Every morning when Ryan Smith walks into Student Services, he never really knows what he may end up doing that day.

As the new Assistant Director of Student Activities, Smith said his day-to-day responsibilities range from the mundane to the spontaneous.

“I get here at 8:30 a.m. and it’s anywhere from credit cards to planning events, figuring out what we need to purchase to who’s running the events and all the details,” Smith said. “Essentially, doing the planning work to meeting with students who are coming in who want to sign up.”

Although Smith is relatively new to the position following his graduation over the summer, his experience with Student Services at Waynesburg University dates back to his freshman year of his undergraduate degree where he served on the Student Activity Board for four years as committee chairman for musical entertainment.

Following his graduation from Waynesburg University in 2015, Smith started graduate work with the university and moved into Academic Affairs as a graduate assistant.

“I worked in Academic Affairs [in grad school] and I did a variety of projects and tasks for Academic Affairs,” Smith said. “Working with different departments doing different projects for each of those departments – I also worked with Merit Badge University in the fall. I worked with the graduate programs as well through enrollment reports.”

Smith said he is familiar with the quick pace that comes with the job.

“In Student Services, it’s very active,” Smith said. “There’s always something going on – working with a lot of students, meeting with students and working with the current events which are going on around campus.”

With all the different responsibilities and tasks Smith must complete on any given day, he said his favorite has always been those that involve interacting with the students on campus.

“I think my favorite part is definitely working with the students and hearing their ideas and making those ideas happen,” Smith said.

Another aspect of the job requires Smith to work closely with Pat Bristor, associate dean of students. Smith said that because he already knows what Bristor expects of him, working with her as been seamless.

“[Bristor] is always on the go and I know what that mindset is like,” Smith said. “The transition [to the position] has been easier because I know her standard and what she expects, so I’m able to do a lot of work because it is taking work off her plate essentially.”

Another aspect that makes his job easier, Smith said, is how close he is in age to the current students at Waynesburg University. Since there isn’t a wide age gap, Smith said he better understands what students want out of Student Services.

“At the age that I am, being in a younger generation and having a voice in that aspect, it is very helpful,” Smith said. “I think it’s really smooth relating with students and working with them because of the age – not the difference – but the similar age.”