On Mar. 29, Baker University welcomed new Director of Student Life Macy Warburton. After working for nearly four years at Baylor University as the Assistant Director for Student Organizations and Leader Development, Warburton decided it was time to return to her roots here in Kansas.

When Dean of Students Cassy Bailey was looking into hiring Warburton for the position, Bailey wanted to assure she found the right candidate for the university as the switch from a large campus to a smaller one poses different challenges.

“One of the things I wanted to make sure was that she wasn’t just looking for a job, but that she was looking for a home as well,” Bailey said. “There were several conversations outside of just the interview that I had with Macy to make sure that it was a good connection and that it would work for our campus.”

Warburton’s past experiences have prepared her well for this role as she has worked with different student organizations both professionally and during her time at Kansas State University where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

“I have been involved in so many different areas of higher [education]. When I was at K-State I started in new student services, so I worked with admissions stuff, but also orientation stuff which now I will be doing orientation again so it kind of has come full circle,” Warburton said.

Coming to a university where a large population of students are involved in sports, Warburton was content in knowing she also has experience connecting with student athletes and understanding their different responsibilities.

“I’ve also gotten to work in academic services for athletics so I got to build really great relationships with some of the athletes [at K-State], which coming to a campus where a large percentage of students are athletes, it’s like wow, I can bring my experience here and understand what a lot of students are going through with different commitments,” Warburton said.

In this new role that was redesigned to optimize student life, Warburton will be splitting her time between Greek life, orientation and overseeing the student life office.

The university has hired another individual who will be in charge of student activities, student senate and organizations on campus. This individual will work closely with Warburton to develop student life and further the goal of maximizing programming potential.

The Prevention, Awareness and Campus Education (PACE) Project Coordinator Rachel Gadd-Nelson will also work with Warburton to improve student life programming surrounding education, prevention and response on the topics of sexual assault, dating, domestic violence and stalking issues.

“I think that this project fits really nicely with student life because it really does impact all of student life and the environment that we create on campus,” Gadd-Nelson said.

Optimistic of the opportunities ahead, Gadd-Nelson looks forward to working with Warburton and seeing what she has to offer from past experiences.

“Getting to see the expertise that Macy has from Baylor and from her time at K-State, I’m just really excited to see what she does here at Baker and what she wants to collaborate with students on,” Gadd-Nelson said.

During her first full week at Baker University, Warburton has been busy with training sessions and transitioning smoothly into her new role. She has enjoyed getting to know the students, faculty and staff, especially during her involvement in Greek week.

“It was so good to see people so joyful after such a hard year. That was my first time being a part of a student event that was in-person after a year,” Warburton said. “You could tell everyone missed that for so long and also I got to see what Baker students are like. Just seeing everyone with their unique personalities was cool.”

If there’s one thing Warburton wants students to know, it is that she cares deeply about the development and college experience of each student.

“At the end of the day, I believe in [students] and I think that every student has it inside of them to get where they need to be and achieve great things,” Warburton said.

Warburton hopes to be a resource for all students and looks forward to developing meaningful relationships while improving student life in her new position.