A community built on support and encouragement fosters exceptional individuals — including University of Missouri staff member AnDrea Jackson.
Currently the assistant director with Student Affairs, Jackson has taken full advantage of the connections and professional development available to her at Mizzou.
Ahead of Staff Development Week this month, Jackson shared her experiences at Mizzou.
Before Jackson came to the university as a nontraditional student, she found community with two employees at the Missouri School of Journalism, both of whom were there for Jackson while she finished her degree.
“Never underestimate the people who are working around you,” Jackson said. “They were staff at the university who saw a student struggling and came in and supported me so that I could make it through, always encouraging me. Whenever I came in, I made sure I stopped to see them. We are still close to this day.”
Making lasting connections has played a vital role in Jackson’s success at Mizzou. When a friend encouraged her to apply for a position with the International Center, she wasn’t sure it was the right fit. Despite her doubts, she went for it — and during the panel interview, something unexpected happened.
“As I’m in the interview, I saw someone walk past the conference room and it was the very same person who helped me find housing when I was moving from Atlanta to Mizzou. Later, the committee came to her and asked, ‘Do you know AnDrea? What do you think of her?’ She gave all these great reviews, and I ended up getting the job.”
At the International Center, Jackson enjoyed the work of helping students find resources and opportunities. Her supervisors actively supported her career goals and encouraged her to pursue professional development opportunities that came her way.
“My former director used to encourage us to carve out five hours a week for learning,” she said. “That could include reading articles about international education or looking at other university websites and seeing what programs they offer. He was really big on us learning for ourselves so that we could be stronger in our field. I built confidence for sure.”
After six years with the International Center, Jackson pursued other opportunities that led to her current position with Student Affairs. Through this role, she has continued to create a bridge between the centers and campus resources.
Jackson continues to pursue professional development opportunities available to her as a Mizzou employee. She keeps an eye on Staff Development Week offerings and other training through the Learning and Organizational Development team. Last year, she completed the SOLE (Series on Leadership Essentials) program.
Currently, she is part of the 2024-25 cohort of the Advisor Development Program, a year-long, University of Missouri System-wide professional development program for advisors and academic coaches from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Missouri University of Science & Technology and Mizzou. In addition to training and networking, cohort members are working on projects to present at their conference at the end of the year.
While she appreciates pursuing learning opportunities outside the office, Jackson also finds value in her everyday work.
“Professional development is not always about conferences and workshops,” she said. “It is also about the hands-on learning that you're doing in your day-to-day role. Not only the things I learned but the mistakes I made when I first started this job helped me become proficient in the role two years later.”
Throughout it all, one thing has remained true for Jackson. At the end of the day, the people she’s helping and community she is building matter the most.
“It doesn't really matter what I do in terms of a title,” she said. “It doesn't matter what I do in terms of an occupation. At the core of what I do, as long as I am able to mold, guide, support and help develop young people, then that's for me. That's the life I want to live.”
Office of Human Resources Professional Development
Staff Development Week: Virtual training and networking sessions offered each spring and fall to UM System staff
- Personal growth through Percipio
- Leadership Development
