Both Sides of the Desk

For Charlie Potts, student care isn’t just a job description. It’s a lived daily experience that happens to call the Gustavus Adolphus College campus home. As Dean of Students and a Gustie alum, Potts has spent years navigating the delicate, vital space between proactive support and real-time problem solving. But recently, his perspective on higher education has shifted as his 17-year-old twin sons tour campuses and consider the next steps in their academic journeys. 

“The last year has been so enlightening for me as a professional and as a parent,” he says with a laugh.

That dual lens as both a seasoned campus leader and a parent walking through the college search in real time has reshaped how Potts views the Gustavus experience, deepening his empathy and sharpening his mission to ensure every student feels seen, supported, and challenged.

Every day on campus, Potts operates with a simple core philosophy: "Student-centered, student-focused, every minute of every day is sort of what's required of this role. That's what's in my heart." In student affairs, that means balancing the immediate needs of students navigating sudden hurdles with the foresight required to build systems where everyone can thrive. "The most challenging part of my job is that you have to live upstream and downstream," Potts explains. "I am always thinking, ‘What are the supports we can put in place? What are the activities and programs and the things that will make students feel like they belong and are connected here?’"

At Gustavus, that proactive care ranges from expanding accessible mental health and wellness resources to making room for simple, joy-filled campus moments. "We know Gusties study hard, but we’ve really tried to proactively provide fun stuff, because it makes people happy and engaged," Potts says. It’s an approach grounded in the institution's deeply relational culture—one where staff and faculty don't just manage student life, but actively invest in it.

Yet, stepping into the shoes of a prospective parent this past year added an entirely new layer to his work. Listening to his own children and their peers talk through their anxieties, dreams, and the sheer complexity of choosing a path heightened his understanding of what today's families face. "My empathy has grown exponentially," Potts reflects. "Because I'm listening to them talk about what's important to them about college, the confusion that their friends are having, and the stuff they're dealing with...it has heightened my empathy for what our students are going through."

At the same time, seeing his twins approach young adulthood gave him a refreshed approach to student mentorship—one that blends deep care with empowering encouragement. "There are so many times now where I want to kick my kids in the butt and say, 'You are so capable! Just do this thing!'" he laughs. "That's translated a little bit to my work...to reframe and tweak a little bit the way I approach some of my student conversations to say, 'Come on, you can do this.'"

Perhaps the most impactful shift has been in how Potts connects with prospective parents. He remembers years of offering well-meaning assurances like "trust the process." But sitting on the other side of the admission desk changed everything. "Now that I'm a parent going to campuses, I'm like, 'But will you? How do I know you will?' It’s helped me speak a little bit differently with parents about not just trusting that we'll do it, but here's exactly how we're going to do it."

Instead of abstract promises, Potts emphasizes personal, warm handoffs—introducing families directly to the directors, counselors, and staff members who will know their child by name. "Putting a name and a face to a thing makes it real," he notes. "To say, 'Heather is fantastic. These are the things Aaron can help your student talk through. These are the things Kadyn does well.'”

“It's a real person, and it's a real, warm handoff."

As Potts guides his own sons through their choices, his journey across the higher education landscape has ultimately reinforced what makes the Gustavus community special. "Genuinely, the college search with my boys has taught me we do stuff really well here," Potts says. "We care about people here. We personalize things. We really care about social connection and academic fit, and all the things about student development that matter."

For incoming students and the parents entrusting them to the College, Potts’s takeaway is simple, reassuring, and heartfelt.

"A message I want to make sure parents hear is that we got 'em. We got 'em, and we will do all we can to make sure that they know someone has their back."