Q&A: Dr. Amy Downes

Dr. Amy Downes oversees several areas on the Commonwealth University campuses. The student success centers, student orientation, exploratory advising, first-year experience, which includes a first-year seminar course, learning communities, and early start programs all fall under her direction. 

She also oversees the learning/tutoring centers, counseling services, Act 101, TRIO Student Support Services, TRIO Upward Bound, and the Haven Cupboard on the Lock Haven campus. She has been an integral part of the Lock Haven community for many years.

Q: How do you define student success?

A: I think student success is such an individualized experience, and if I’m being honest, it’s always led by the student. For one student, success might be “I came in as a psych major and graduated as a psych major,” for another, it’s “I came in as a psych major and graduated as a business major.” It is defined by the student, and I see our role in the areas that report to me to guide students on their path and meet their goals of what it means to be
successful. Sometimes that means having to interfere when there are bumps on the road for them. They come in, achieve, graduate, but it’s so much more nuanced than that. The student is at the center of how they define “success” and it’s our job to respond to that.

Q: Can you talk about your career progression at Lock Haven?

A: I’ve probably worn as many hats as years I’ve been here. I was an instructor in the social work department for three years—that’s how I started. I worked in residence life, I worked in the Center for Excellence and Inclusion, was director of student success, then associate director of student support and retention, and am now associate vice president. I feel I have a holistic picture of the student experience as a result of the variety of roles I’ve held. My background and degrees are all in social work. My lens and how I view things come from this background. I see people before I see anything else.

Q: What is the Haven Cupboard and how has it impacted Lock Haven’s students? 

A: I was working as a director in the Center for Excellence and Inclusion with an extremely passionate group of students. We started brainstorming about what was missing on the campus. What do we need that we could create or try to create? After many iterations, we landed on this—a food cupboard to address student hunger. I did some research about what other colleges had put in place to combat food insecurity on campus. Then we met with the president and were fortunate to get a lot of support from the administration for this project. When we started, we only provided shelf-stable items. We had a refrigerator and freezer donated that greatly increased our ability to offer fresh and frozen foods. It’s always been a shopping experience for students. The only criteria is students have to be enrolled in at least one credit in the semester they’re coming in. Our first year we served 328 individuals; in fall 2023 we served 406 individual students for over 1,600 visits.

Q: Why is Lock Haven such a great place to be?

A: First and foremost, it’s our students. I cannot count the number of students I’ve had the honor of working with throughout my career. It’s also great because of our faculty, staff, and leadership. Our faculty and staff are so committed to helping students find success.

Q: What do you do in your spare time?

A: I do enjoy going to Benezette where the wild elk herd is located. That’s probably the most unique thing I do.

This story appears in the Summer 2024 issue of The Haven magazine.