African American male student affairs administrators, who work at predominantly White institutions in United States colleges and universities, have unique experiences because of a variety of societal and institutional factors. This doctoral, action research dissertation examined these experiences through a qualitative narrative case lens. This…

Despite the recent increase in messaging on the importance of improving diversity and inclusion efforts within higher education, Black women working in administrative roles continue to be the most misjudged, undervalued, and underrepresented group of individuals on college campuses across the country. The purpose of this interpretative…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand how residence directors, an entry-level professional staff position in student affairs administration, make meaning of wellness within their job function in order to respond to the complex needs of residential students in a diverse college environment. Utilizing interpretative…

Higher education practitioners are a wide-ranging group of professionals often responsible for implementing programs and services that support student success. In this qualitative study, we examine the nature of student-practitioner relationships among a multiracial sample of 39 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) college…

This chapter explores the issues of transition from an administrator to faculty. This exploration includes considerations of various types of faculty positions available in higher education, institutional culture, and tenure and promotion expectations.

This mixed-methods research study was designed to explore and highlight the lived experiences of residence life professionals at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Data collection was completed using an online survey and one-on-one interviews. This study will contribute to the discussion of retaining live-in residence life…

The purpose of this study was to assess the personal and professional spiritual beliefs and practices of Chief Student Affairs Officers (CSAO) through examining three areas of spirituality as it related to purpose/meaning in life, beliefs, and connectedness to each other and this world. An initial step was to shed light on whether spirituality was…

This narrative study examines how student affairs administrators in eight institutions in the southern United States became change agents in higher education for LGBTQ students. Participants shared stories of their identity development, turning points about needs of LGBTQ students, and their choice to advocate in higher education. Implications for…

This study investigates the leadership and decision-making approaches of two Senior Student Affairs Officers. Through in-depth qualitative data analysis and findings from participant interviews, conclusions were developed regarding how the participants' approaches to leadership are similar to "phronetic" leadership. "Phronetic"…

In this article, the author explores how higher education and student affairs (HESA) administrators can conceptualize servingness by understanding the experiences of Black students, administrators, and faculty at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The author uses an organizational conflict lens to propose recommendations that could support HESA…

The intent of this narrative dissertation was to uncover how staff members in divisions of student affairs experience bullying, how it has affected their trust for the profession and their colleagues and supervisors, and how the power dynamic within workplace bullying has an effect on the experience for professionals. It is important to recognize…

The purpose of this narrative study was to understand the stories of senior student affairs officers (SSAOs) in New England in navigating their roles with multiple stakeholder groups during the closing of a college or merger with another institution. At the heart of this research was understanding the ways in which SSAOs made sense of their lived…

This study explored how mid-level student affairs professionals professionally socialized to their work roles in order to understand how this socialization process contributed to the exchange of institutional values, norms, and customs within the work place at two small liberal arts colleges. This study is structured around three questions: 1) how…

Though literature on student veterans and service members' (SVSM) transition to higher education has increased, absent is literature on the transition of non-veteran student affairs staff who work with SVSM. Using an acculturation model as a conceptual framework, this study explored strategies and processes used to adapt to working with an…

This article presents a two-phase study exploring the usage of technology in higher education as well as the role of the general innovativeness in predicting the actual use of technology. During the first phase of the study, which involved 502 staff members, a descriptive analysis of their usage of social media, technological devices, and…