Terrance D. Smith is Senior Director of Student and Young Alumni Engagement at the University of Georgia, U.S. This month he serves as a faculty member, for the second time, at CASE’s Summer Institute in Alumni Relations. Smith, who says the “development of young adults” is one of his passions, is a current doctoral candidate at UGA. He's researching college students’ motivations for giving to their alma maters.

How did you make your way to advancement and your current role at UGA?

My career in higher education started in residence life, where I served in a number of roles, from residence assistant to area coordinator across four institutions. Several years ago, I was looking to try something new. Having received my master’s degree in student affairs, I wanted to continue working on a college campus and have regular interactions with college students.

At the time, the Associate Director of Student Engagement position in UGA Development and Alumni Relations was vacant. When I saw the opening, my immediate thought, was, “I know nothing about alumni relations,” but after speaking with the leadership team and learning about the vision and direction for student engagement in DAR, I was really excited about the opportunity to serve in the role. Since joining the team, we’ve had a few staff and organizational changes that have provided opportunities for me to advance and assume more responsibility, while also allowing me to engage one of my passions—the development of young adults.

What’s the best part of your job?

The opportunity to cultivate potential. Whether it’s through shaping my team, department, or division’s culture; managing staff and working with volunteers; or enhancing one of the campaigns I oversee, I’m extremely energized when I get the opportunity to bring out the best in the people and the programs around me. Some of my passions are learning deeply about the people, processes, and/or problems I’m interacting with, and working with others to chart a path forward or to develop solutions that will support our goals.

CASE’s Summer Institutes are for newcomers to advancement. What’s the best piece of advice you received early in your career?

“It’s not about balance, it’s about harmony.” This was a piece of advice I received when I was in graduate school. During that time in my life, I felt so overwhelmed trying to manage everything coming my way with work and my assistantship, school, transitioning to a new state, staying in touch with family, building a community outside of work and school, and maintaining my own hobbies.

I had a mentor who shared this advice and it gave me the permission I needed to say “no” to things. [That mentor said,] “With balance, it’s a constant act of trying to keep everything in the air; however, with harmony it’s okay to put something down knowing that you’ll pick it up again. All your priorities are important and there are times when some priorities are more important than others. You have to determine for yourself when and why you’re going to give time to the things you’re giving your time to.”

During that particularly stressful time in my life, this advice took root and I’ve carried it with me since.

What are you most looking forward to about the Summer Institute later this month?

The thing I’m most looking forward to is the opportunity to share and learn. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve as a faculty member. As a faculty member last year, I walked away with so many new ideas and insights. I’m sure the same will happen this year.

I also think it’s refreshing to step away from our campuses and the daily responsibilities that we have to focus solely on getting better at what we do by building community, sharing best practices, and reflecting on the past year in preparation for the year ahead.

Is there anything unusual you keep in your office? And if so, tell us why it’s meaningful to you.

Liquid plant fertilizer. It all started when I received a 10-inch cutting from a fiddle-leaf fig tree and adventured into the wild world of propagating. Now, that 10-inch cutting is over seven feet tall and is accompanied by other plants. I wouldn’t consider myself someone who has a green thumb, but I’ve dedicated time to learning best practices regarding indoor plant care, how to maximize growing seasons, and how to identify potential problems.

I love to learn and master the application of knowledge, which has been part of my motivation for having healthy plants. I also love sharing knowledge with others when I’ve mastered it, and as colleagues have gotten their own office plants, I’ve been able to share with them some of the knowledge, tips, and tricks I’ve learned.

Something I’ve enjoyed most along my plant care journey is realizing that there’s so much about plant care that’s similar to being an effective leader. Whether I’m serving as a supervisor, advisor, or mentor, I aim to support the right conditions and environment for people to be and perform at their best.