Meet Jazmin: Associate dean of academic affairs for business studies in the School of Business, Technology and Industry, mom of two children, ages 11 months and 16

“It would be great if we could start a mom group to share tips with each other or simply vent with someone who gets it. ”

Jazmin Simpson, associate dean of academic affairs for business studies in the School of Business, Technology and Industry

• What do you do at HACC?
  I work with all college constituents, but in particular the faculty within the business studies area of the College. Specifically, there are eight main areas of focus within this position:
  • Collaborate with faculty on curriculum development, program review and the assessment of student learning
  • Supervise staff and conduct performance evaluations, ensure employees are trained and follow policies and procedures; recruit, hire and supervise full-time faculty and support staff; promote instructional innovation and support professional development
  • Prioritize training needs for new online faculty; oversee the online training exemption and teaching demonstration processes; work with online faculty to assure quality of online course and program offerings
  • Create student-centered schedules with department chair/program director input
  • Handle student complaints and academic appeals; respond to and resolve questions and concerns from students, faculty and the public for the assigned programs or departments
  • Work collaboratively with other offices of the College to attract, enroll, retain, support and graduate learners throughout the institution and enhance academic affairs operations
  • Assist the school dean with budget development, grant development and oversight and compliance with program accreditation standards
     
• How old are your children?
  16-year-old stepson and 11-month-old daughter
   
• How are you effectively juggling your professional duties and your personal duties of having your children at home while you work?
  I have learned to relax my schedule and standards in terms of household upkeep, which is ideal since we are practicing social distancing. Dust, dishes, toys all over the house – “who cares” is what I often find myself saying. The typical 8 a.m.-5 p.m. workday is not an ideal timeframe that works for my household at this time. Particularly since my husband still reports to work under the restrictions that most businesses are following. The needs of my young daughter are important to me, so first and foremost I ensure that I am attuning to her needs. Children are so unpredictable, and at a young age of 11 months old, I never know what might be coming next. We have good days and bad days like anyone else. Overall, I have found that changing gears often helps to keep her engaged and active. While I am not great at multi-tasking at all, boy-oh-boy, have I learned to pick this up pretty quickly. For instance, I have taken great advantage of meetings while feeding my daughter, helping her draw, attempting to do baby exercises, dance or even changing diapers.
   
• What tips (things to do and things to not do) would you offer to other parents who are struggling with this?
  Take one moment at a time. Keep in mind one day may be very different from the next and you just have to roll with it. I have often read emails out loud to my daughter and have even turned some into a song. When my daughter is having a snack, I attempt to get a few things done workwise since she is happily occupied. When I put my daughter down for bed, I go to sleep too and set my alarm so that I can return to needed household chores or important work items, many times at extremely odd hours. Nighttime is reserved for projects when I know I won’t be interrupted or hope I won’t be. As a last resort, and when necessary, I bribe my 16-year-old with video games and love when I need him to watch his sister for 30 to 45 minutes or so. My husband is also a great team player and does a lot of heavy lifting in terms of preparing dinner and feeding our daughter around dinner time if his work schedule permits.
   
• Is there anything else you would like to share that we did not ask?
  I never thought I would be able to fulfill both roles. While there are moments when I don’t feel like a great mother and colleague, I try to focus on what I can do and identify ways to retool and assess strategies to successfully persist. I am truly fortunate that I have the opportunity to be home with the most precious life in the world to me! It would be great if we could start a mom group to share tips with each other or simply vent with someone who gets it.