Zanger is retiring: A look back on her story

The Vice President of Student Life, Kate Zanger, has committed her time and dedication to her position at Clarke since July of 1996. 29 years of working on a college campus became a way of life, according to her. Her position has revolved around providing learning opportunities, services, facilities, and role models to support and encourage students to be the best versions of themselves. Student life is about fabricating a safe and positive environment for student success in and outside of the classrooms. Her position retirement leads to a new journey for Kate Zanger, as she will still have a part-time opportunity at Clarke coordinating the Strategic Plan. In addition, Callie Clarke has taken upon the devotion of filling in as the new Vice President of Student Life starting next year.

Kate Zanger’s role has evolved immensely in the past 29 years with a great amount of growth and change in student body, the needs and expectations of students, and overall impact. The most exciting change from her perspective has been the increased diversity of the student body. The statistics show that the number of students who identify as an American Minority have evolved from 4% to 26%, the international students on campus have increased from 18 to 80, and the number of students from Iowa decreased from 64% to 52%. Clarke has grown into a very diverse campus with students coming from all over the country and world. The number one change that stands out the most to Kate is the differences that students bring to campus, creating a more exciting and interesting learning community. In addition, the experiences students carry in college is extensive to more than just the classroom. These experiences allow students to learn the most including Kate as well, which demonstrates the impact student affairs has on the overall college experience. She has put in a great amount of time outside of her position educating herself with books and attending programs to learn more about her privilege, how it impacts her view of life, and translating it to helping others. Her impact has helped others understand why her increased knowledge is important to creating a campus where everyone feels welcomed and a sense of belonging, which she is very proud of.

Clarke has maintained many traditions and values that are the core to the university’s culture and what is to be represented. Even though Kate has been here through different generations and adaptations to the world around us, the one thing that has not changed is the importance of the mission and core values in the work that Clarke represents. Traditions like Convocation, tree-planting, and Christmas Dinner are long-standing celebrations that will continue to stay but also have been modified to balance the need to be student centered. For example, they have worked to make Convocation more student focused by adding the student government president as a speaker and introducing the Tassel Ceremony. The role of student organizations has assisted in shaping the direction of student life during Kate’s career at Clarke. She states, “Student organizations provide an important mechanism for students to be engaged in campus life. As the students changed, so too did the organizations.” However, one of the biggest transformations that took place during her tenure was helping the campus navigate the challenges faced during the COVID pandemic. Although this issue was difficult for the university and the rest of the world, student affairs saw this challenge as an opportunity and found ways to move forward despite the obstacles.

Kate has always been dedicated to working with students and understanding their needs, ensuring their voices are heard in decisions to impact campus life. It began in her participation in CSA where she attends senate meeting regularly and listen directly from students of their opinions and what is important to them. Not only that but she also attempts to attend many of the music recitals and ensemble performances, athletic events, and other student events. Her care for Clarke students and faculty is well-known and stands out noticeably. Kate Zanger demonstrates strong characteristics of positivity and support. She hopes that people will always remember her that way recall the amazing impact she has left on the community. The team she has connected with and hired are good people who are student centered, present good works for the students and campus, and demonstrate the same values as she does. Kate expresses, “The team of student life professionals, directors, staff, and coaches are people I respect and am very grateful for their work at Clarke.”

The current dean of student engagement, Callie Clarke, has been promoted to take on Kate’s role starting next year. Her current position will not be refilled, however the workload for her position and a few others like Residence life and Intercultural Programs will be redistributed in order to find balance and success for the following years. There will be a new Residence Life full time assistant director and a part time Student Support Coordinator who will help with the CUpboard, connecting students with off campus resources, and other duties assigned.

Kate has made a huge impact as the Vice President of Student Life. Her biggest achievement, she says, is the team development of student life professionals whose goal is to be welcoming to all students and help them be successful. Under her leadership, student life has achieved growth in many programs and facilities like CDA, the SAC, the Wellness Center including the Self-Care Center, and the creation of and two renovations of the Lion’s Den. During her time, she also assisted in creating the Bowling, Lacrosse, Football, and eSports programs at Clarke. Some wisdom and life lessons Kate has learned through her work are the significance of listening and understanding multiple perspectives to every story, every person has their own life story, a person’s past mistakes does not need to define their future, and it is always a good day to be kind. Retiring from this position is unbelievable for Kate, leaving her 45-year career in Student Affairs work in higher education. She says, “the years have flown by,” and working on a college campus has always been a way of life versus having a job. She is grateful for the experience and for all the students, faculty and staff who have touched her life.