The number and acuity of crises experienced by college students is increasing, and for those campuses with on-campus housing, entry-level Residence Directors (RDs) often oversee and implement institutions' initial crisis response. RDs conduct this crisis response work while being faced with competing institutional pressures and stress on their…

Compared to advising on college campuses, advising students in a national nonprofit organization presents distinct and understudied challenges that require targeted approaches. This action research qualitative study was conducted to address the need for regional-level advisors volunteering in the National Association of College and University…

Resident assistants are at the front line of crisis management within college campus residence halls. As such, it is imperative that student affairs professionals consider the specific needs of this paraprofessional group and build networks to guide these student leaders through the traumatic occurrences to which they respond through their roles.…

This dissertation applied an extended version of Cropanzano et al.'s (2017) theoretical framework, integrating affective events theory with leader-member exchange theory, incorporating leadership self-efficacy and workplace satisfaction. It investigated challenges of peer supervisory relationships among eight head resident advisors at a small…

Colleges and universities with residence halls on their campuses are home to a myriad of crises that can occur any day and at any time. These crises occur at a much greater frequency and are often the responsibility of entry-level residence life crisis managers that often have the least amount of crisis management experience on campus. The purpose…

Students who were adopted are a unique and underserved identity group on college campuses who experience challenges, have complex needs, and can benefit from targeted support. Their lived experiences and developmental paths differ from their nonadopted peers and need to be understood to support them. Student affairs staff at most institutions are…

The campus built environment is an omnipresent force at an institution of higher education. That force is influential during a student's transition into the post-secondary system. Literature on this subject suggests that understandings of the relationship between the campus built environment and the student experience are limited and demand…

This mixed-methods case study examined how students perceived the development of independent living skills because of their residence hall experience. Using Astin's (1993) Inputs-Environment-Outputs (IEO) framework to guide the research methodology and analyze data, this study highlighted the importance of students living with, and among, their…

Professional and graduate residence life staff members play an important role in promoting student success and wellbeing. The community built within a residence hall impacts all students, but this impact is salient for students with marginalized identities. Meaningful diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training is crucial for fostering…

This doctoral capstone project assesses the impact and effectiveness of using peer mentoring workbooks as a tool to enhance the transition of college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A peer mentoring workbook was developed using theoretical frameworks to guide its design and identification of primary occupations, roles,…

Homesickness is a complex phenomenon that operates on a spectrum and impacts individuals' psychological, cognitive, and physical functioning. Sufferers experience a preoccupation of home and a strong desire to return home. In higher education, homesickness among first-year students has been linked to a higher risk of dropping out of school,…

Higher education students face various challenges that often negatively impact their retention rates. Combining multiple challenges leads some students to focus less on academic priorities and their potential retention. Some students begin using drugs and/or alcohol to cope with the stresses, sometimes negatively affecting retention. The negative…

The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry, framed by theories of intercultural competence, sociocultural awareness, and national culture dimensions, was to understand how former American residence hall assistants (RAs) in one institution in the northwestern United States developed intercultural friendships with international students. The…

Research shows that in a traditional college setting, resident assistants (RA) have access to and influence over students in several different ways. RAs are often utilized as academic and campus resources, counselors, problem solvers, and more. RAs have a unique access to students that no other administrator, faculty, or staff member does. Most…

The Resident Assistant (RA) position is the foundational role in the student affairs staffing structure. RA job description has expanded exponentially since the earliest iterations (Boone et al., 2016). The selection of RAs presents unique challenges because it is costly, requires a lot of staff, typically draws a large candidate pool, and…