Since 2010, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among college students have increased. Student affairs (SA) practitioners may not have received sufficient training to handle issues regarding student suicidality. Results of a survey of SA professionals across the United States assessing their knowledge, opinions, and actions taken around student…

Using a constructivist paradigm, this qualitative study investigated the impact of social identities on how professionalism is learned, practiced, and challenged by new professionals in student affairs. Collaborators in this study included 25 recent graduates of a student affairs professional preparation program. Findings suggest race, gender,…

Institutional politics and emerging changes to the professoriate have potentially positioned tenure-track faculty within an academic labor system that assumes academic training and expertise guides their progression. This qualitative narrative study of 12 higher education and student affairs (HESA) pre-tenure faculty explored their navigation of…

Over the past decade, the preparation of student affairs professionals has evolved. Historically, curricular professional preparation existed solely at the graduate level. Today, there is a growing trend around designing and offering undergraduate student affairs coursework (UGSAC) packaged as stand-alone electives, minors, certificates, or…

There is a range of barriers to postsecondary access and success for undocumented college students in the United States. Considering these barriers, scholars, practitioners, and activists alike have called on institutions of higher education to enhance their capacity to serve, support, and advocate for undocumented students. One way that…

Higher education institutions can often serve as sites of growth and possibility. At the same time, trauma in varying forms permeates higher education across institutional types. The authors define trauma as the short- and long-term direct and indirect response to deeply distressing events. Students, faculty, and staff all experience various…

The authors investigated 12 student affairs professionals' experiences with political climate across five predominantly white institutions using a multiple case study constant comparative approach. This article describes how recurring racialized incidents have affected student affairs professionals' ability to navigate the United States political…

Student affairs work is built on relationships, but these deep connections should not be devleoped too quickly. Each person should be allowed to choose what they disclose. Student affairs has drifted into the expectation of full disclosure as more valuable than safety and privacy. Student affairs professionals must examine and disrupt forced…

College and university remain the dominant academic pathways for graduating Canadian high school students. However, apprenticeships can provide alternative education pathways for a significant proportion of the population. Despite the push to undergraduate programming, some students end up in fields that don't suit their interests. To pursue…

This exploratory embedded case study examined the personal and professional social media use of entry-level student affairs professionals at four campuses from a state university system. Bounded by the profession of student affairs, this study focused on how entry-level student affairs professionals used social media platforms. Findings suggest…

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…

Students learn how to be a leader and how to develop their leadership capacity as they participate in shared experiences or learning communities, many of which are facilitated by student affairs professionals through campus activities programs. For large numbers of college students, their first learning community, and subsequent path to future…

Using qualitative data from 22 early-career-student-affairs professionals, this study examines the relationship between social and professional identity and professional practice. Guided by the R-MMDI and a criticalist perspective (Freire, 1970), we find that race, gender, age, and first-generation status are the most salient identities in the…

Although universities often expect student affairs staff to possess advanced leadership skills, many have not undergone formal training as leadership educators, which often leads to inconsistent outcomes in leadership development programs. Drawing on best practices in facilitating leadership learning --including the use of multiple pedagogies,…

Canonical research and identity-evasive best practices have pushed Student Affairs Professionals (SAP) to limit the applicability and effectiveness of involvement for a swath of the student body. By examining the push for involvement on college campuses, it is imperative to critically examine the impact traditional forms of student engagement have…