Transitions are a critical time for executives at all types of higher education institutions. Some vice presidents for student affairs sail through the transition period, while others stumble because they could not navigate the complexity of the new role. Vice presidents who appropriately match their leadership and management style to the new…

Many student affairs departments struggle to contribute to an institution's evidence base of student learning. In part, this results from student affairs personnel not having adequate training in how to assess learning outside the classroom. This is a particular challenge for small community colleges, in which individual units (e.g., admissions or…

Women account for over half of the populations of enrolled students and employed staff and administrators in higher education. In student affairs, women current accounts for over 60% of employees at the entry and mid-levels of administration, but less than half of all senior-level executive positions are filled by women. Furthermore, the majority…

The purpose of this study was to understand the nature of collaboration between academic affairs and student affairs units in the community college context from a qualitative perspective. A discourse analysis study was conducted to explore the ways in which collaborative practice was discussed and understood by chief and midlevel academic and…

The purpose of this research study was to examine the role of the senior student affairs officer (SSAO) in promoting assessment practice within the Division of Student Life at Randal University. A qualitative, single-case study research design was employed to conduct this study. The case for this investigation was the Vice President for Student…

Women educational leaders struggle to achieve and sustain success in senior positions due to their attempts to manage societal expectations for balancing work and family. Societal expectations of being the primary caregivers result in working women attempting to navigate multiple professional and personal roles. Those who have attained the highest…

While research has shown that the racial diversity of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) is increasing, literature suggests that some stakeholders at HBCUs feel the diversification of Black colleges could change their culture, which some see as vital for promoting the success of Black students. Given this, the following study…

Community colleges are the initial introduction to postsecondary education and training for thousands of students. As pressure for institutional accountability increases from external stakeholders, the performance of two-year colleges is becoming more critical. Within these institutions, student affairs departments in community colleges provide…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the racial conflict that occurred at the University of Michigan (UMI) earlier last year when Black students expressed their frustrations with the underrepresentation, racial discrimination and disparaging remarks against African Americans on campus (Jaschik, 2014). Because student affairs is the service most…

There have been limited qualitative case studies exploring effective strategies designed to improve graduation rates in rural school districts. Specifically, few studies have presented information based solely upon the voices of practitioners themselves in solving the graduation crisis in America's public schools. This study will add to the…

While Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) enroll at least 25% Latinx students, the perennial question facing HSIs is, "What does it mean for postsecondary institutions to be Latinx-serving"--essentially an organizational identity question. Guided by the extant literature on organizational identity, culture, and institutionalism and…

"The Role of the Chief Student Affairs Officer in Promoting the Jesuit Mission of the University" is a qualitative comparative case study of three lay (non-cleric, non-Jesuit) chief student affairs officers employed in three U.S. Jesuit higher educational institutions. As the number of Jesuits decreases, a significant question is how the…

This study considers a distinct case of a college outreach program that integrates student affairs staff, academic administrators, and faculty across campus. The authors find that social networks and critical agency help to understand the integration of these various professionals and offer a critical agency network model of enacting change.…

Since career networks offer access to upper level positions, being a part of one can offer opportunities and access to information, knowledge and referrals for career mobility. However, the duality of race and gender can create a distinctive challenge to gaining access to career networks, which are crucial components to rise to the upper level of…

This article describes the college choice process of graduate students in College Student Personnel programs at a public university and a private religiously affiliated university. Despite differences in size, mission, and location of the two institutions studied, the research findings show that respondent populations were similar demographically…