Students should notice an increase in campus events this fall.
In a summer reorganization, Levi Harrel, former associate director of student development, took on a larger role in campus life as the newly promoted student engagement director.
Harrel said though behind the scenes changes are happening, he will still be involved with Greek life and in charge of the use of the Great Hall in the Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center.
Harrel said his favorite part of the new job is that his office gets to cultivate the student experience outside of the classroom. The engagement office will design, facilitate and implement activities across campus.
“That’s phenomenal and fun,” he said.
Harrel said the engagement office will push for more campus events this year. He said students should see an increase in campus engagement because of his goal to have a Student Action Council event at least every two weeks.
“Our motto is ‘more.’ So, not only do we want to have more events from a quantitative standard, we also want to look at qualitative. We want our events to be bigger, better,” he said.
Harrel, who is completing a doctoral program in higher education leadership from Maryville University of Saint Louis, said he is dedicated to growing future leaders at OCU.
“We get to help develop leaders, and that is very exciting to me both personally and professionally,” Harrel said. “When we look at the office of student engagement’s structure, it very much plays not only to my professional background, but to my passions in the field as well.”
Trae Trousdale, mass communications sophomore, works with Harrel on homecoming, as the student civic engagement director and as Interfraternity Council president.
“Levi’s been an amazing mentor,” Trousdale said. “If you’ve met him, you know Levi just brings a smile to everyone’s face, but he also just knows how to effectively get things done. That’s a thing I can really appreciate.”
Trousdale said Harrel, a former fraternity member, can relate to the students.
“He understands what they’re going through,” he said. “That’s really super important when you’re trying to tell 60 or 70 young men what to do or how to do something. There’s a lot of heads that are butting, and he just has this knack and this God-given ability to truly own the room and get what needs to be done accomplished.”
Trousdale said Harrel is not only a mentor but someone he can go to in hard times.
“He’s been there for me when I am crying over the phone, when I need advice about, like, real life situations that have nothing to do with the university,” he said. “I can’t say enough good things about Levi because he’s amazing.”
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