If you ask Ryan Comfort how he went from earning a master’s degree in journalism/mass communication to a post in academic advising in the College of Arts and Sciences, he would tell you it was purely academic. Comfort came to Chapel Hill on a Park Fellowship from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he served students in recruiting, advising, retention and curriculum development in the School of Education.
“My real passion is to help marginalized or under-represented students realize and achieve their potential,” he said. “We are the ‘boots on the ground’ dedicated to making sure everyone has the support, resources and services they need to earn their degree.”
A Native American from the Keweenaw Bay Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, Comfort is a first-generation college student one generation removed from the reservation. He certainly relates to many of his advisees’ circumstances, and is focused on helping build a more diverse student body and curriculum. And that’s what he brings to UNC. From his office in Hardin Residence Hall, Comfort is available to students in their own environment, on their schedule and in a more relaxed atmosphere.
“My favorite part of this work is when a student walks in to my office to ask a question, get advice, or just talk about whatever is on their mind at the moment,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons several of us are actually in the residence halls; we want to bring the services to the students and engage them outside the traditional academic setting.” The goal is to create relationships that bring students in more often and when things are fantastic; not just when there is a problem or they need to make sure their courses will fill specific requirements.
My real passion is to help marginalized or under-represented students realize and achieve their potential. We are the ‘boots on the ground’ dedicated to making sure everyone has the support, resources and services they need to earn their degree.
>> Ryan Comfort
As for that master’s degree, Comfort focused on media production and mass communication because he wanted to connect to the students through the technology they used to engage each other. “Students’ interactions and interpersonal relationships have changed dramatically with the technology explosion we have experienced over the last decade or so,” he said. “It occurred to me that if I were going to engage students in their environment, I needed to have the skills to produce the media communication that they would respond to. Coming to UNC enabled me to combine my experience in advising students with the skills to produce the media that would reach them.”
Comfort said he is also glad to be a familiar face and a comfortable place for students as well. “All students, whatever their heritage or background or ethnicity, gravitate toward people like themselves when it comes to community,” he said. “I also want to encourage students to embrace their heritage, infuse their culture into their lives, take pride in who they are and where they are from, and enjoy the privilege of doing that.”
As an educator, Comfort has not only taught in the journalism school, he aims to create a course for student groups focused on developing leadership and communication capabilities. “It’s important for all students to develop their leadership potential, build their confidence and sharpen their communication skills because they will need those attributes throughout their lives,” he said. “Being able to do that makes this the best place for me to be.”
By Hope Baptiste ’87
