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Terry W. Mason

Assistant Vice President for Student Affiars
Director, Student Counseling Service
515) 294-0153
oriole@iastate.edu

 

As head resident assistant of his residence hall at Cornell College, Terry Mason seemed to attract fellow students who had “problems” to discuss. He got the same feedback over and over: “Terry, you should do this for a living.”

By the time he began working on his doctorate at Texas Tech, Mason was well on his way to a career in counseling, a field that has changed significantly since his college days. Now he finds that students come to see counselors with more serious personal problems and increased stress and anxiety than what he saw in those days.

The more serious the conditions, the greater the need for immediate access to counseling services, and one of Mason’s goals in directing the Student Counseling Service is keeping the waiting list as close to zero as possible.

Another important goal for Mason has been developing and maintaining staff morale. He believes that counselors are less effective when their work environment drains their energy unnecessarily or fails to provide a sense of personal satisfaction. Current staff morale is high, despite busy schedules that include not only counseling students, but also providing consultations for faculty, staff, and administrators, teaching courses, and participating in educational outreach efforts.

In recent years, Mason has taken on a wider range of administrative duties in becoming Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs in addition to Director, Student Counseling Services. During the 2002-2003 academic year, he helped energize efforts in Alcohol, Substance Abuse, and Violence Prevention Programs, and in the Summer and Fall of 2004, he served as the Interim Director of the Memorial Union and Interim Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. He has also served as the Interim Director of International Students and Scholars.

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B.A., Psychology, Biology, Cornell College, 1977

PhD, Counseling Psychology, Texas Tech University, 1982