Darron Jenkins

In some ways, Darron Jenkins is a community architect. He works with campus partners to design smaller communities where students can learn, grow and find support to help them succeed.

Jenkins is the Living Learning Community Program Manager within the Office of Student Success and Retention. He provides leadership and oversight for the university’s four Living Learning Communities: RISE (Reaching and Inspiring Student Excellence), Mindfulness and Yoga, Education, and Health Services. Fall 2023 will see the launch of Wilmywood (film studies and the arts), STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), and Make-A-Difference (service learning and civic engagement) LLCs.

“When I look at UNCW’s mission, I reflect on the commitment to student engagement, critical thinking and responsible citizenship,” said Jenkins. “In the LLC program, we want students to be engaged in UNCW and the greater Wilmington community. I also recognize the importance of being able to think critically. As we continue to expand the LLC program, I want to provide intentional opportunities for students to critically think about who they are and what their impact will be while they are a student at UNCW.”

To create effective and meaningful student experiences, Jenkins works closely with various campus partners on co-curricular programming and classes and ensures that the LLC program is designed through an equitable lens.

“I want all students who participate in the LLC program to feel seen, heard and to feel like they are part of a community within UNCW,” he said.

Before transitioning to his current role, Jenkins was the assistant director of arts and programs in Campus Life, overseeing programming and Campus Life marketing on social media platforms. He worked as an academic advisor at the University of Southern Mississippi and as a coordinator for Residence Life at UNC Greensboro prior to joining UNCW in July 2021.

Academia wasn’t Jenkins’s initial plan. He was a business major but wanted a career that would allow him to help others.

“I did not know in what capacity,” he recalled. “My residence life coordinator at Southern Miss was the first to introduce me to student affairs and higher education as a potential career path.”

Jenkins served as a resident assistant and later secured a graduate assistantship with Louisiana State University as the Graduate Assistant of Leadership, where he was the advisor for the Residence Hall Association and National Residence Hall Honorary. He also was admitted into the higher education administration master’s program.

What excites Jenkins about his job is the opportunity “to reimagine and provide leadership of what a living learning community experience can be at UNCW,” he added.

“I try my best to be the type of administrator who makes decisions based on the wants and needs of our ever-changing student population,” he said. “I want students that I interact with to feel like they matter. I continue this work because I love helping students navigate college academically and as student leaders.”