Global Engagment
in Canada
BY ROBERT SHEA
Student services, as a central component of the post- secondary educational experience, continues to evolve in Canada. In the past decade, the field of student
services witnessed significant growth. Functions that were not
considered central to the student experience 10 years ago are
now integral to the on-campus and virtual campus experiences
of our students.
Postsecondary institutions are currently witnessing a growth
in the partnership between student services and academic faculties and schools that embrace the curricular and co-curricular learning agendas. Partnerships that explore service learning
as a central component of courses are now a part of numerous
faculties and schools throughout Canada, and student services
staff and faculty members work together in teaching and
learning workshops, teaching seminars, and experiential learning initiatives that fulfill a mandate of student engagement.
While postsecondary institutions across Canada are as dif-
ferent as the landscape upon which they are built, a common
theme is emerging. From part-time, career-integrated learn-
ing to the proliferation of work-integrated learning place-
ments, partnerships continue to evolve. While this evolution
is gradual and goals have not been fully realized, student
service professionals on Canadian campuses are actively taking
part in this movement, which will require leadership from
a multitude of postsecondary sectors. Professional associa-
tions in Canada provide a forum for discourse and support
as Canadian institutions look beyond provincial borders to
ensure student service professionals around the world have
a voice. Programs on Canadian campuses are witnessing the
global engagement of students through a number of student
programs that promise to lead in a direction that will ensure
the realization of the holistic goals of student learning.
Olga Rybalkina is director of international and multicultural programs
and assistant professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida and
is national chair of the NASPA International Education Knowledge
Community.
Achim Meyer aud der Heyde is the general secretary to the Deutsches
Studentenwerk (DSW) and president of the European Council for Student
Affairs (ECStA).
Sven Engel heads international relations for the DSW.
Kim Stave is vice president for student life at LCC International University
in Lithuania.
Cyndy Howman is director of student affairs at Texas A&M University
at Qatar.
Jose Manuel Antonio M. Tejido, a retired associate professor of theology at
the Loyola School of Humanities, Ateneo de Manila University, is a former
president of the Asia-Pacific Student Services Association (APSSA).
Enrique Ramos is student affairs director at Tecnológico de Monterrey
in México.
Robert Shea is a member of the faculty of education at Memorial University
of Newfoundland, Canada. He is the founding editor of the Canadian
Journal of Career Development, Canada’s first national journal devoted
entirely to issues of career development. He is the current president of the
Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counseling.
© ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
For personal discussions and networking opportunities with international SSAOs and student development professionals,
please join colleagues in Chicago for the 15th NASPA International Symposium: Lessons and Legacy in Student Affairs Around
the World at the 2010 NASPA Annual Conference on March 6 and 7. For information, visit www.naspa.org/conf/.
