This study aimed to investigate and describe the nonacademic decision-making experiences impacting U.S. Catholic college or university senior student affairs officers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 virus affected all institutions of higher education, and while most campuses had crisis response plans to guide decision-making, most…

The field of student affairs has been characterized by high levels of attrition, burnout, compassion fatigue, and a lack of appreciation and recognition for its dedicated and highly skilled professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic magnified and intensified these tensions, and a high percentage of student affairs practitioners are considering leaving…

The purpose of this research was to explore the perceptions of student affairs administrators, working in both public and private higher education institutions, regarding how they learned to use technology and gain insight into how their work would evolve in the future. While the COVID-19 pandemic affected everyone in the higher education…

In March 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic created complex and time-sensitive challenges for colleges and universities that temporarily closed campuses and restricted access to students and personnel. Given the pandemic's magnitude, there was no roadmap to resolve these challenges. Leaders drew on experience, training, and a variety of leadership…

The COVID-19 crisis presented unique challenges for senior student affairs officers (SSAOs). Through interviews with a diverse group of 23 SSAOs, this study investigated SSAOs perceptions of this crisis as different from other crises. SSAOs identified several characteristics that made this crisis unique: no playbook to use as a guide, the…

This phenomenological study aimed to better understand how new student affairs professionals perceived their sense of self-efficacy and how it impacted their career satisfaction, especially during the COVID-19 global pandemic. This study examined the lived experiences of new student affairs professionals. Data were collected through a series of…

A great deal of research has established training student affairs and higher education (SAHE) professionals in helping skills is important to assist undergraduate students in college and university programs with mental health needs. The COVID-19 global pandemic placed SAHE professionals in a unique position to support college students as students…

In this article, the author describes the changes to their work in higher education due to the COVID-19 international pandemic. The move away from campus and in-person meetings and interactions to work-from-home and videoconferencing led the author to consider the changes to the students lives: What was it like for them taking their last steps off…

Parasocial Relationships can mirror social relationships, particularly to individuals in isolation. Student Affairs practitioners were enormously impacted by the conditions of the Great Distress Era (the period that included the COVID-19 restrictions, racial violence and protests in response, political unrest). Many engaged in parasocial…

The current workforce comprises a mosaic of generations, including Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and the newly emerging Generation Z. This qualitative study provides valuable insights into the professional needs of Generation Z employees in Student Affairs. The aim is to enhance understanding among their supervisors regarding this new…

This article examines the potential effectiveness, benefits, and drawbacks of fully virtual interviewing, including the final interview process, for both candidates and search committees in student affairs and services. Interviews were held with those involved with searches during the pandemic to consider if a fully virtual interview process may…

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented disruptions in higher education, forcing swift changes to core operations, particularly within divisions of student affairs. A review of the literature reveals COVID-19 presented many unique challenges for students and student affairs professionals, including disruptions in traditional…

Student affairs professionals have a unique position within the higher education system; they provide students with opportunities to develop as a 'whole person' outside the classroom setting. SAPs are expected to be on campus, meeting the needs of students regardless of the time of day, responding to emergencies, while also trying to find balance…

This article employs narrative inquiry and counter-storytelling as methodological and analytical tools to unpack the collective experiences of racially minoritized student affairs practitioners and faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors' narratives underscore factors that impeded their success during the pandemic and the nuances of…

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how mid-level student conduct professionals (SCPs) made meaning of their professional and mid-level leadership experiences during their institutions' immediate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study draws on sensemaking as a theoretical lens and literature related to mid-level…