One of Millikin University’s newest faculty members has taken the campus by storm. If you haven’t heard of her before, you have now. And who am I speaking about? The Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement’s newest addition: Nicole Rowlett, or Nicki, as many people have taken to calling her.

Rowlett is the new Assistant Director in the OIE and is thrilled to be a part of Millikin. She is originally from Madison Heights, Michigan, located roughly 10 minutes from Comerica Park in Detroit, and attended Central Michigan University for her undergraduate studies before she proceeded to Ball State University for her graduate degree. Rowlett chose her undergraduate major, Organizational communication, event management, and leadership, because “I knew I wanted to pursue the field of student affairs very young in my college career. I chose majors/minors that I thought would best compliment my skills and prepare me for this work. “

Rowlett is an affiliated woman associated with Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority, Inc. When asked why she decided to go Greek, she stated “I thought it would be a great way to get involved. My mother really introduced the idea to me. I won’t lie, at the beginning of my experience I viewed it more as a club or an extra-curricular whereas now I view it as my way of life.”

Greek is definitely a way of life for Rowlett as she advises the chapters on this campus. When asked what made her interested in working with Greek Life, she said an unforgettable statement: “Greeks have the power to change the world, to change the environment they are in, to change the culture. And with great power comes great responsibility. I am continuously challenged in this work to help develop students into the best versions of themselves. You can’t put a price tag on the types of experiences that I have gained while being a Greek Advisor.”

Rowlett was attracted to Millikin because of the smaller campus environment, autonomy in her field of work, and the student-centered environment that surrounds the university. She loves that the school truly cares about student success in all aspects of life which is rare to find in higher education. The people here at Millikin make it feel like home, which is very important to her.

Something people have been wondering is how Rowlett plans to improve Greek Life here on campus. When asked, she responded, “I hope to bring more structured opportunities for fraternity and sorority members to engage with each other, as well as the campus community. From my interactions and conversations with students thus far, this is a high need for the community and I am very student driven, and will work with student leaders to shape the future of the Greek community here at Millikin.” She’s really excited to see some positive change to the community and watch each chapter grow.

Working in the OIE can be a little hectic, but it’s nothing Rowlett can’t handle. Her typical day depends on what is going on at the time. She mostly meets with students and fulfills administrative tasks when she’s not at events our organization meetings after work hours getting to know the many different students that Millikin has. Her work style is innovative, challenging, developmental in nature, and student focused. She tries to find a balance between micro and macro tasks, staying relationship oriented but getting everything that needs to be completed done.

Lesser known facts about her include her role model being her father who “started as a janitor at Beaumont Hospital when he found out my mother was pregnant with me. He has worked hard and diligently to contribute to his profession, so much that today he begins his first day at the Executive Director of Building Operations and Architecture Management. So proud of him!”; her favorite movie genre is Action; she loves to watch Netflix, cook, craft and volunteer; and if she could have any super power it would be invisibility because she’d love to know how people act when she isn’t around.

If you haven’t met Nicki Rowlett, do so, because she will light up your day and we are so happy to have her here. Welcome to the Big Blue, Nicki!

Favorite inspirational quote: “You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give. So never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”