This book examines the leadership role of higher education chief student affairs officers (CSAO). Organized in three parts, Part One consists of four chapters that survey the CSAO's responsibilities as a campus leader. The first chapter describes the various roles and functions of the position and discusses its origins and evolution. Chapter Two describes the officer's special relationship with the president and other major administrative officers. Chapter Three describes the crucial and complex relationship between the chief student affairs officer and the students. The CSAO's major constituencies are described in Chapter Four. The three chapters that comprise Part Two focus on the primary administrative functions of the chief student affairs officer: management, mediation, and education. Chapter Five describes organizational, financial, and supervisory responsibilities. Chapter Six proposes specific strategies for effective mediation of campus problems, and Chapter Seven presents the CSAO as educator. The two chapters that make up Part Three explore professional concerns and commitments. Chapter Eight focuses on the need to assess the professional effectiveness of CSAOs and describes the complexities of determining adequate evaluative criteria. In Chapter Nine trends likely to affect the future development of the position are examined. The text includes an index and over 80 references. (JB)