New Vice President of Student Life
Earlier this semester, a new tenant set up shop in office 233 in the student center. A man of above average height with a trimmed beard and a tight haircut — usually seen wearing an unbuttoned dress shirt without a tie, a dark sport coat and a pair of shoes that would seem more suited for the parquet floor of the Burkman gymnasium than the plaid carpet of an administrative office. Breaking the mold of collegiate norms is nothing new for Jon Duraj, who took over as vice president of student life in March. In fact, he’s made redefining the traditional college experience central to his career.
Duraj is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, where he grew up with just two siblings, but a rather large extended family. He spent his youth playing soccer, an interest he still holds today while cheering for the Columbus Crew, one of Ohio’s two Major League Soccer teams.
Duraj’s connection to the Buckeye State doesn’t stop at rooting interests. He went to college just under three hours south of Cleveland at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. While it may appear that Duraj was hesitant to leave his home state — he spent a decent amount of his undergraduate education more than 7,000 miles away from home. He studied abroad in both China and Sub-Saharan Africa, which he used to build on his lifelong passion for exploring new cultures. After graduating from Wittenberg with a bachelor’s degree focused on international business, he received his Master’s degree from the University of Dayton in higher education administration, and then his PhD in higher education administration from Ohio University.
International and intercultural exploration had always been something that was important to him. To that end, he would go on to found an international NGO that would center itself on accompaniment and community access in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Lesotho. Duraj said, “Our focus was to support villages and community members to focus on “upstream” solutions and sustainability of initiatives and combat against the sometimes more unsustainable non-profit work that happens around the globe.”
When asked about what first caught his attention about St. Lawrence University, he brought up the adventurous spirit and student engagement here at SLU. He also noted that SLU was a strong institution that was clear about its mission and identity and that the students were very involved, and committed to their interests in and out of the classroom. The student experience at SLU is an integral part of the VP of Student Life job description, and Duraj is coming into SLU with a particular excitement for the furtherment of exactly that.
On the topic of students, student retention has been a topic of concern across campus for some time now. To quote an article from Zach Jaworski ’24 from an earlier issue of The Hill News, “Since 2014, SLU has seen a 17 percent drop in enrollment — from 2,508 down to 2,089 students.” In addition to this, the cohort graduation rate has also dropped by 11 percent, or in other words, the percentage of students matriculating then graduating within 4 years has dropped from the matriculating class of 2010 to that of 2019. In addressing this, Duraj mentioned that retention is a byproduct of a fulfilling student experience. And that overall, retention numbers only tell part of the story. Duraj always finds it interesting how student populations connect and find belonging on a campus like SLU. He is excited by how St. Lawrence is currently positioning itself to best meet the needs of today’s students to better serve and create the best possible college experience for them.
Greek life here at SLU has also been a somewhat contested subject. Duraj has been an advocate for Greek life, specifically fraternities, noting in a post on his LinkedIn page, “There is so much value in how a fraternal experience can aid in a person’s growth to be their best self and support their community.” He believes in supporting all campus student groups, fraternities, sororities, and others. He notes that when missions or values-based organizations are at their best, they help create or further a vibrant, engaging, and fulfilling student experience for those involved. He looks forward to getting to know the Fraternity and Sorority communities at SLU, learning about the positive ways they are helping to impact the SLU community, and showing the value that they bring to the SLU experience.
Jon is looking forward to getting to know all SLU students, he plans to stop around at various campus events, athletics, and other programs to better acquaint himself with the student experience at SLU. He states, “I want to support you in what you care about and learn from you about your experience, and how you want to impact the community to leave it better than you found it!”. His office on the main floor of the Sullivan Student Center will have an open door to connect and meet. As a final note, he makes sure to mention that students should not hesitate to reach out to him via email, invite him to your organization or group’s event meeting, or simply stop by and say hello to him!
Welcome Jon Duraj to St. Lawrence University!