The field of student affairs is constantly changing, but the foundations are based in unwavering issues: guiding growing numbers of students to engage in opportunities outside of academics, providing important resources, and connecting academic departments with student services across campus (Gerda, 2006). The goal of student affairs professionals as explained in the Student Personnel Point of View in 1937 “emphasized the education of the whole student—intellect, spirit, and personality—and insisted that attention must be paid to the individual needs of each student” (ACE, 1997). Student affairs positions grew out of a need for a structured life for students outside of academics and continues to assist students in everything from healthcare and and counseling to extracurricular programming and transition from high school to college.

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     ACPA recognizes the purposes of a student affairs professional as mission driven organizers who “collaborate with other institutional agents and agencies to promote student learning and personal development” and specifies that student affairs practitioners should be “experts on students, their environments, and teaching and learning process” (ACPA, 1997). The assessment- and research-driven actions of student affairs professionals contribute positively to students’ time pursuing higher education.

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     My own professional philosophy, similar to the current ACPA/NASPA competencies, is rooted in ethics, history, assessment, leadership, inclusion, and advising (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). I believe that student affairs professionals are stronger together: a shared goal that is mirrored in the conference culture of student affairs professionals when learning and collaboration come together across the country. Over the past few years, during conversations with other student affairs practitioners, I have had opportunities to reflect on my motivations for entering higher education. My desire to work in higher education came from a sense of fulfillment in my roles as a tour guide, orientation leader, resident assistant, and academic program advisor. Each time I interacted with a student tangible change made each time I had a conversation with a student or added to an existing program, and that confirmed that the work I was doing, and continue to do, has value. That motivation has continued to fuel my work in student involvement and first-year programs. 

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     The values, skills and competencies that I believe to be essential for success in student affairs are communication, institutional growth, professional development, and emphasis on curriculum. Without communication, higher education would not successfully meet student needs. Institutional growth and flexibility are vital in keeping up with the world around us, and both are necessary to support the changing student body. Professional development is an independent way of looking at the same issue—without development, student affairs practitioners would be unable to help students in the variable ways in which they need assistance. Finally, success in student affairs is dependent on the curriculum that we are sharing with students. Whether the information they receive is coming from academic faculty or higher education administrators, students expect a high-quality education when they enter college, and it is our responsibility to provide that for them.

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     I would like to contribute to the field by finding new pathways to student success and explore the rationale behind current university programming. I hope to explore the intersection of student affairs and academic affairs in the future. Collaboration between student affairs and academic affairs is crucial to the transition and retention of students in higher education, as well as their professional success after college. I am excited to be a part of a field where my work brings fundamental change to the lives and success of students.

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     The artifacts below include a training I led for the Undergraduate Government of Boston College, as well as a paper I wrote for the Higher Education and American Society course at Boston College. Both artifacts reflect the values and context necessary for a student affairs practitioner. 

 

References

American Council on Education. (1997). The student personnel point of view [1937].

American College Student Personnel Association. (1997). The student learning imperative: Implications for student affairs [1994]. In E.J. Whitt (Ed.), College student affairs administration (pp. 36-40). Needham Heights, MA: Simon and Shuster.

American College Student Personnel Association (ACPA) & Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA). (2015). Professional competency areas for student affairs educators.

Gerda, J. (2006). Gathering together: A view of the earliest student affairs professional organizations. NASPA, 43, 147-163.