Carson, Vice President for Student Life at Furman University, has extensive experience across various aspects of higher education. Her career spans housing and residence life, student services, auxiliary operations, conduct, strategic planning, finance and administration, campus planning, and institutional leadership. She has collaborated with architects on long-term campus planning, contributed to shaping institutional strategy, participated in presidential search committees, and held prominent leadership positions within the Association of College and University Housing Officers–International (ACUHO-I).

Despite all her experiences, Carson considers the people around her as the most influential force in shaping her. "People are the blessings. They’re the ones that made me. They’re the ones that correct me. They’re the ones that help me understand how students are." This outlook is fundamental to Carson's view of leadership and to her ongoing contributions throughout her career.

The Beginnings of Her Journey

Carson’s journey into higher education started at North Carolina State University, but her relationship with education was formed much earlier. As a first-generation college student from Charlotte, North Carolina, Carson was raised in a family that placed immense importance on education. Although her parents did not attend college, she considered them highly intelligent individuals who simply did not have the opportunity to pursue higher education.

Her mother, especially, integrated learning into Carson’s childhood. During summer days, she would walk with Carson about a mile to the elementary school library. Carson was able to read even before entering school. Once at NC State, she quickly found a space where her curiosity and passion for learning could grow.

"I immediately loved college” 

NC State was large and vibrant, with students from across the country and around the world and countless opportunities to become involved. Carson immersed herself in that environment. She majored in biological sciences and science education, became involved in residence life, and eventually became an RA and then a senior RA.

Her residence hall also exposed her to an experience that subtly shaped her perception of leadership. One of Carson’s first RAs was a senior majoring in electrical engineering, whom she remembers as exceptionally intelligent and an accomplished leader. More importantly, this RA helped Carson and other students learn to navigate and engage with a campus larger and more diverse than anything they had known before.

“She made our group so culturally competent over the time, without calling that out,” Carson recalls.

This experience offered Carson an early view of leadership's potential beyond simply managing a group or holding a formal role. It showed that leadership could expand how people see themselves, connect with others, and experience their community.

Carson would eventually begin doing that work herself.

The Mentors Who Changed the Trajectory

Her housing work rapidly surpassed a simple student position. Carson spent her summers working alongside hall directors, area coordinators, assistant, associate, and full directors, immersing herself more deeply in the department's professional environment. “I basically was one of them,” she remembers.

Over time, Carson's familiarity with the work opened a rare opportunity for a graduate student. While earning her master’s degree at NC State, she was offered an area coordinator position, one typically reserved for professionals with full-time post-master’s field experience.

While still pursuing her graduate studies, NC State permitted her to take on the role and even let her select the area she would manage. This setup added an extra year to her professional training, providing her with institutional experience that influenced her post-graduation decisions.

Her mentors advised her not to stay at NC State, believing she had learned enough there and needed to gain experience elsewhere. Carson took this advice seriously, exploring options nationwide before finally selecting Wake Forest University.

“I chose Wake,” she says, “it was the greatest move I ever made in my life.”

What started as a career progression turned into a 22-year journey.

At Wake Forest, her role expanded beyond traditional student affairs and housing to encompass auxiliary operations, conduct, strategic planning, finance, administration, and campus planning. Each position deepened her understanding of how the university functions, not as isolated departments, but as a connected whole where decisions in one area influence others.

Her mentors significantly influenced her development, especially a chief financial officer Carson describes as both "hard as nails” and "exceptionally brilliant." He recognized in Carson what would define her career: she was, in his words, “a fixer.” Whenever she grew restless, he assigned her new institutional challenges instead of keeping her in a single area, exposing her to various university functions. Looking back, these tasks were a strategic way of teaching her institutional leadership.

Years later, Carson saw the importance of her earlier work when she learned that a long-term project from her plan was finally progressing. This moment highlighted how institutional planning has lasting effects; decisions from years past can influence an institution long after their creators have left. It also reflected her professional growth.

Starting as a housing student employee, she developed a career focused on understanding institutions as complex, interconnected systems. She also learned that effective leadership often involves looking beyond one's immediate role.

Choosing Furman

After more than twenty years at Wake Forest, Furman University recruited Carson. Her mentor described Furman as 'a diamond.' Ultimately, Carson became a finalist and realized the opportunity was right for her. She has been at Furman since 2008.

As Vice President for Student Life, she leads the Division of Student Affairs, serving on the President’s Cabinet. Her duties include strategic planning, collaborating with University Development on student-related fundraising, and supporting the Board of Trustees’ Student Experiences and Outcomes Committee.

She has also been pivotal in institutional strategic planning, co-leading the development of The Furman Advantage, the university’s comprehensive student success plan, and now helping with Furman’s current strategic efforts. Despite other opportunities, Carson repeatedly chooses to stay, and her reason is simply the students.

Despite her many responsibilities, Carson makes a conscious effort to stay connected with students. She deliberately builds relationships with students she meets on campus and invites them to continue the conversation with her. She wants students around her for more than just one interaction; she aims to watch their development over four years.

Senior administrators can often become detached from students' daily lives, but Carson consciously works to stay connected. “Vice presidents live in this other world,” she notes. Students help her stay grounded in her role at the institution. “It started with advisors and mentors, but I will never forget that first check-in at NC State, and my parents didn’t know anything, and it was the students leading everything.” This experience from her college days influences her current leadership approach. Carson still believes that students have valuable lessons to teach university leaders.

Leadership as Stewardship

Carson views meaningful leadership as rooted in the “special mission” of higher education. Student affairs professionals are uniquely positioned to witness students' growth in real time, experiencing their development from students into leaders and alumni who make an impact in the world. She emphasizes that this growth goes beyond any specific program or campus event and can influence multiple generations.

Carson encourages us to avoid labeling a generation only by its weaknesses. After observing how students have adapted following the pandemic, she recognizes social, academic, and institutional differences but rejects viewing these as flaws. She describes them as "really smart" and "differently smart." Her perspective is that student affairs should aim to understand students and support them where they are, helping them enhance their lives.

She highlights that students now seek greater agency within their college experience, often shifting interests and communities rapidly. Instead of viewing this fluidity as an issue, Carson believes it’s a valuable trait for higher education to understand and embrace, one that allows students to shape their own experiences. Her core philosophy is to support students in guiding their own paths.

An Honor She Never Expected

Carson’s induction into SACSA’s Gavel & Gravel Society was unexpected. 'I was surprised,” she says. “I didn’t expect this at all.' Her surprise reflects her view of SACSA itself. Carson has spent much of her career involved in professional associations, particularly ACUHO-I

Yet, SACSA holds a special place in her professional journey. 'When I think of SACSA, I think of its great leaders.' Her involvement began during her time at Wake Forest. She gradually saw SACSA as a key space where the South’s higher education community develops leadership.

Carson values the diversity of that community, which includes major public universities, private colleges, liberal arts colleges, HBCUs, and institutions serving diverse communities. For her, SACSA offers a chance to bring these perspectives together. She notes the association’s history of addressing broader issues beyond student affairs, like higher education law and institutional challenges.

“SACSA is a leader in professional development and leadership,” she says.

She emphasizes that leadership growth isn’t just about attending workshops or conferences but about ongoing commitment. “It’s beyond a workshop or conference. It’s the dedication to leadership.” This is why the Gavel & Gravel honor is meaningful. She feels privileged to be recognized by a community of professionals whose work she has long admired, those whose contributions extend beyond individual institutions.

“Even being considered is an honor.”

The People Who Come Next

When Carson discusses the future of higher education, she describes higher education as "a bright light of hope every single day." She highlights the resilience of institutions that have endured through wars, social upheavals, economic changes, and generations of transformation.

"Higher ed still survives. So, no matter what’s thrown at it, higher ed perseveres."

For Carson, this perseverance comes with a duty to continually self-examine, adapt to societal shifts, and create opportunities for learners.

Carson emphasizes the significance of those working in higher education. She views her role as serving her staff, not just leading them. "The people who I know believe they serve me. I always say I serve them." Her duty is to support growth, development, and opportunities. This approach reflects Carson’s own career path, guided by mentors who saw her potential, entrusted her early responsibilities, and encouraged her to step outside her comfort zone.

She now feels responsible for mentoring future leaders:

"You guys are the leaders that are coming up, and you need to seed that leadership by constantly renewing your learning and turning that learning into shared practice.”