Nikki Stock Named New Dean of Students
One day before interviewing for the permanent role of Dean of Students, Stock successfully defended her dissertation, receiving her Doctor of Education (Ed.D) in Higher Education Administration from St. Cloud State University. While her role as Dean of Students involves student conduct, that is just one aspect of the position. “I like the problem-solving of it because if a student case reaches me, it is a little bit more complex and there are more people involved,” Stock shares. “I enjoy working with my colleagues across different divisions.”
As the Dean of Students, Stock helps to ensure the University is in compliance with new legislation, such as helping pregnant and parenting students and implementing anti-hazing prevention practices. She is part of many support systems for marginalized groups across campus. She likes that her role is filled with new challenges and that every day is different, with the ultimate goal being “supporting our students in every way we can.”
The list of conduct cases has decreased within the past 10 years, and Stock credits changes within the city of Mankato and the University that offer a different approach to those situations. She believes they have more “educational conversations” with students, asking the student to reflect about how their behaviors align with their values. In addition to student conduct and behavior, Stock highlighted that many students need resources. She remarked that she sees a lot of Campus Assessment, Response and Evaluation Team (CARE) reports, oftentimes related to mental health concerns. Stock’s role is to work with other members of the CARE team to connect students with resources and triage crises. She described it as “finding the people that they need to find.”
When considering future initiatives, Stock shared that she hopes to do a social media marketing campaign promoting what student responsibility looks like and “how to be a responsible Maverick.” Ultimately, Stock said she is “excited to be continuing here, continuing my Maverick journey.” She spoke very highly of the environment and people at Minnesota State Mankato and remarked that both have been key components keeping her at the University. Although she’s now settled more permanently in a new role, Stock appreciates the familiarity and comfort within the Maverick community.
Big ideas, real-world thinking and inspired action on campus and in the community.
