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New Director of Student Counseling
and Outreach Is Here to Help
Roland Davis is an easy man to talk to. At a previous job in the
admissions office of Bates College in Maine, where he worked as the
coordinator of multicultural student recruitment, his coworkers
joked that he was the office counselor. "Nervous applicants would
enter my office for an entrance interview and we'd close the door," he
said. "When the door opened, the students would often leave
either laughing their heads off, or crying cathartic tears. In some cases,
these kids would have told me things that they'd never shared with anyone
before- they seemed to know that I was a safe person to whom
they could disclose personal information."
It wasn't just the Bates College applicants who benefited from these meetings. Davis enjoyed helping people by listening to their concerns and by offering objective advice. "My Bates experience helped me decide that counseling was a profession I wanted to pursue. I returned to Boston, which is where I grew up, and earned my master's degree in social work at Boston College."
Davis is now putting his talents and education to work at HSPH as the new director of student counseling and outreach. A member of the Office for Students, he is available to help students with a wide range of problems or concerns. "It's a new position at the school," he said. "The beauty of a new position like this is that it can evolve in response to whatever the needs of the student body may be.
"I have been charged with responsibility for certain services and programs aimed at enhancing the well-being of the student population. What this means will likely change over time, but for the present I'd like students to know that I'm available as someone they can come to for information, for advice, or just as someone they can come talk to and unload the day-to-day pressures of student life at HSPH."
Davis plans to meet with each of the student groups this fall to introduce himself and inquire about what students would like from his office. "The students know best what it is that will be helpful, but they don't always know how to make it happen. I'll help to create and implement support strategies for our community."
In addition to being available for individual meetings with
students and working with the student groups, Davis also plans to bring
a wealth of information to the school in the form seminars or programs
on topics like stress management and effective study techniques. "The
students are inundated with opportunities to hear speakers address
public health topics. What I plan to offer are programs that relate to
students' personal well-being: their own emotional and mental health,
even physical health."
While Davis is new to HSPH, he is not new to Harvard. In fact, he practically lives and breathes the university: "I've been coaching the Harvard track team for four years. I'm now in my second year as a freshman proctor in the Gray's East dormitory, where my job is to be part big brother, part parent, part teacher, and part administrator." To complete his immersion into Harvard, in July Davis married Ayesha Farag-Davis, a full-time student at the Graduate School of Education.
With the few hours of his life not devoted to Harvard, Davis likes to read and cook. He recently finished reading Reviving Ophelia, which reflects his long-standing interest in adolescent development. He also enjoys reading biographies and historical works, although he admitted to being a fan of John Grisham and Tom Clancy's novels as well.
Davis says that his goals for this year are "to become known
and trusted by the students. I want people to be comfortable
stopping me in the hallway or coming to my office on a moment's notice
and talking with me about whatever might be on their mind. I'm here to help students in any way I can."
Roland Davis, director of student counseling and outreach.
