The pursuit of excellence

Abstract

This study explored the life stories of positive student affairs campus leaders as they seek to foster positive workplaces and campus lives at their higher educational institutions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten student affairs positive leaders working within a range of higher educational institutions including: public community colleges, private research universities, public universities, private Jesuit colleges, and private Ivy League research universities. All participants obtained a threshold score on a self-assessment survey which successfully identified them as positive leaders, according to Cameron's (2012) positive leadership theory framework. Transcripts were analyzed using narrative analysis to identify four themes. The four major themes that emerged were as follows: positive student affairs communication, and positive meaning within student affairs, positive student affairs climate, and positive student affairs relationships. These findings align with the four tenets of Cameron's (2012) positive leadership theory framework as well as existing literature in the fields of positive psychology and positive organizational scholarship. These findings suggest opportunities for current and future student affairs leaders to learn from the life stories of the student affairs positive leaders interviewed with the hopes of improving the well-being of future higher educational professionals and students and enhancing campus climate across the country.--Author's abstract