When Case Willoughby took his first community college job, he started by applying student development and student engagement theory to advising. He refocused advising to support students in exploring academic and career goals and teach them the intellectual and practical skills they need to learn. This experience led Willoughby to notice that…

The purpose of this sequential mixed-methods study was to explore senior student affairs officers' reports of joint intra-institutional efforts within the past three years to achieve the common goal of supporting the academic and personal success of college students with mental illness. The 20 factors identified by Mattessich, Murray-Close, and…

The increased diversity of students enrolling in courses on college campuses today brings increased expectations regarding the capabilities of faculty and staff to address the many different needs of students. If colleges and universities are to promote greater staff effectiveness, they will need to create open environments that encourage campus…

Although we know that people experience the campus racial climate differently based on their racial/ethnic identity, less is known about how they perceive the climate based on the racial/ethnic diversity of their institution and specifically within their department. Instead, the campus racial climate has largely been studied at Predominantly White…

Student workers are a well-established component of academic library operations. Recently, their traditional role has expanded to include responsibilities that were previously assigned to librarians, including in-person and virtual reference support. This trend has raised concerns about service quality and highlighted the importance of adequate…

Research suggests that student affairs professionals play an important role in student persistence. This qualitative study sought to examine student affairs professionals' perceptions of the ways that they serve and meet the needs of undocumented students at a public 4-year research university in the Western United States. The purpose of this…

This article focuses on high school to university transitions for Indigenous youth at universities in British Columbia, Canada. The study is premised on an Indigenous research design, which utilizes the concept of visioning and a storywork methodology (Archibald, 2008). The results challenge existing institutional and psychological approaches to…

Higher education necessitates an understanding that students cannot be confined to the classroom, as a large part of their curriculum comprises extracurricular activities to educate intellectually, in spirit, and body. As a result, community building, advising, and career development became a part of the traditional routine of student affairs.…

In the last 20 years, a unique but limited body of literature has surfaced focusing specifically on how student affairs professionals can assist student-athletes with critical transitional periods, specifically preparation for career fields. Considering Astin and Kuh's theoretical discussion on student engagement, this article discusses the need…

This reflection piece presents some of the lessons learned from an initiative at New York University (NYU) that could be used by other student affairs professionals in other parts of the world, including Africa. The vision and motivation to embark on such a path have been inspired, in part, by three major developments in higher education. The…

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore staff members' perceptions of student-veterans college experiences at a 2-year and a 4-year institution. This study was guided by Schlossberg's Theory of Adult Transitions. Purposive sampling was used to identify 640 participants for the study. Respondents indicated that their campus should add…

Higher education is deploying a range of innovative strategies in response to rising costs and financial challenges. This report presents findings from a NASPA [National Association of Student Personnel Administrators] study on cost-saving initiatives at three institutions. Each institution aimed to creatively address different areas affecting…

Universities and colleges of education all over the world are experiencing student populations who bring diverse values and experiences into the learning environment. Student affairs professionals are faced with the challenge of accommodating each student's unique needs. This paper intends to address the essentiality of multicultural competence in…

The purpose of this study is to explore what types of student services are useful in helping international students make a smooth transition to American college experience. Four members from an international student office at a particular four-year university in the U.S. were interviewed to discuss variables in student support services. The…

Over the past decade, many student affairs professionals have turned their attention to non-cognitive factors that can play a role in supporting students from underrepresented groups in making it to and through college. The work in this area that has gotten the most attention in recent years has focused on students' sense of belonging and…