C.D. Douglas joined Wayne State College staff this summer as the new vice president of student affairs.

Douglas originally worked at South Dakota State University for 21 and a half years until the position at Wayne called to him. Douglas is from Marshall, Minnesota, so his commute to start his job in Wayne was three and a half hours.

“I knew the position had been vacant for a while and the president of the college was looking for someone who could do the job, someone who was reliable,” Douglas said. “I got a phone call being asked if I was interested in a position, and at the time I said no because I was content where I was at.”

Douglas originally planned to finish his career out at South Dakota State. However, he decided that the opportunity as vice president of student affairs did not come across his desk every day.

“It was a lateral move to make that gave me something to look at and take a bit more seriously,” Douglas said. “This job sparked my curiosity, so my wife and I talked about it and I came up for an interview which was 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. I was also interviewing the university as well, making sure they would be a good fit for me and my family because I had to uproot.”

At first, Douglas seemed hesitant about the size of the community, since he was used to having shopping opportunities nearby. Once he got on campus for the interview, however, he noticed everyone seemed so pleasant.

“I felt that they were looking for leadership, someone to come in and give them a clear direction for the school division,” Douglas said. “I felt strongly that I could do that here at Wayne State College. I did not mind the smaller campus, so I welcomed that opportunity because I can have more of an impact with students and help them with their growth opportunity.”

Douglas said that he felt that he fit right in on campus, well enough that he could make an impact on the students and the school.

“Coming here being the new vice president of student affairs gave me a new set of challenges,” Douglas said. “Now, I have to make some changes to make sure we are doing what we need to [at WSC].”

As the new vice president of student affairs, Douglas believes that professionally, it has given him a new sense of purpose, with the new challenges, added responsibilities and the opportunities to grow and be involved with WSC.

“I have been able to interact with the students and student leaders which is the fun part of what I do,” Douglas said. “Knowing that the students are very energized and helping other students, that is great seeing their sincerity about helping new students. When I looked at our Week of Welcome(W.O.W) ambassadors . . . it was a lot of students and they were not getting paid; that was exciting because they came back to campus early to do training and help our new freshman students transition.”

Douglas has always loved working with students, so it was easy for him to accept this position because he knew it would be a good fit for him.

“I always have enjoyed working with students,” Douglas said. “At ages 18 and 19, they go through a very challenging time, trying to figure out who they are and their identity. I like to help them with that process because now that mom and dad are not making decisions for them, they must start making decisions for themselves. I like being able to help students develop and grow, it is a critical time and they are fun. They keep me young.”

Douglas said his belief that his job at WSC goes in a full circle from his previous job, and is convinced his job will allow him to be the best version of himself that he can be.

“I really love this opportunity and being able to share this experience with those here at Wayne,” Douglas said. “I am a family man. I love being a husband and a father, so now coming here to Wayne State, it just helped me stay motivated to continue doing what I need to do as a professional and as a husband and father. It just comes around in full circle.”