In her 24 years working in student affairs, Barb Prewett, director for student support and community standards and assistant dean of students, has enjoyed knowing that her work impacts the lives and development of students directly and then in turn impacting the greater society after graduation day.

Barb joined S&T in June of 1998 as a computer programmer for student affairs. Over time, she progressed in that role and took on additional responsibilities including leading the Chancellor’s Leadership Academy, working in student conduct, and being a founding member of University Committee for Assistance, Response, and Evaluation (UCARE).

Barb oversees strategic planning in the student affairs division and serves on many teams and committees including UCARE, JED Campus Health and Wellbeing Committee, University Assessment Committee, the UM System Vice Chancellors for Student Affairs, Critical Incident Response Team and the Rolla Regional Area Crisis Intervention Team.

Barb at a glance

Hometown: St. James, Missouri

Education: B.S. in management information systems and computer science and an M.S. in industrial organizational psychology from Missouri S&T.

Favorite S&T memory: Barb cherishes the meaningful relationships with campus and system colleagues, along with the opportunities she has had to explore new challenges and make a difference across the student affairs division. However, Barb recalls a time as a new computer programmer for student affairs in 1999, campus was preparing for the new millennium and had purchased in bulk around 60 Gateway desktop units to be distributed. Barb’s supervisor at the time had her climb on top of a huge stack of original cow-print boxes that Gateway systems were packaged in to take a picture.

Advice to other employees: “Fail forward with positivity, see failure as a steppingstone, not a stumbling block. Seek opportunities to thrive daily by leveraging the wealth of resources and opportunities available at S&T,” says Barb Prewett. “Continuously look for new ways to learn and develop, strive for improvement, and collaborate with campus and system partners. Finally, surround yourself with positive relationships at work and beyond.”

Hobbies: Barb loves to swim, bake and shop.

Favorite food: Salmon with a lemon caper cream sauce and any type of pizza.

People are surprised to learn: Barb is the daughter of a World War II veteran.

Family: Barb is married to Jerry L. Prewett, who serves as assistant state geologist. They have one son, Charleton Wuest Prewett, who will start his mechanical engineering degree at Missouri S&T this fall and is working for Archer-Elgin Surveying & Engineering in Rolla.

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