In a series on the Vanderbilt Instagram account, students can get to know some of the dedicated staff who play a crucial role in creating a welcoming and supportive environment for them. This installment features Chad Novak, program coordinator with Residential Colleges. He focuses on the first-year experience, helping students to immerse themselves in the college experience and engage with Vanderbilt in and out of the classroom.
Stay tuned for more Q&A sessions with staff members at Vanderbilt, whose daily efforts help shape positive experiences for the entire university community.
View the rest of the staff Q&A series.
Watch Chad’s Q&A Session:
If the average Vanderbilt student were a cartoon character, who would they be?
I would say Dora the Explorer, because Vanderbilt students are always engaged in immersive learning around the world.
Since we just watched the 2024 Summer Olympics, favorite gymnastics tricks? Can you do a backflip?
A little background, I was a competitive gymnast for 11 years. So I really enjoy gymnastics, and I would say my favorite event was the pommel horse. If you saw Stephen (Nedoroscik), he won the bronze medal on the pommel horse—that’s my favorite. As for a backflip, watch the video!
What is a residential college? What is Residential Colleges as a department?
So, a residential college is a specific type of living learning community, where we have faculty who live in residence and help shape the culture of that community through programming and various initiatives. Residential Colleges as a department focuses on student development outside of the classroom. We think about how students get involved and engaged in academics outside of curricular spaces, how they engage with new ideas in their applications and who they want to be in this world. The main mechanism of our programming involves faculty to student interactions, and this is accomplished first and foremost by having those faculty live in residence on campus. So, through faculty, staff and student interactions, Vanderbilt students are supported in times of crisis, in times of community and in all of the small moments in between that bring us together.
What is your favorite thing about working with first-year students?
College is such a transformational period, and I enjoy working with students to help them find their passions, their purposes, their identities and who they want to be in this world.
What is your favorite event at Vanderbilt?
So, my favorite event that I personally produce is called Commons Ball. The Commons Ball is essentially a college prom, where we get together for one night and transform the Commons Center into a whole different theme. We have extravagant food, activities and vendors, and we all dress up and have a great night!
What do you like to do in your free time?
So, some things I like to do in my free time are board games—I love having game nights with my friends. It’s just a great opportunity to have a chill night and bond with one another. I also love doing trivia, so every Wednesday I go to trivia with my friends, and we see if we can beat our previous record. And I just enjoy watching Netflix and going on TikTok!
