Meet Joshuan McNeal, Assistant Director of Student Engagement and Activities

Published Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Joshuan McNeal

Meet Joshuan (Josh) McNeal, SMSU’s new assistant director of student engagement and activities. Josh began his role on June 3, 2026. In this position, he works with intramurals, clubs, student activities, and Student Association. When asked what changes he hopes to make to improve the student experience on campus, he said, “I want to create a culture and environment where voices can be heard.”

He plans to do that by working with the Student Association Committee, collaborating with groups and departments, and using data and feedback to make changes. “I want to focus a lot on increasing connections among students,” he said.

Josh was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, but later moved to Wisconsin to attend Lakeland College. There, he studied communication and sports management and played basketball for four years. After that, he coached basketball for three years at the same college. He then took a position at Beacon College in Florida, where he worked in events and residence life, organized campus events, and helped with crisis management for neurodiverse student populations.

Josh said his interest in student engagement and activities started in college when his success coach encouraged him to become an orientation leader.

“That experience helped me fall in love with working in teams,” he said. He went on to serve as an orientation leader for three years, lead clubs on campus, and eventually become a student success coach himself.

When asked how he would engage students on campus, even with the distraction of phones, Josh said that phones and social media can be tools to communicate and connect with students. Rather than trying to eliminate either one, he hopes to connect with students both online and in person. I think that is a smart approach, and I would love to see how it works in real life.

One thing he is most looking forward to in this role is bringing people together and creating experiences students will remember. “I want students to know I’m open to new ideas and collaboration,” he said.

Outside of work, Josh enjoys playing sports, especially basketball, soccer, and ping pong.

“I’m pretty good at any sport, so if you find me, challenge me,” he said. He also enjoys video games, reading, and content creation, especially podcasting. One fun fact about Josh is that he describes himself as an empathetic person, which is part of what drew him to student activities. He also wants to visit different libraries because he enjoys reading and discovering new books.

“I am truly excited about being a part of something bigger than myself,” he said.

Josh’s office is located in the Student Center 229, behind the information desk.

Favour Eneh, SMSU student, contributed to this article.