Leadership Exchange - Spring 2008

Court Academic Colleagues the Student Affairs Way

BY JAMES F. CONNEELY

As the integration and collaboration between academic affairs and student affairs continues on college and university campuses, one may consider this relationship more as a courtship than a business relationship. In any type of courtship, one individual is the initiator while the other is the receiver. In the courtship of academic affairs and student affairs, more times than not the SSAO is the one to establish parameters on which the relationship will continue to grow and develop, resulting in solid partnerships to enhance student success on our campuses.

As with all relationships, a shared understanding must be established before true integration can be achieved. It is imperative for SSAOs to reach out to academic colleagues to work together and to gain better understandings of their perspectives. These broadened perspectives also provide opportunities to enlighten the academy about how the work of student affairs impacts learning. Academic colleagues can see firsthand the expertise and advantages that student affairs professionals bring to the learning environment. SSAOs understand the demographics and characteristics of the student culture, which can be an integral component in collaboration with academic affairs.

Create Synergy With Faculty

Student affairs and academic affairs can collaborate in a number of ways, but certain initiatives have created the most synergy in the “courting” of academic affairs at Eastern Kentucky University. First and foremost, SSAOs should consider joining the faculty. I have faculty rank as an associate professor and teach one class each semester through the graduate school. As a member of an academic department who teaches on a regular basis, I can better understand the culture of the faculty community and can educate my colleagues about how student affairs and its theories relate to student success. Participating in faculty departmental meetings, serving on curriculum review and dissertation committees, and participating in the “communication loop” within a college provide a framework and a common vocabulary for interacting with faculty colleagues.

Working with faculty on joint research projects allows student affairs staff to demonstrate the professionalism and scholarship they bring to the educational mission of the institution. It is important to team with faculty with common research interests to ensure success. Successful research creates new opportunities to jointly submit manuscripts for possible publication, which can aid many junior faculty in the tenure process. It also enables junior faculty to interact with administrators around campus who can give testament to the faculty member’s commitment to service, one of the three legs of the

tenure process at most higher education institutions. I have been able to serve as a reference for many faculty during the tenure process, which fosters a collaborative and supportive environment.

SSAOs know students and must find ways to communicate this knowledge to faculty. At the annual New Faculty Orientation I conduct a presentation on the characteristics of millennium students. This presentation led to an invitation from the university’s Teaching and Learning Center for a more extensive in-service workshop on the characteristics of today’s students and the generational issues that transcend the student population. SSAOs know the characteristics of the different generations that attend our institutions, and we can help our academic colleagues understand the impact those characteristics have on teaching and learning styles and their own success in the classroom. Serving as a resource for faculty has allowed me to broaden my involvement with other non-teaching areas of academics such as the registrar and admissions areas, which has given the student affairs office additional credibility on campus. Learning communities centered on common philosophical and educational efforts offer another venue for academic partnerships. These initiatives do not always have to be living and learning communities, but communities built around a common area of interest that can be supported in the classroom and through out-of-classroom experiences. These collaborations give us opportunities to develop programs from scratch with faculty colleagues and exchange information on the nuances and strengths of our respective areas.

Lastly, SSAOs must be engaged in the academic community by attending lectures, programs, and other ventures that are sponsored by academic colleagues. If we are to ask for faculty assistance and partnership in student affairs programs, then we must be willing to demonstrate a commitment and support for faculty initiatives on campus. In the end, the collaborative and cooperative relationship serves our common desire that all students succeed in our institutions. SSAOs should also consider attending faculty senate meetings on campus to understand the issues and concerns of academic colleagues and how we can assist faculty as various issues arise.

As student affairs leaders, we must serve as role models and demonstrate how we can build and sustain relationships to advance the student experience. Though it may appear that we take a “backseat” to our academic colleagues, our approach to collaboration sets the tone. It indicates that we are truly partners in the educational process and not just “ complements” to the process.