The suffering racism creates is endless. For too long, the burden of speaking out and taking action against racism has fallen on Communities of Color. Higher education needs people inside the system to actively resist its racism by implementing antiracist policies and practices. White people, and white women in particular, comprise a majority of…

This study examined the lived experiences of Latina mother-practitioners in student affairs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic affected individuals in a variety of ways, and as people continue to grapple with its evolution, exploring the experiences of Latina mother-practitioners ensures they are a part of research related to it.…

This qualitative study grounded in feminist theory uses narrative inquiry to explore the stories of 26 senior women student affairs leaders. We tell the collective story we heard participants bring forward by describing plotlines that reverberated across their accounts. We call these plotlines: "Experiencing Communication through Gendered…

To better understand higher education administration practices, I investigated the perspectives of Black womxn student affairs practitioners' aspirational, social, educational, historic, navigational, resistance, and cultural capital which comprised workplace wealth. The data collection utilized a qualitative research methodology. To encourage…

Using sista circle methodology (Johnson, 2015), this critical qualitative study explores the experiences of Black women student affairs professionals and the critical incidents that occur in workplace relationships with white women higher education professionals at historically White institutions (HWIs). The research questions explored how Black…

Women make up the overwhelming majority of student affairs practitioners; many are also mothers. Simultaneously, there is a dearth in scholarly literature that addresses the impact of motherhood on the careers of women in student affairs, particularly mothers in the senior student affairs officer (SSAO) position. This study utilized hermeneutic…

Women of Color student affairs staff experience the nexus of gendered and racialized traumatization regularly in their institutional environments; yet, their experiences are underrepresented in both student affairs leadership and in scholarly literature. Furthermore, identity-conscious, trauma-aware supervision is a promising protective strategy…

Although graduate preparation programs are a key entry point for the higher education and student affairs (HESA) profession, many programs fail Black women practitioners who later serve in predominantly white work environments (PWWEs). While a dominant narrative suggests Black women perform well as learners in higher education, there is limited…

The purpose of this census-style quantitative research was to investigate what relationship existed between demographic and institutional factors and women's career advancement aspirations in student affairs in the state of Wisconsin. A Qualtrics survey that included Gregor and O'Brien's (2015) Career Aspirations Scale-Revised and Drasgow's (2001)…

The culture of the student affairs profession supports a commitment to the holistic development of students, often requiring staff to be available around the clock. A Senior Student Affairs Officer (SSAO) must be prepared to address the evolving demands of student life and such attentiveness can make it difficult to disconnect from work in order…

Using testimonios, this study shares experiences of how structural inequalities impact self-care, wellness, mentoring, and career-related mobility of womxn of color in mid-senior-level student affairs roles at PWI's. Testimonios revealed three themes: how they engaged in self-care and wellness, challenges with self-care and wellness, and dreams of…

Asian American women who choose a career in student affairs within the field of higher education are severely underrepresented in both staff positions and top officer/administrator positions compared to White women and other women of color. As the Asian American college student population continues to rise and women make up the majority of…

The COVID-19 global pandemic brought about a new form of traumatic stress with catastrophic impacts felt in every industry, including higher education. During this prolonged state of trauma, professionals in the division of Student Affairs have continued to be called upon to support students in the campus community. Student affairs professionals…

This Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) builds on McCluskey-Titus and Cawthon's (2004) use of the "grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" metaphor to explore the experiences of a Black American woman faculty member transitioning from her role as a student affairs administrator to a full-time, tenure-earning faculty…

Student affairs professionals tend to face unrealistic workplace demands. Finding time for personal responsibilities while juggling the demands of a job that often requires a 24/7 commitment is more of a goal than an achievement. Compared with their married, cohabitating, or childless counterparts, single mothers struggle more significantly with…