Moll Embraces New Role in Student Services

When Ray Moll was offered an opportunity to serve as associate dean for student success at Arkansas Tech University, his only concern was that he might lose the connection with students that he enjoyed as a faculty member. 
 
That concern was quickly resolved by the steady traffic that now passes through his office in the Doc Bryan Student Services Building on a daily basis.
 
“That’s the exciting part for me,” said Moll. “I was concerned that leaving the classroom might mean less contact with our students, but I still have that here. Helping students succeed and helping graduates find jobs, particularly in this economy, is rewarding work.”
 
Moll joined the faculty in the Arkansas Tech Department of Parks, Recreation and Hospitality Administration in 2005. For the past seven years, his students have benefited from experiences that extended beyond the classroom door.
 
Moll’s students in the Arkansas Tech hospitality administration program have hosted weekly lunches and dinners at the Williamson Hall Dining Room, prepared food for guests of the university at home football games and provided meals and desserts to complement performances by the Arkansas Tech Music Theatre Workshop.
 
Now Moll is ready to work on behalf of students campus-wide.
 
“I thrive on challenges,” said Moll. “We have a lot of challenges and a lot of opportunities to make a difference in student success and in student services in general. That idea of a new challenge was the catalyst for me accepting this new role.”
 
One of Moll’s primary duties will be to work with the Norman Career Services office to connect recent and upcoming graduates with career opportunities.
 
“There is a circle in student services that starts with new student orientation and ends with helping our students find a career,” said Moll. “I will be working with that last part of the circle. I will also work with our tutoring and retention efforts through the Bridge to Excellence program and our parent relations initiative. Parent interaction is critical to student success, so we hope to increase communication between the university and the parents of our students.”
 
To learn more about Arkansas Tech student success initiatives such as career services, Bridge to Excellence, parent relations and tutoring services, visit www.atu.edu/studentsuccess.

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