Ask Dean Joe returns September 17

Since 2015, “Ask Dean Joe” has been a great venue for students to connect with Joe Henry, Dean of Students at King’s, to ask questions, get updates on events on campus and be connected to each other and campus. “My favourite time is the hours I get to spend talking to students. It’s not complicated to set up and is an easy way to engage students,” says Henry.

“Ask Dean Joe” will be broadcast to our students in London and around the world from the King Student Life Centre (SLC) on King’s Instagram account, every third Thursday of the month beginning at 11 a.m.  on September 17, 2020. For that first session, Henry’s guest will be Ben Kitching, King’s University College Students’ Council President.

Each session, once a month, will include a guest discussing with Dean Henry the student experience at King’s and answering questions. “It doesn't matter where you are, we can reach you and show you what the King's experience is about,” says Henry. Henry will also be in-person in the Student Life Centre during Ask Dean Joe to answer questions of students in person.  

“This year will be different, no doubt,” says Henry of the 2020-2021 “season” of the program.  However, he believes “Ask Dean Joe” will still serve an especially important role: connecting to students and helping students connect to King’s. He points to research that shows students who are connected with campus early in their university journey, and feel included, increase their likelihood of persisting in their studies. Henry says “Ask Dean Joe” will be part of King’s overall strategy in 2020-2021 to help students become connected and feel included.

Henry began the series when he arrived at King’s as a way for him to meet with and listen to students, talk about his role, and discover ways to help them navigate the student experience. He knew students, especially in first year, were sometimes reluctant to ask for help. “Being visible to them and meeting them in their space, without being intrusive, I can open up a dialogue, help solve problems or just be a listening ear,” says Henry.

“Ask Dean Joe” began as an in-person session, and while the series has evolved to include social media (Facebook Live and now Instagram Live), it remains a way for Henry to stay connected to students. 

Henry has had a variety of guests on “Ask Dean Joe” from student leaders discussing their programming to Student Affairs staff to members of the ITS department talking about myKing’s. “I just like engaging with a wide variety of people,” he says.

While most editions of “Ask Dean Joe” take place in the SLC, one past session took place on the King’s-Brescia Shuttle, and included members of Central Services, ITS and King’s Principal Dr. David Malloy.  Henry says the session “was a lot of fun. Name another university that would do that!”

Joe Henry (who has his own Instagram @askdeanjoe) will host “Ask Dean Joe”, to be broadcast on the King’s Instagram page, on:

• September 17, 2020
• October 15, 2020
• November 19, 2020
• December 17, 2020
• January 21, 2021
• February 18, 2021
• March 18, 2021
• April 15, 2021

King’s students can also utilize Ask Joe Virtual Office Hours by requesting a virtual Zoom chat with Henry. For more information, please visit https://www.kings.uwo.ca/current-students/student-affairs/