“The field’s ability to survive and thrive rests
on our willingness to look at our work in
a new light, focusing on the implications
of the host of environmental challenges.”
Rethinking Student Affairs Work
At no other time in history has the incentive for real change
been greater for the student affairs profession. “The field’s
ability to survive and thrive rests on our willingness to look at
our work in a new light, focusing on the implications of the
host of environmental challenges,” according to the report,
which cited components that are integral to the future of student affairs work. A summary of areas for future consideration
by the profession follows:
Redefining Roles and Structures
Providing leadership for the future effectively requires expanding the definition of student affairs work and focusing on ways
that enable all who work with students to do so more effectively.
In this view of student affairs, existing structures such as institutional divisions, reporting lines, and hierarchical notions of
whose work matters, are of questionable value and have little to
do with students.
Larry Roper, vice chancellor for student affairs at Oregon
State University, confirms that many colleges and universities
are undergoing restructuring. “At Oregon State, we realigned
our organization based on important hallmarks in the student
experience or lifespan of students, to make sure we were
prioritizing the investment of resources in ways that make
sense,” explains Roper. “The current nomenclature is ‘do
more with less.’”
Kathleen MacKay, vice president of student services at
Metropolitan State College, notes that higher education must
restructure to bring together “both sides of the house. When
we think about optimal outcomes for students and how to get
there, we must collaborate more and remain true to our mis-
sion,” she says. “There are already institutions where student
affairs reports to academic affairs; it depends on the institu-
tional context.”
Success for all Students
Sixty years of research on the impact of college on students demonstrates that the most important factor in student success—more
important than incoming student characteristics—is student
engagement, such as students’ investment of time and effort in educationally purposeful activities. Institutions play a critical role in
student engagement by creating environments, opportunities, and
conditions facilitating or inhibiting student success. Student affairs
professionals must become more skillful in working with diverse
learners and more attentive to policies that create barriers for those
who may not fit the traditional image of a college student.
MacKay highlights four factors, in particular, the profession must address to ensure student success: “The changing
characteristics of students, with a growing number of students
from public K– 12 institutions nationwide; increasing diversity,
especially where we are located in Colorado; changing financial
circumstances of students; and the psychological and cultural
aspects of globalization, including students going abroad, international students coming to the United States, and distance
learning students participating with students worldwide.”
Partnerships Without Borders
To successfully meet the needs of students and institutions, student
affairs professionals must move beyond the campus to form
partnerships with community agencies, government entities, and
private industries beyond local, state, and national boundaries.
Roper agrees that higher education institutions must
find opportunities for greater collaboration. “We are seeing
students with more profound needs, who require more time
and energy. They come to college not just with mental health
issues, but with complicated life situations,” says Roper. At
Oregon State, Roper notes, a student-funded Human Services
Resources Center is providing financial assistance for students
for food, childcare, health insurance, and rent.
