Student affairs professionals (SAPs) are no strangers to experiencing secondary trauma as their work in multiple fields brings them in close contact with students in crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education found its world turned upside down and students were facing heightened trauma due changing class modalities, problematic…

This research study proposes to examine the cultural intelligence of international student support staff, which in turn serves as an indicator for international student engagement and the acculturation outcomes of international students on university campuses in the state of Louisiana. In this study, the major theoretical construct, student…

Student affairs professionals in four-year universities are increasingly reporting feeling overwhelmed, stressed, job dissatisfaction, and potential burnout, resulting in decisions to leave their positions. High rates of turnover in these institutions may hinder the effective management of student affairs departments. The majority of studies on…

One of the most challenging times for campus communities is when a crisis occurs. It often causes higher education to question their policies, missions, and values. Additionally, the crisis managers and those affected by it may experience trauma as they navigate the crisis (Bataille & Cordova, 2014; Lynch 2023). Despite the research on crisis…

The increase in mental health concerns of higher education employees in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused mid-level higher education administrators to reconsider their approaches to wellness and self-care. The purpose of this study was to explore specifically how mid-level student affairs administrators perceive and approach…

This dissertation offers an ethnographic exploration of higher education sexual violence prevention initiatives through the perspectives of professional staff whose mission is to counter what many call a pandemic of sexual violence. Central to my examination are the emic theories and language ideologies underlying prevention professionals'…

Capitalism shapes all aspects of Americans' lives, particularly in their work lives. The nature of the Coronavirus-19 Pandemic changed the foundational model of the common workplace, which had been relatively unimpacted since the late 1920s. These changes have influenced many workers to reexamine their professional lives, thus leading to what has…

Many postsecondary students in the United States exist at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities, such as race, socioeconomic status, (dis)ability, and legal status. Amidst a tumultuous sociopolitical context, a number of higher education institutions in the United States established Undocumented Student Resource Centers (USRCs),…

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the traditional new professional experience in student affairs, a field with a significant attrition rate in the first five years of service (Marshall et al., 2016). This qualitative case study analyzed data from semi-structured interviews alongside existing literature to uncover how the pandemic impacted Generation…

From their documented arrival in the colonial United States, Black women have been systemically forced to exist as mules for a society dependent on their labor and human capital for a developing nation funded by a plantation-centered economy. Likewise, the nation's earliest higher education institutions were founded within the confines of the U.S.…

The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of American higher education frontline workers in student affairs who reported regular use of mindfulness practices. Incorporating reflective practices like mindfulness on college campuses (Palmer, 2009) for frontline staff in student affairs, who work…

As diverse student populations in the United States continue to increase, the need to support culturally diverse student groups has become increasingly important, especially in postsecondary institutions. Colleges and universities have been relying heavily on student affairs professionals (SAPs) to provide services that inform and support diverse…

Seven campus fraternity/sorority life (FSL) professionals of color who are members of culturally based fraternal organizations (CBFOs) shared stories on how they advocate for students of color and CBFOs on their campus. College Student Educators International's (ACPA's) strategic imperative for racial justice and decolonization (SIRJD) was used as…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how supervisors at a four-year, public, Hispanic-serving institution in Southern California described their process for socializing new Student Affairs professionals. Data from interviews and documents were analyzed to describe how supervisors initiated opportunities for relationship…

Black students with disabilities are multiply marginalized; they experience both racism and ableism. Many students are further marginalized by poverty, age, and gender identity. The toll of their intersectional identities impacts their academic experience, and the evidence is that Black disabled students have the highest attrition rates and the…