The increase in mental health concerns of higher education employees in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused mid-level higher education administrators to reconsider their approaches to wellness and self-care. The purpose of this study was to explore specifically how mid-level student affairs administrators perceive and approach…

This dissertation offers an ethnographic exploration of higher education sexual violence prevention initiatives through the perspectives of professional staff whose mission is to counter what many call a pandemic of sexual violence. Central to my examination are the emic theories and language ideologies underlying prevention professionals'…

Many postsecondary students in the United States exist at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities, such as race, socioeconomic status, (dis)ability, and legal status. Amidst a tumultuous sociopolitical context, a number of higher education institutions in the United States established Undocumented Student Resource Centers (USRCs),…

Spiritual perspectives in organizational theory are relatively recent approaches to understanding the behaviors of complex organizations. Emerging in the 1990s, the literature on modern organizations, especially in the United States, saw a rise in individuals questioning if they could find meaning and purpose in their work. This study investigated…

"Cancel culture" can be used in punitive ways to withdraw financial or intellectual support from those whose perspectives are deemed offensive. Some suggest disengaging from authors, artists, donors, institutional founders, and others whose histories and perspectives are problematic. However, what do student affairs professionals do…

In writings on humanizing pedagogy, the concept of love is often presented as the core principle grounding all action. However, love, as it is currently conceptualized, leaves much room for interpretation (hooks, 2000; Levinas, 1998; Matias & Allen, 2013). Therefore, it is critical as educators and Student Affairs professionals we challenge…

Over the past few decades, technology has revolutionized the way colleges and universities operate. This study examines the extent to which investments in information technology (IT) are associated with the number and types of higher education personnel. After accounting for time lags between IT funding and personnel changes, we found that…

The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of American higher education frontline workers in student affairs who reported regular use of mindfulness practices. Incorporating reflective practices like mindfulness on college campuses (Palmer, 2009) for frontline staff in student affairs, who work…

As diverse student populations in the United States continue to increase, the need to support culturally diverse student groups has become increasingly important, especially in postsecondary institutions. Colleges and universities have been relying heavily on student affairs professionals (SAPs) to provide services that inform and support diverse…

While higher education disability resource professionals are required to use considerable professional judgment to make accommodation-related decisions, there is a lack of guidance on how to make these decisions. Because disability resource professionals commonly ascribe to a "common-sense standard" when making accommodation-related…

Researchers have discussed the significance of Black male educators in secondary and post-secondary education for decades. While there is extensive research on the impact of Black male teachers, education administrators, and those in the professoriate, there is a noticeable gap concerning the experiences of Black male student affairs staff in…

This report explores the higher education financial aid workforce, including pay and pay equity, staffing, representation, and retention. Taken together, the results in this report suggest the need for colleges and universities to implement strategies to better retain people of color within the financial aid employee pipeline and to ensure…

This article puts into complicated conversation three intellectual discourses: academic disciplinarity, postcolonial theorizing, and curriculum theorizing. The author harnesses Pinar's (2007) conceptualizing the important role of "studying" academic disciplines; Singh's (2018) critique and challenge to postcolonial theorists, most aptly…

In this article, I respond to my father's 2005 article "From Here to Clare: Yearnings of a Scholar-Turned-Dad." My goal is to share whether and how I followed the guidance he set forth, and how those recommendations shaped my life and moral development as an undergraduate student and beyond. It is my hope that students find inspiration…

The pandemic, public scrutiny of higher education, the continued rise in the cost of college attendance, the student mental health crisis, social, political, and racial unrest, and the changing nature of work in the United States all influence the current state of the student affairs profession. This case study explored the changing landscape of…