This chapter suggests strategies and tools for student affairs professionals to leverage digital data to measure student engagement and learning outcomes, and refine programs that enhance institutional reputation and improve student persistence. The construct of student engagement is traced from its theoretical origins to recent research…

The outbreak of COVID-19 and the lockdown measures that were widely implemented in response to the pandemic forced many of the forms of engagement and activities promoted by student affairs and services staff among students at universities to be curtailed or transformed -- at first, so that they entailed no interpersonal contact and later so that…

The purpose of this collective case study was to discover the decision-making processes used by senior student affairs officers when making wicked decisions related to the retention of specialized, at-risk student populations. Wicked decisions are complex, resistant to resolutions, lead to other problems, and are essentially unique. In this study,…

The growing political and social divide in the United States continues to impact campus communities. Issues like freedom of speech, racism, sexual misconduct, and hazing can quickly create deep philosophical divides. While those working in student affairs who have had unique academic training related to the holistic development of all students…

A large body of literature has explored the impact of compassion fatigue on individuals who work within various helping professions. Few studies, however, have sought to understand its impact on educators, more specifically student affairs professionals. As the number of students attending college with diagnosed mental health issues, and…

The role of student affairs educators is to ensure that students not only obtain an educational experience, but also that out-of-classroom experiences contribute to holistic development. In particular, student affairs professionals often coordinate residential living, student activities, and advising programs. These programmatic offerings need to…

Despite recent improvements for the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer (LGBTQ) students in higher education, marginalizing policies and climates for members of that community are still very present on our campuses. This narrative qualitative study, guided by the tempered radicals framework, explores how student affairs administrator in the…

Researchers at a regional western university surveyed undergraduate students on the extent to which they identified themselves as spiritual leaders and, in particular, as having the quality of equanimity, one component of spiritual leadership. The results illustrate the role that equanimity plays in the development of a student's leadership…

This study classifies institutional practices supporting undocumented students' educational success across a three-phase institutionalization model. Data are drawn from interviews with higher education professionals in California. The roles of undocumented student ally educators are also examined as institutional agents supporting this student…

This article examines the limitations and possibilities of the emerging competency-based movement in student affairs. Using complexity theory and postmodern educational theory as guiding frameworks, examination of the competency-based movement will raise questions about overapplication of competencies in graduate preparation programs and…

Campus sexual violence activists (CSVAs) work to challenge their campuses by actively opposing rape culture, changing policies and practices, and educating their peers to prevent sexual violence. Despite renewed activism on campuses, little is known about how CSVAs conceive of their identities, and how their identities change through the…

This case is for use in graduate courses in student affairs and higher education administration. It presents the challenges faced by student affairs professionals at the University of Virginia where some students participate in an annual high-risk drinking practice that has resulted in injuries and even death. Student affairs professionals at the…

The Student Financial Services (SFS) Benchmarking Report examines student financial services operations including: unpaid student account balances, student accounts in collections, payment channels and methods, student refunds, third-party billing, and staffing and financial services operating budget. [For "2015 Student Financial Services…

The scholarship regarding faith integration practice has largely focused on faculty work; however, the field faces a paucity of data-supported approaches to understanding faith integration in the work lives of administrators. In this qualitative study, we developed a conceptual model that employs the concept of praxis to analyze the process by…

Despite a growing body of literature on international student involvement, international students in the South African context have remained understudied. In this quantitative study, we examined international students' cocurricular involvement and associated learning and development in a South African university. Participants included 198…