We hope you enjoy this series where we meet and get to know employees from across campus. Would you like to be featured? Contact us at campusnews@csufresno.edu.

Name: Michele Dunlap
Title: Assistant Director of Housing
Department: Student Housing
Academic Degree(s):

• B.A. in Criminal Justice, California State University, Bakersfield
• M.S. in Criminology, Fresno State

How long have you worked at Fresno State?
I have worked at Fresno State since 2004 when I started as a graduate assistant in the housing office doing residence life and student conduct. I became a full-time staff member in 2006 and continued working with Residence Life and Student Conduct.

After some encouragement, I left to go work for California State University, Northridge in the housing department. In 2017, I came back to Student Housing as the assistant director and have been here ever since.

Are you a Valley native?
I am not a Valley native. I was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One of my professors at California State University, Bakerfield graduated from here and spoke highly of the college. I also had family in Fresno.

Are you a Bulldog family with generations of Bulldog graduates or current students?
I am a first-generation college student and the only person in my family to have attended and graduated from here.

Do you have a campus mentor or someone who has helped you in your career?
Erin Boele has been my mentor/supervisor since I was hired in 2004. I have learned so much from her throughout the years and truly appreciate working with her.

Tell us about your department and what people may not know about it.
Our department is small, but mighty. We have eight full-time staff members to serve and support our 1,200 residents. We absolutely could not do it without the support of our 65 student staff members.

What is your most notable accomplishment in your field, and why was it important?
One of my most notable accomplishments is a situation involving a student. This particular student was struggling to make friends and feel connected to campus life. They were also dealing with some mental health struggles and used art to destress.

This student came across my radar when some of their drawings concerned others. I was able to meet with this student and get them connected to resources on campus. We stayed connected and would meet periodically over the years. It was a special moment when they graduated.

What are you most passionate about in your field and why?
I love working with the students; however, our student staff have my heart. The privilege of connecting with our student staff and seeing them develop over the years into graduates and beyond is definitely a high point of my career.

What is a memorable moment you had at your job?
A memorable moment was March 2020 when COVID-19 impacted our campus. Student Housing was considered necessary to be in-person. It was a surreal point in time when we would arrive to a vacant campus except for our students. We worked to organize residents moving out, consolidating the remaining residents and adapting to the continuous changes.

What is your teaching style?
I would consider my teaching style as collaborative. Every spring semester I teach the RA 70 class and I have such a fun time connecting real life events and experiences to leadership.

What is the most interesting or unusual job you've ever had?
I worked at McDonald’s for multiple years when I was in high school. I had a blast. It was so much fun, and I got to meet and work with lots of different people.

What is your favorite quote or saying?
"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light". This quote is said by Albus Dumbledore, of the Harry Potter series.

What do you like to do for fun in your spare time?
I have a five-year-old little boy so I don’t have much spare time. Outside of playing with him, I love to read and watch a good show.

What is something interesting about you that most people don’t know?
I ride motorcycles.