Vincent Kloskowski
Vincent J. Kloskowski, III ’19

Career

  • Current position: Executive Director of College, Career, and Extended Learning Opportunites, MSAD 17
  • Position during PhD studies: Executive Director of TRIO Student Support Services, Southern Maine Community College

Vincent has served as a higher education administrator and student success and support specialist for more than two decades. He began his career as a college admission officer, leading to progressively responsible leadership positions in enrollment management with a focus on strategic student retention and persistence initiatives programming. Vincent has also dedicated his career to creating and enhancing academic achievement, advising, faculty development, and student success programming for undergraduate and graduate students at both two-year and four-year, public and private, higher education institutions. He also has served as a faculty instructor teaching first-year experience, student success seminar, and English Literature courses at colleges and universities. Additionally, Vincent has centered a great deal of his higher education research and writing on holistic support of underrepresented student populations.

Degrees:

  • Ph.D. in Public Policy with a Concentration in Educational Leadership and Policy, University of Southern Maine, 2019
  • M.A. in Higher Education Administration, Boston College, 1996
  • B.A. in English and Communications (Double Major), Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, 1995

Certifications and Training:

  • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
  • StrengthsFinder

Memberships:

  • Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU)
  • Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) 
  • College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA)  
  • Maine Educational Opportunity Association (MEEOA)     
  • New England Educational Opportunity Association (NEOA)        
  • National Academic Advising Association (NACADA)   
  • National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition (NRCFYE)  
  • National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAP)       
  • Northeast Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NEAAHP)   
  • National Communication Association (NCA)         
  • National Catholic College Admission Association (NCCAA)    
  • New England Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC)   
  • National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)     
  • National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA)     
  • Delta Epsilon Sigma National Scholastic Honor Society
  • Golden Key International Honour Society
  • Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society

Presentations and Professional Development:

  • Presented concurrent workshop “Creating the Arch of Resilience, Coping, and Navigation for Adult Learners” at National Academic Advising Association 2017 Annual Conference, St. Louis, Missouri — October 13, 2017.
  • Selected as an Administrative Fellow for the New England Educational Opportunity Association (NEOA) Arnold L. Mitchem Leadership Institute (AMLI)— 2016-2017 Academic Year.
  • Elected as National Academic Advising Association Advisory Board Member to the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) for three-year term-April 2015.
  • Presented concurrent workshop “Emerging Leaders Program for NACADA” at Region 1 National Academic Advising Association Annual Conference, Manchester, New Hampshire— March 19, 2015.
  • Recipient of the Outstanding First-Year Students Advocate Award sponsored by the University of South Carolina National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and Cengage Learning for creation of the Peer Mentor Program to be awarded at the 34th Annual FYE Conference in Dallas, Texas— February 8, 2015.
  • Presented concurrent workshop “Parents as Partners: Exploring, Collaborating, and Creating Pathways for Student Success” at National Academic Advising Association 2014 Annual Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota – October 9, 2014.
  • Featured and interviewed for the SALT (American Student Assistance) Monthly Engagement Newsletter Campus Engagement Spotlight article— September 2014.
  • Participant in Boston College Institute for Administrators in Catholic Higher Education— July 2014.
  • Chair of ACT New England Council— 2011-present. 
  • Selected as member of National Academic Advising Association Advising Administration Commission Advisory Board Committee— 2009-present. 
  • Member of National Academic Advising Association- Region 1 Conference Planning Committee— 2009-present.
  • Chair of National Academic Advising Association Advising Administration Commission — 2012-2014.
  • Chair of National Academic Advising Association Region 1 State of Maine Committee — 2011-2013.
  • Member of National Academic Advising Association Region 1 Awards and Scholarships Committee — 2009-2015. Co-Chair of Committee — 2012-present.
  • Recipient of Region 1 National Academic Advising Association 2011 Advising Excellence Award.
  • Appointed member of the Human Relations Committee for the National Association for College Admission Counseling — September 2005 – 2008.
  • Served as Assembly Delegate for the New England Association for College Admission Counseling — June 2002 – June 2005.
  • Recipient of the Human Relations Award for Excellence in College Admissions Counseling by the New England Association for College Admissions Counseling — June 2003.
  • Awarded the 2000 College Counselor of the Year Award for the State of Maine by the New England Association for College Admission Counseling — June 2000.
  • Conference presenter and mentor at New England Association for College Admission Counseling Annual Meeting — 1999-2008.
  • Member of New England Association for College Admission Counseling Annual Meeting Planning Committee — 1999-2008.
  • On-site Chair for New England Association of College Admission Counseling Summer Institute at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine — August 2000.

Dissertation

Title: Understanding the Outcomes From Boots to Books: A Study of the Higher Education Experiences of Student Veterans

Abstract: In recent years, a newfound recognition of the needs of student veterans and the unique challenges they face on college and university campuses has emerged.  However, institutions of higher learning still often find themselves unprepared for the influx of student veterans who are pursuing their degrees after returning from service.  For the returning student veterans, numerous challenges abound that impact persistence, retention, and ultimately academic degree program completion. Difficulties range from navigating institutional support services to negotiating the financial requirements of higher education—not to mention interactions with faculty both in and out of the classroom.

The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to describe and understand the higher education experiences and related outcomes of student veterans as they transition from active duty service to pursuing a bachelor’s degree.  Phenomenological in nature, the study focused on six veterans who are enrolled as full-time students during the 2018-2019 academic year and are currently completing their undergraduate degree at a university located in the northeastern United States. 

The central question that guides this research study is: What are the perceptions of student veterans with respect to their academic and co-curricular higher education experiences?  The findings revealed that most of the veterans, despite encountering a range of difficulties and obstacles integrating into college and university life, viewed their experiences in a positive light—due largely in part because their aptitude, discipline, and military training had instilled in them a level of maturity that prepared them to surmount the obstacles in their way and persist to degree completion.