Higher education is in the midst of a staffing crisis that has been smoldering for decades, and now threatens the operations of campuses across the country. The purpose of this study is to understand how non-faculty professional staff talent is managed, particularly in the early career stage. The case for this study focuses on a mid-sized private university in the southeastern United States, and on the onboarding experiences of staff members who are responsible for student-facing activities related to student engagement, retention, and success. The two questions guiding this study are: (a) How do newly hired non-faculty professional staff at a small private university reflect upon their onboarding experiences; and (b) How do institutions and HR leaders describe the onboarding process and its value for newly hired non-faculty professional staff? Qualitative data was generated using semi-structured interviews and organizational documents. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]