Earlier this month, the College Student Personnel Association of New York State presented its Distinguished Service to the Profession Award.
The award was presented to a professional with more than 10 years of experience who has contributed considerably to the higher education profession. Nominees must have made extensive efforts to impact change in student affairs practices in the State of New York through their work, mentorship, scholarship, research, consultation, presentations, and/or other involvements. Nominee or nominator must be a member of CSPA-NYS. The 2020 recipient was Villa Maria College’s Director of Student Affairs, DJ Schier.
“Being honored with the CSPA-NYS 2020 Distinguished Service to the Profession Award is an outstanding accomplishment,” said Dr. Ryan Hartnett, Villa’s vice president for academic affairs. “Our own DJ Schier is truly deserving of this distinction. As the director of student affairs, DJ’s work entails the gamut of student affairs, from student life, esports, and cheerleading, to the very serious business of student conduct and Title IX compliance. He is a leader among staff and is highly regarded by our students. His willingness to go the extra mile to create fun and enriching experiences for our students is impactful, and the way he approaches each and every student truly exemplifies his commitment to the College’s core values of compassion, and respect for human dignity. We are proud and privileged to have DJ on our Villa team.”
DJ came to Villa Maria in 2015 as the College’s director of student life. Since then, he has had made an indelible mark on the Villa community, creating meaningful relationships with all members of the Villa community, especially its student body. In his current role, the director of student affairs, he manages student conduct, supervises and oversees all student life programming and transition programs, including Accepted Student Day, Villa Success Roundtable Series, and New Student Orientations. Schier is also a Title IX Conduct Officer and Investigator.
Additionally, Schier serves the College as an adjunct faculty member and is the chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Previously, he served as the chair of the Administrative Affairs Council. In this role, he co-founded Denim for Dollars, an initiative that created an emergency student-relief fund
Schier holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Public Relations from SUNY Fredonia and a Master of Science in Higher Education / Higher Education Administration from Buffalo State College.
