Higher education and student affairs (HESA) faculty members who teach student development theory (SDT) courses are integral to socializing future professionals to SDT and to the organizational culture, or the norms, behaviors, and values, of HESA. Although faculty members are important socializing agents, how they teach SDT courses and the ways…

This article explores the historical and contemporary commitment of the student affairs profession to fostering democratic engagement. Shortcomings of current approaches are analyzed, and a deliberative paradigm utilizing six key democratic practices is explored, emphasizing how student affairs educators can bolster democratic engagement through…

This article uses data derived from an institutional ethnography of diversity work at a large public university to examine the experiences of student affairs professionals engaged in diversity work with students of Color and LGBTQ-identified students. Rather than describing their exhausting experiences providing emotional labor to multiple campus…

This study investigates the leadership and decision-making approaches of two Senior Student Affairs Officers. Through in-depth qualitative data analysis and findings from participant interviews, conclusions were developed regarding how the participants' approaches to leadership are similar to "phronetic" leadership. "Phronetic"…

"Rentz's Student Affairs Practice in Higher Education" introduces readers to the functions of all student affairs services on college campus and to the nuts and bolts on what student affairs professionals in each specific area do to achieve their goals of providing students with meaningful collegiate experiences and accomplish the…

LGBTQIA students are an important stakeholder group on college and university campuses, especially as both their visibility and expectations for support and empowerment on campus increase. But how ready is the field of higher education for litigation related to LGBTQIA issues, and how should student affairs practitioners prepare to address LGBTQIA…

Women fill the majority of the entry and midlevel student affairs positions across institution types yet are underrepresented in senior-level roles such as the chief student affairs officer role at doctoral-granting institutions. This explanatory mixed-methods study explored the experiences and perceptions of midlevel women student affairs…

Little research exists that centers the experiences of African American women student affairs administrators in higher education. The challenges and barriers that exist for African American women student affairs administrators are complex and directly connected to the history of slavery, race and racism in the United States. Concepts such as…

This chapter describes the opportunity for senior student affairs officers (SSAOs) to develop an increased digital fluency to meet the needs of various constituencies in the digital age. The authors explore what a digital fluency is, how it might impact SSAOs' leadership potential, and the benefits for their respective divisions.

As colleges and universities are internationalizing their curriculum, there is a growing need for student affairs professionals to also become aware of and be familiar with internationalization and to become players in the global society. The present study focused on 12 participants who are currently student affairs professionals. The research…

The term "Latinx" emerged recently as a gender-neutral label for Latino/a and Latin@. The purpose of this paper is to examine ways in which Latinx is used within the higher education context, and to provide an analysis of how the term can disrupt traditional notions of inclusivity and shape institutional understandings of…

Compassion fatigue describes what may happen when those whose role it is to provide care for others experience a diminished capacity for empathy. This is a natural consequence of engaging with people who are suffering. Empathy is important for caregivers in working with people who need support, and these empathetic relationships expose caregivers…

Student affairs was founded on student needs surrounding advocacy and inclusion. Due to a general lack of knowledge surrounding the field's formation, NASPA worked to create the book "Reflecting Back, Looking Forward: Civil Rights and Student Affairs." This article highlights the role of student affairs officers during challenging times,…

This article examines the ACPA/NASPA Competencies as functional protocol of the neoliberal state. Described as 'not a checklist', Competencies structure rubrics, conferences, jobs, and performance as static, indicative of a power/knowledge rooted in protocol. We utilize post qualitative thinking, specifically poetics, to create a series of…

Susan Gottheil is Vice Provost (Students) at the University of Manitoba, where she is involved in strategic enrollment management planning and working with colleagues across campus to enhance the student experience. Here she writes that periodically she engages in critical reflection on the state of her profession as a student affairs professional…