Mental health and student diversity are important issues to the second candidate for vice president of Student Affairs.
On Monday morning, Kent Porterfield came to UF to showcase his ideas for the position to about 70 UF staff and faculty members at Smathers Library. After his presentation with faculty, he had a Q&A session with about 20 students in the Matthews Suite on the fourth floor of the Reitz Union. Porterfield is currently the vice president for student development at St. Louis University.
While speaking with UF faculty and staff, Porterfield said he plans to mentor students. He said he wants to monitor students who seek help with academics and mental health concerns to ensure they stay on track to graduate.
“More satisfied students — more engaged students — are better students,” he said. “Their voices are so powerful, and they will also point out and tell you where you’re not getting it right.”
He said he wants to make UF more inclusive.
“I think we have to raise our game as a staff,” he said. “I don’t think you can talk about multicultural competence, for example, without examining the concepts of privilege, marginalization and oppression.”
He said he wants to address issues inhibiting students’ access to education, such as affordability and over-regulation of administrators.
Mary Kay Carodine, the assistant vice president for Student Affairs, attended the presentation at Smathers Library. She said she thought Porterfield had a strong presentation with good research. She said she liked his approach to diversity and inclusivity.
“He really understood all the work it takes and the ways we have to examine ourselves,” she said.
After the presentation, he met with students in the Matthews Suite.
Porterfield said he encountered student activists while at St. Louis University. He said students held a protest on campus in response to an off-duty police officer shooting a young black man near the university, which is located about 14 miles from Ferguson, Missouri.
“At that time, it wasn’t Black Lives Matter,” he said. “It was just community and students.”
He told students that while at St. Louis University, he offered guidance to the Student Body president. He said he would like to work with UF’s Student Government.
Maria Pitt, a UF graphic design senior, said she attended the student session to ask Porterfield questions. She said she liked that he has experience dealing with issues of race and diversity.
“He could bring that experience here,” the 21-year-old said.
