Departments
Be sure to visit the Student Affairs departmental sites below for more detailed information regarding the programs and services they offer.
For additional information, please visit:
Office of the Vice President / Student Affairs Operations
The Division of Student Affairs maximizes the student experience. We foster transformative co-curricular learning and support students as they navigate challenges and transitions. We teach students the skills they need to be creative citizens who embody CCA values.
Guiding Principles:
- We partner with faculty, staff, and the community to support and maximize the student learning experience.
- We engage students in co-curricular experiences that focus on educating the whole person.
- We encourage, enhance, and maintain a sense of interconnectedness and community, and we promote opportunities for collaboration.
- We use assessment data from institutional and national research projects to provide evidence-based student support and services.
Resources & Programs include:
Staff
- George Luis Sedano (He/Him/Él), Vice President, Student Affairs
- Jeannine Szamreta (She/Her), Associate Vice President, Student Affairs/Dean of Students
- Vanessa Gorman (She/Her), Director of Student Affairs Operations
- TBD, Student Affairs Project Coordinator
More Information
Office of the Dean of Students
The Office of the Dean of Students provides assistance, intervention, prevention, and referral services to the college community. The office also serves as an advocate for students while challenging students to develop personal responsibility, practice ethical decision-making, and seek social justice as they grow into creative citizens.
Guiding Principles:
- We address general student concerns and grievances by providing advocacy, support, and mediation.
- We engage students with the care and support needed during difficult and challenging personal and academic circumstances.
- We ensure students’ rights, safety, and well-being through education and adjudication.
Resources & Programs include:
- Access / Disability Services
- CCA Cares
- Student Behavior:
- Student Handbook
- Student Code of Conduct
- Discrimination Policy (Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Unlawful Harassment, & Retaliation)
- Sexual Misconduct Policy
Staff
- Jeannine Szamreta (She/Her), Associate Vice President, Student Affairs/Dean of Students
- Joren Plunkett (She/Her), Associate Dean of Students
- Marcos Joseph Garcia (He/Him/They/Them), Associate Director for Disability & Access
- Preston Arment (She/They), Assistant Director, Conduct & Access
- Marlaina Owens (She/Her), Coordinator, Office of the Dean of Students
More Information
Campus Life
Student Life
The Office of Student Life fosters a culture in which students are the makers of their own learning experiences. We engage students to develop personally, socially, and intellectually to become creative citizens. In collaboration with students, the professional staff supports the students’ academic journey through the following co-curricular programming: new student orientation, student activities, student organizations, leadership development, and commencement. We value civic responsibility, community engagement, and creative collaborations.
Resources & Programs include:
- Events and opportunities focused on community building, mentorship, diversity, and sustainability
- Funding and support for student-initiated events
- Opportunities to sell artwork at the annual art and craft fair
- Events and activities that amplify the Creative Accord and promote self-care and wellness
- Resources to start student organizations and clubs
- Leadership opportunities through student organizations and clubs, Sophomore Advisory Group, Student Council (undergraduate), and Graduate Student Alliance
- Support and guidance from Student Life’s professional staff
Residential Education
The mission of Residential Education at CCA is to support the college’s and the Division of Student Affairs’ missions by creating a vibrant living environment that encourages mutual respect, celebrates global diversity, fosters student connections within and outside of the department, and enhances the educational experience of our students by promoting personal growth and development of the creative citizen in our residential communities.
Resources & Programs include:
- Support and guidance from professional staff and trained student team members
- Two CCA-sponsored residential communities: Blattner Hall and Founders Hall
- Opportunities to build global community, celebrate diversity, and develop life skills
- Residential curriculum
- Connection and community building
- Support for navigating successful relationships
- Activities and workshops sponsored by Residential Education staff
- Leadership opportunities
- Referrals to other college resources
Staff
- Noki Seekao (He/Him), Senior Director, Campus Life
- Kate Bowers (She/Her), Associate Director, Residential Education, Administration, & Leadership
- Stephaine Villanova (She/Her/Ella/Sie), Assistant Director for Student Engagement, Activities, & Leadership
- Genesis Palacios (She/They), Residential Education Coordinator
- Danielle Martinez (She/Her/Ella), Residential Education Coordinator
- Wally Corona (He/Him), Residential Education Assistant
More Information
Career Development
Career Development prepares students to navigate the requirements for success in a rapidly shifting world of work by assisting them in defining their personal career success, acquiring the skills to remain competitive in an ever-evolving job market, building strong professional connections, and developing entrepreneurial strategies for developing their own business/practice. Our team provides online career coaching for students and alumni by appointment or pre-selected drop-in hours.
Resources & Programs include:
- One-on-one career coaching appointments
- Handshake student job board
- Employer conversations and online workshops
- Career Expos and job fairs
- Building an Artist’s Life career symposium
- Résumé and portfolio reviews
- Online mock interviews
- Career goal-setting guidance
- Professional network and association connections
Staff
- Josh Smothers (He/Him), Director, Career Development
- Beth Waldman (She/Her), Associate Director, Employer Engagement
- TBD, Coaching and Event Coordinator
More Information
Counseling & Psychological Services
CCA Counseling & Psychological Services is committed to the personal development and professional advancement of students engaged in an arts-based educational environment fostering creativity, curiosity, and diversity. Counseling & Psychological Services encourages student success and well-being by providing a broad spectrum of mental health services, including individual therapy, crisis intervention, consultation, referral, workshops on mental health topics, and outreach.
Resources & Programs include:
- Individual, confidential, professional counseling appointments for students (up to 10 sessions per academic year, as well as summer sessions for continuing students, are free of charge)
- Crisis intervention
- Referrals to community resources (including psychiatric resources)
- Presentations and workshops about mental health and wellness as well as support with developing and offering student-initiated mental health workshops
- Consultations for faculty and staff regarding student support
- Referrals to other college resources
Staff
- Dr. Leah Oliver (She/Her), Associate Director, Counseling & Psychological Services
- Dr. Brigette Stump-Vernon (She/Her), Associate Director, Counseling & Psychological Services
- TBD, Staff Counselor
More Information
International Student Services
The International Student Services (ISS) office promotes international education within the greater CCA community and supports student success at CCA.
Through education and resources, we broaden students’ understanding of federal immigration regulations and assist students as they navigate cultural and academic transitions.
We value diversity in all its forms and challenge all CCA students to increase their awareness of global perspectives as an integral part of their growth into artist citizens.
Resources & Programs include:
- Advising for students on F-1 student visas and J-1 exchange visitor visas
- Referrals for support services including counseling, academic coaching, and international opportunities for all CCA students.
- Faculty and staff may contact an ISS staff member with questions or concerns that involve an international student.
Staff
- Jessica L. McMillan (She/Her), Senior Director, International Student Services
- Jill Tolfa (She/Her), Associate Director, International Student Services
- Ricardo Alves (He/Him), International Student Advisor
More information:
Student Belonging & Inclusion
The Office of Student Belonging and Inclusion works to create a community of care at CCA that cultivates an inclusive and vibrant campus experience that facilitates student engagement, social inclusion, intellectual curiosity, and personal exploration by working within our globally and culturally diverse college community. Through our initiatives and programs, we strive to advocate for and uplift voices of BIPOC students, women, LGBTQQIP2SAA students, first generation students, and other historically marginalized and/or underrepresented populations. We are here to support these students to develop and sustain a strong sense of belonging and connection within the CCA community.
We value civic responsibility, community engagement, creative collaborations, affirming multiple and intersecting identities, cultural competence, and modeling honesty, integrity, and social justice.
Resources & Programs include:
- New Student Orientation and Chimera Welcome Week
- Multicultural Resource Center
- Campus-wide DEIB-focused initiatives and events
- Opportunities to build community and celebrate diversity
- Support for affinity/identity-based student clubs/groups
- Support and guidance from professional staff
- Referrals to college and external community resources
Staff
- Janeece Hayes (She/Her), Director of Student Belonging & Inclusion
- Breanne Harris (She/Her), Assistant Director of Student Belonging & Inclusion
