Gabriella Small
Layout Editor
Many students have problems in their daily lives, but don’t know where to turn when having issues. Due to this, many students lay there and suffer while their problems are left unsolved. However, BC’s Dean of Student Services James Evans and Vice Provost for Student Services Janice Stubbs are present for students who need a helping hand or a listening ear.
Evans has worked at BC for 11 years, the Florida College System for 32 years and higher education for 44 years. He works diligently with students and student groups. One of these student groups is known as the Minority Male Initiative, which was designed to help students of color thrive.
He describes himself as a “walk through the crowd” type of Dean. If he doesn’t talk to students, he doesn’t know what’s going on, so he commonly attends student activities and gatherings. He wants to make sure that while putting students on that solid road to success, that they can also become familiar with him and establish each other as student and Dean.
“My job doesn’t always come with a bed of roses in the morning, in the afternoon, or late in the evening.” His job sometimes involves handling students who are in distress or are experiencing things that are foreign to them.
Despite this, he loves his job and doesn’t look at it as work. Instead, he describes his position as a divine intervention.
To him, every job comes with its own challenges, responsibilities and things that will make you uncomfortable. With this position, however, he feels completely comfortable with every aspect of his daily routine, whether it’d be disciplining a student or helping a student get back on track.
Evans would like students to know that they have a friend in him. Although it’s not apparent, his journey to where he is now was a tough one. He started out a “total country boy” coming out of South Carolina with parents who had a third and fourth grade education.
They were great community activists but did not receive a college degree, so Evans worked to get one himself. Evans wants to be a listening ear to the students who are also working hard on their path to success.
“Whether it’d be a concern, a compliment, a challenge, it does not matter to me. My day belongs to you.”
Stubbs has worked at BC for a long while, this year marking her 30th year as an integral part of BC. She was formerly Dean of Student Services and is now Vice Provost of Student Services.
She doesn’t have as much contact with students as she used to, but her role is integral in making sure everything works for students and staff. She removes roadblocks that hinder a student’s ability to progress and paves out smooth roads between both students and staff.
Her importance didn’t start when she became Vice Provost. She remembers when she was Dean of Student Services, she had to discipline a student who cheated on a placement test. She wasn’t a student in the college yet, but she gave her an opportunity to retake the test.
As part of her sanction, this particular student had to volunteer in Student Life. This decision changed this student’s school career drastically.
“She became part of a community that really pushed her, motivated her and gave her a sense of belonging at Broward and allowed her to truly excel.”
What seemed like punishment at first turned into a positive for the student and kickstarted a successful higher education career.
The thing she most enjoys about her job is the ability to create programs and acquire tools that allow students to be set for graduation and their personal life.
Currently, she is working on a program to install a food pantry at the college to support students who are in need.
Generally, she also finds making sure that everyone is behaving in a way that’s conducive to learning to be a fun part of her job.
Stubbs is in this role because she genuinely believes that Broward College has the ability to change lives of students and staff alike.
“College has the opportunities that students need to be able to acquire an education and to move on, whether it’s to go to a university or the world of work.”
If there’s anything a student finds to be “missing,” she wants them to email her and encourages them to be honest and open with her. Reach out and ask questions when having trouble, since there’s always someone at the other end of the line.
If you would like to contact Dean Evans or Vice Provost Stubbs, their emails are jevans@broward.edu and jstubbs@broward.edu.
