This chapter describes and discusses implications of the experiences of student affairs leaders--the challenges and the opportunities, the obstacles and the joy--for understanding and facilitating student affairs leadership.

Responses of student affairs leaders to questions about the challenges and obstacles they find in their work are examined and discussed.

The increased diversity of students enrolling in courses on college campuses today brings increased expectations regarding the capabilities of faculty and staff to address the many different needs of students. If colleges and universities are to promote greater staff effectiveness, they will need to create open environments that encourage campus…

Campus safety and the role of college and university officials relative to safety are important topics on the agendas of political leaders at the state and national levels. Student affairs leaders must consider how to contribute in a meaningful way to these very important conversations. (Contains 1 footnote.)

As a result of environmental turbulence created by economic turmoil and shifting social policies, the world of higher education is experiencing widespread change. Student affairs professionals are well-positioned to influence the future direction of higher education and the impact education has for students and society. The NASPA 2012 conference…

In this article, the authors argue that the relevance of student affairs depends on the will to redefine the mission, structures, and practices to provide the leadership that institutions require. They begin with an overview of challenges to higher education and student affairs, examine the implications of those challenges for student affairs, and…

Ernest L. Boyer, former President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Chancellor of the State University of New York, published countless reports and books offering an insider's description of the challenges faced on today's college and university campuses. He also identified concrete suggestions for improving the…

This document examines the relationship between the student affairs and academic functions in higher education and presents three major reasons why student affairs personnel should be involved in academic functions: (1) to contribute to the academic mission and life of the campus; (2) to show that student affairs operates from a body of knowledge…

As leaders and community builders, senior student affairs officers face the challenge to end the hostility, oppression, and invisibility that often characterize the experiences of LGBT students on college campuses.