Student affairs, a field comprised of many co- and extra-curricular university functions outside of academic affairs, has a durable left-leaning reputation. Roderick Ferguson's theorization of minority absorption serves as the concept through which we investigate the practices of student affairs. Ferguson argues that student movements of the 1960s…

The purpose of this research was to develop an understanding of student affairs staff experiences with the departure of a chief student affairs officer (CSAO) at a 4-year college or university. The topic was investigated through the perspective of staff who reported to a CSAO at the time the CSAO departed the organization. The study's primary…

The advent of COVID-19 and the consequent imposition of a national lockdown from March 2020 in South Africa spurred South African universities to introduce new remote ways of delivering their curricula and offering extra-curricular activities. Some of these new modes of delivery tended to disadvantage already socio-economically disadvantaged black…

In this instrumental case study, we explored the experiences of working mothers in student affairs and how their situated realities are shaped by institutional and professional norms, including commonly understood written and unwritten practices. We conducted interviews and focus groups with 21 mothers working full-time at a research-intensive…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unique challenges to international students. Student Affairs and Services (SAS) across the higher education sector played a key role in supporting students and institutions during the pandemic. This article reports the findings of an exploratory survey with SAS practitioners from around the globe on the ways in which…

While e-portfolios are increasingly used in higher education graduate professional programs (Underwood & Austin, 2016), few studies provide an overview of e-portfolios, particularly in the helping fields (Wakimoto & Lewis, 2014). The following article provides an overview of how a student affairs graduate preparation program implemented…

In 2004, Sanlo published a proposed method to examine the lives and experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual college students and their persistence to graduation. Transgender students were not included except with regard to their identifying as a sexual minority. To date, neither further articles nor research of a similar nature have been…

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 encourages the application of cultural competency as a factor in the development of character in college students. Student affairs practitioners can help students explore cultural competency's two general components: awareness of one's own culture and knowledge of the cultural identities of others. Educators can advocate for such…

Supervised practice experiences exist in nearly every student affairs preparation program and serve as the ideal setting in which master's students in student affairs administration programs make the translation of the theoretical knowledge to the practical skills that are required in their work (Komives, 1998; Nelson, 2010). Yet few studies have…

This qualitative study explored how Christian campus culture shaped the experiences of 10 student affairs practitioners when interacting with lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning students, and the strategies deployed to navigate institutional context. Findings interpreted through Schein revealed participants perceived their campus as familial…

Many colleges and universities today are reorganizing student affairs operations in ways that eliminate or reassign many of their functions to other university departments. In some drastic cases, student affairs departments and senior leadership positions have been eliminated. On some campuses, the chief student affairs officer does not report…

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…

Scholars identify interpersonal interactions as playing significant roles in many developmental processes that occur during the college years (e.g., Baxter Magolda, 2004, 2009a; E. H. Erikson, 1997; Torres, Jones, & Renn, 2009); however, the intersection of interpersonal dimensions of college student development and trauma is scantly discussed…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the experiences of participants in a long-standing academic and student affairs partnership at a large public research institution. Using a grounded theory approach, the experiences of 12 participants were analyzed to understand the extent to which challenges to collaboration were…