The Professional Student Affairs Administrator


Book Description

Styled as a complete update to the 1991 book "Administration and Leadership in Student Affairs", this work addresses issues of importance to student affairs professionals. Grounded in human development, learning, leadership, group dynamics, management theories, and social science research and evaluation methods, this book articulates the means for college student affairs administrators to function in the forefront of student learning and personal development initiatives. The book focuses on the three essential roles played by student affairs administrators: as educators who play a significant role in addressing the academic goals of their institutions, as leaders who help to shape the vision of their institution's student affairs practice and education mission, and as managers who are responsible for co-ordinating programs and services, supervising staff, and overseeing university facilities and budgets.




Careers in Student Affairs


Book Description




Developing Leadership Skills and Abilities for Student Affairs Administrators


Book Description

Leadership skills and abilities are essential for student affairs administrators and educators. Through a narrative approach, this book addresses current issues in leadership and administration for student affairs from a variety of perspectives. Lessons, tips, and strategies for student affairs professionals at various levels are provided. Letters from new professionals in the field of student affairs are included, offering insights to graduate students on the challenges of leadership that occur when entering the profession. Additionally, these letters can be used in the classroom as case studies. The book is structured into three parts that include letters to graduate students from new professionals, mid-level managers, and senior/retired administrators. Part I focuses on making the transition from graduate student to new professional, navigating a new campus culture and environment, setting and maintaining boundaries, creating a work-life balance, the importance of campus and professional association involvement, and looking beyond traditional student affairs roles to serve students. These letters will be a valuable tool when evolving as a leader in student affairs. Part II explores the supervisory relationship, ethical dilemmas in higher education and leading colleagues, using challenge and support with students and colleagues, and preparing for the next steps for moving up from new professional to mid-manager. These letters contain the knowledge, skill, and insight to train graduate interns and supervisees new to the student affairs field. Part III studies the letters written to mid-level managers from senior/retired student affairs administrators. The importance of building relationships throughout the leadership journey, forming a professional identity, understanding the importance of budgets, the importance of leading with integrity, and the significance of strategic leadership is stressed. Reflection and Action exercises at the end of each chapter will enhance the knowledge, skills, and wisdom for the reader to map out the journey in becoming a competent leader in the field of student affairs. This book will be an excellent student affairs resource for entry-level, mid-level and senior-level professionals, and college administrators.




The Strategic Guide to Shaping Your Student Affairs Career


Book Description

This is a book for any student affairs professional who wants to strategically shape his or her career path—and will be particularly helpful for people in early or mid-career, or contemplating a career, in student affairs.By engagingly offering us the fruits of the reflective and strategic approach she has used to shape her own career, and of the theoretical and practical approaches she has undertaken to map out the culture and dynamics of student affairs, and by gathering the voices of 25 professionals who offer the insights and advice derived from their own experiences, Sonja Ardoin has created a guide for everyone in student affairs who wants to be intentional in setting the course for their professional and personal development.She begins by describing the changing and varied student populations who are the heart of this field, and outlines the typical organizational structures of student affairs, the range of functional areas, and how practice varies by size and type of institution. She highlights major trends, discusses the typical paths of entry to the profession, the expectations and realities of starting in a new position, the process of socialization, and the required skills and competencies. She devotes the core of the book to the five key elements for developing a career strategy: Lifelong Learning, Extending Your Experiences, Planning for Professional Development, Networking/Connecting, and Self-Reflection, and provides advice on the job search, from application through interview. In doing so she ranges over choices to be made about formal qualifications, and describes activities – from volunteering and committee work to conference presentations, writing and teaching – that we can use to strategically develop the proficiencies to attain our goals.




The Handbook of Student Affairs Administration


Book Description

Sponsored by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators This comprehensive volume offers practitioners at all levels specific guidelines, strategies, and practical advice on how to effectively manage and administer the student affairs of diverse college and university campuses. Student affairs practitioners will find this book a valuable source of information on mastering the higher education political process, sharpening management conflict resolution skills, and advancing methods for assessing outcomes of programs and services.




Black Administrators in Higher Education


Book Description

This Black Administrators in Higher Education book displays a group of administrators from predominantly white and historically black institutions from both four-year and two-year institutions. Through the lenses of autoethnography and personal narrative studies, this extraordinary edited volume by two former deans of education provide the audience with cutting-edge research findings on a variety of topics relative to black administrators working in higher education.




Student Conduct Practice


Book Description

Since the publication of the first edition of Student Conduct Practice in 2008 the landscape of student conduct has matured and shifted dramatically. As the composition of the overall population and of the student body on campuses across the nation has changed, institutions of higher learning have a greater awareness of the importance of preparing students to function competently in a diverse society. They are seeing student behaviors, such as challenging mores, rules and policies, that reflect the growing polarization and complexity we see in our larger society, and such trends as a marked increase in student mental health challenges as well as changing social dynamics, all of which require a new awareness and a rethinking of policies and responses by conduct professionals, including embracing the a social justice as a lens by which we perform our work.This updated and considerably expanded edition maintains the objectives of the first--to constitute a compendium of current best practices in the administration of student conduct, to summarize the latest thinking on key issues facing practitioners today, and to provide an overview of the role and status of conduct administrators within their institutions.This text invites student conduct administrators to examine current programs and policies to ensure that the spaces that they create during interactions with students are spaces in which all students feel welcome and heard. As we strive to prepare students not only to be productive members of today’s workforce, and more importantly to be good people and upright citizens, this text accentuates the delicate balance between responding to regulatory mandates and meeting the educational aims of student conduct. The aim is to offer those with an interest in student conduct and those professionals who are new or seasoned student conduct administrators with both a compendium of chapters on best practices and the background to grapple with the thought-provoking situations they will encounter. In close collaboration with the leadership of the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA) the editors identified the most pressing conduct issues on our campuses and practitioners and faculty who offer related expertise and a necessary diversity of voices.This is also available as a set with Reframing Campus Conflict, Second Edition.




Effective Leadership in Student Services


Book Description

Based on a study of over two hundred vice presidents, deans, and directors of student services programs, the book reveals the attributes, skills, and relationships necessary for successful leadership in student services. Exemplary leaders in the profession offer pragmatic advice and often inspirational insights on a wide range of issues, from their basic philosophies of leadership to how to manage such crises as campus protests or the death of a student.




Confessions of a Community College Administrator


Book Description

Written by Matthew Reed, the formerly anonymous author of Inside Higher Ed's most popular blog, Confessions of a Community College Dean, this book offers keen insights, a frank discussion, and suggested solutions for the many issues that are unique to community college administration. In Confessions of a Community College Administrator Reed describes the current landscape of community college leadership and addresses some of the fundamental questions that face community colleges. Who does a community college actually serve? How do administrators really make budget decisions? Where do the roots of the "permanent crisis" in higher education lie? How are full-time and adjunct faculty best balanced? Throughout the book, Reed offers guidance and encouragement for the next generation of community college leaders. He examines a set of proposed solutions from outside academia, then turns to other solutions emerging from inside the community college world that also show potential for success. Confessions of a Community College Administrator is filled with realistic, and ultimately hopeful, advice on how to step back from the day-to-day administrative struggles and gain some perspective on the larger picture. Reed offers administrators useful and productive directions for constructive change.




A Guide to Becoming a Scholarly Practitioner in Student Affairs


Book Description

Student affairs professionals are increasingly being called upon to become scholar practitioners, to reflect on and share their experiences to further the knowledge of the field, and to disseminate practices to promote student learning and development. This book offers practical guidance to anyone in the field interested in presenting at conferences or publishing in scholarly and professional journals, and sets the work of scholarly practice in the context of its vital role of influencing and shaping the future of student affairs, and in promoting continuous learning.The authors demystify the processes of producing research and scholarly work; address motivation and barriers such as time-constraints or confidence; and provide advice on developing ideas, writing, getting feedback, staying on task, identifying the appropriate outlets and venues for ideas, submitting proposals, as well as on speaking and presentation skills. It also directs readers to books and online resources and presents the reflections of senior student affairs officers on scholarship in the profession. As the authors state, student affairs professionals are often in the best position to test the myths about what really works for college students to have access, persist, and graduate. Through their daily interactions with students they develop the grounding for theories and strategies to improve the college experience, none of which can be advanced without scholarship, without presenting and writing, and the debate that they stimulate.This book is intended for student affairs professionals at all levels. It sets the context for those starting their careers as they navigate and understand their new roles; aims to inspire mid-level professionals to present or write about their experiences and contributions; and offers senior administrators strategies to pursue their own scholarship while creating a supportive environment for their staff to do so, and develop their agency and professional growth in the process.