To provide an example of outcomes assessment that aligns with student affairs standards (Finney & Horst, 2019a), we share our process of assessing a mandated eight-week program for students on academic probation. Furthermore, our process highlights the value of using existing theory and research to inform assessment and program redesign…

This Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) builds on McCluskey-Titus and Cawthon's (2004) use of the "grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" metaphor to explore the experiences of a Black American woman faculty member transitioning from her role as a student affairs administrator to a full-time, tenure-earning faculty…

The empathic demands facing student affairs practitioners can cause significant emotional distress that some may experience as trauma. Supervision may mitigate this distress, but student affairs supervisors are often ineffective. This pilot study was conducted by scholar-practitioners who explored the connections between feminist praxis in…

Critical and justice-oriented approaches to leadership are incomplete without attention to racism and racialization. This study employed basic qualitative inquiry to examine racialized legitimation within student affairs leadership education through lenses of whiteness as property and legitimacy. Findings detail how leadership educators sought to…

Our study examines how the relationships with various human ecological systems influence the transition by rural students from home communities to postsecondary institutions. Using phenomenological interview data with 14 students who are from rural Alaska and 14 postsecondary student service staff, our analysis identified characteristics of the…

This study examines the perceived changes in the geography of student support for racial/ethnic minoritized students after pursuing federal Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) designation and grants. Specifically, this qualitative multiple-case study examines the decision-making related to, and perceived changes in, space and place aimed at…

This qualitative study explored the supervision practices of graduate assistant supervisors at two large research institutions. Six themes emerged as best practices: graduate assistant supervisors took a student-centered approach, provided thorough training, cultivated a learning-focused experience, established effective communication, built…

Neoliberalism and patriarchal norms have shaped the working conditions for student affairs professionals. This case study collected individual and focus group interviews, leveraging the experiences and situated knowledge of working mothers in student affairs to develop organizational guidelines for more equitable and unified work environments. By…

Student services professionals have emerged as significant supportive collaborators in the construction of environments that encourage student success within Canadian post-secondary education (Hardy-Cox & Strange, 2010). In Canada, literature pertaining to student services is evolving and research from other contexts is therefore often used to…

Resident assistant hiring decisions are critical to the residential student experience and ultimately to the success of housing and residence life departments. The purpose of this study is to explore the influences existing in the hiring decision-making process for housing and residence life staff. We also compare the influences of hiring…

For decades, the student affairs field has viewed supervision as a vital function of many professional roles for which staff rarely receive intentional training. While there is limited scholarship outlining what effective supervision should entail, the frameworks available to intentionally guide supervisory skill development is sparse. The…

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to understand how institutions of higher education implemented a gender-inclusive housing option for students from the perspective of student affairs administrators. Of particular interest was how housing administrators perceived a gender-inclusive housing option impacted students and the campus community.…

Students with minoritized identities (SMI) are increasingly engaged on college campuses as activists and often feel unsupported by faculty and student affairs professionals (SAP). This phenomenological study examined how eight SMI activists described their experiences partnering with faculty or SAPs. Data analysis from semi-structured interviews…

This study examined the phenomenon of being geographically bound as a student affairs professional. Participants described challenges in career advancement, tension between personal and professional aspirations, and self-doubt about their professional identity due to pervasive messaging that "you need to move out to move up." Results…

Mattering is the subjective perception that others are aware of us, care about us, and depend on us at the interpersonal (e.g., friends) and societal levels (e.g., workplace, school). Interpersonal and university mattering explain important variances in college students' well-being and academic performance; therefore, shorter, more tailored…