CAMPUSPEAK

Whether transitioning into college life, or out of it, Dr. Kim Frazier helps students feel confident about life’s biggest changes.

Few know transition issues better than Kim—an assistant professor in the Department of First Year Programs at Kennesaw State University.

“High school is about effort… college is about results!” Kim says.

Fifty-percent of incoming college students will not graduate, and Kim has made it her mission to understand what makes the other 50-percent successful. She has come to the conclusion that, above else, a smooth successful transition has the greatest impact on a student’s ability to succeed and ultimately, graduate.

Kim finds that successful transition is made up of four components—change, conflict, time management and motivation. From high school to college; from the past to the present; from one position to another…transition is inevitable. Kim addresses the discomfort that comes along with change, and guides students on how to strive from discomfort to confidence. Time management skills must be developed as a college student and Kim shows students the difference between what’s important and what’s urgent, and how to successfully manage both. Also, Kim addresses the issue of motivation by gently reminding students that intentional motivation will yield results.

• Keynotes

• Living Well, Healthy & Whole: An Intentional Mindset for Student Success!
• Destination Graduation: Navigating the Roadblocks and Speed Bumps of College
• Turn Your Tassel and Toss Your Cap – Now What?

Living Well, Healthy & Whole: An Intentional Mindset for Student Success!

Living Well, Healthy & Whole is a program providing an intentional mindset for college student success. A program for any student group, this keynote fosters an engaging learning environment that challenges and supports student health and wellness.
 
Students today are spread thin, between academics, jobs, extra-curricular activities, family commitments and more. This stress can contribute to the development of unhealthy coping mechanisms and mental health difficulties. In a world where as much as 80 percent of students on a given college campus are medicated for some mental health reason, it’s important that we acknowledge and bring awareness to their struggles, such as depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, anorexia, bulimia and antisocial personality to name a few.

Dr. Kim Frazier acknowledges these challenges and provides some strategies for taking care of one’s physical AND mental well being. Through use of statistics, self-assessment, and lighthearted humor, Kim works to remove the stigma of mental health disorders and empowers students to take care of themselves and look out for their peers. When we line up physical and mental wellness with academic and social wellness, we have a formula for student success.

Destination Graduation: Navigating the Roadblocks and Speed Bumps of College

As a new student, you are dealing with a ton of “new.” New surroundings, new friends, new routines—it’s a serious overdose. Whether you love change or feel completely overwhelmed by it, the big issues of transition are staring you in the face. Where high school was about making the effort, college is about achieving results. For many new college students, the first months feel like climbing an enormous, intimidating mountain.

Kim understands those feelings, and she’s here to tell you that you can not only climb the mountain, you can do it intelligently so that you don’t wear yourself out on the ascent. In her program for new student orientation and first year experience events, Kim talks about the four elements of a successful transition:

• Dealing with the fear of change
• Resolving conflicts and moving through them
• Managing your time and setting priorities
• Motivating yourself to survive and thrive in a new situation

Students will leave Kim’s session with less anxiety about all that lies in front of them. She will encourage them to look at each challenge individually—not to get swept up in the enormity of it all. Most of all, she will help students understand how a managing their own successful transition will strengthen their confidence, open up new opportunities and set them on a path to bigger and better things. Kim’s message is the perfect mix of academic encouragement, personal wellness, social confidence and motivation. Her warm style and nurturing delivery will help your students take a deep breath and gain a clear perspective on the challenges of their first weeks on campus.

Turn Your Tassel and Toss Your Cap – Now What?

As students prepare to graduate, they might feel excited, intimidated or some of both. That’s normal. Regardless of their future plans—or lack thereof—they are about to confront a big transition. New routines, new friends, new environments, new challenges—recent graduates are about to trade the relative comfort and safety of the campus environment for a world much less certain.

While many speakers claim to have the answers for “life after college,” Kim is more concerned about arming new graduates with the skill and confidence to go into the period of transition. How can they leave the familiar and tackle their new challenges in a healthy, confident way? How can they mentally and emotionally prepare—now—so that they can best handle what lies ahead?

Whether your students are looking at graduate school, work, service or the challenges of starting a new family—Kim will help them enter into their transitions with less overwhelm and a positive can-do attitude.

This program is perfect for Senior Series events, incoming graduate students or any number of programs aimed at upperclassmen.

Dr. Kim's Bio

Kim is an Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University, where she teaches First Year Seminar and Introduction to Psychology. She received her Bachelor’s from Clemson University, her Masters from Winthrop University and her Ph.D. from Georgia State University. For 15 years, Kim has stimulated and facilitated the development of college students through her empowering, passionate presentations.