Student Affairs Practice Research Articles

Learning Through Supervised Practice in Student Affairs by Steven Janosik et al. (review)

Learning Through Supervised Practice in Student Affairs by Steven Janosik et al. (review)

Editors' Notes

When we began our work as editors of New Directions for Student Services (NDSS) in 1996, we did not imagine that we would be at the helm of this sourcebook series for nearly 20 years. Much to our surprise, though, in spring 2016, almost exactly 2 decades after our first conversation about “Now what?,” the final volume for which we have responsibility will be published. Our first issue was #78 (in 1997) and our last will be #153, 77 sourcebooks in all and half the entire NDSS series through issue #153. In 2013, when we notified Jossey-Bass/Wiley that we would retire from the series as of November 1, 2015—the final deadline for delivering issue #153—we did what many “retirees” do: Look back and take stock (along the lines of “What have we accomplished?”) and look ahead to the future. This sourcebook—our 75th—is the result of that contemplation, though we have shared the task with a number of good colleagues. Our collective purpose is to describe and discuss trends over the past 2 decades that have had a significant impact on student affairs practice. This review is not exhaustive nor is it inclusive. There are any number of issues we could have chosen to address but did not. These include organizational changes, changes in professional associations, and “big picture” changes in the landscape of American higher education. We chose, instead, to address six broad topics that encompass the bulk of the foci of the NDSS series from 1997 through 2014: (a) student affairs practice, (b) students, (c) assessment, (d) digital technologies, (e) finance, and (f) staff preparation and development. We begin, in Chapter 1, with a review of the topics covered in the NDSS series from 1997 through 2014 and a profile of the guest editors whose work comprised the volumes published during that time. The topical chapters begin with Chapter 2, in which Florence A. Hamrick and Krista Klein describe changes that have influenced student affairs practice. In Chapter 3, Jillian Kinzie describes changes in undergraduate students over the past 2 decades by tracing the evolution of student characteristics and student affairs responses to those changes. She also provides a look into the future, based on her review of the past. Assessment in student affairs is the focus of Becki Elkins in Chapter 4. This chapter provides an overview of the history of assessment in student affairs in recent decades, considers current practice, and offers recommendations for the future. The challenges and potentials of student affairs practice in the digital age are addressed by Edmund T. Cabellon and Reynol Junco in Chapter 5. Some of the topics they consider include expanding technologies, social media, and the impact of digital revolutions on working effectively with students. Chapter 6 examines contemporary issues in student affairs budgeting and finance. Ann M. Gansemer-Topf and Peter D. Englin look at recent history of these topics and offer suggestions for dealing with the financial challenges of the future. In Chapter 7, Anna M. Ortiz, Ilinca Filimon, and Monica Cole-Jackson review changes in the preparation of student affairs educators over the past 2 decades and discuss issues related to development of student affairs professionals. The volume concludes with Chapter 8, in which we offer some thoughts about student affairs practice in the foreseeable future, based in part on what we and our colleagues have learned from looking at the recent past. As a final note, we are grateful for the good work of our colleagues on this volume, and for the time, effort, patience, and collaboration of all the guest editors with whom we have worked in the past 18 years. Their contributions to the literature of student affairs have been what we intended when we began this journey: interesting, provocative, useful, and timely. Elizabeth J. Whitt is vice provost and dean for undergraduate education and professor of sociology at University of California, Merced. John H. Schuh is director of the Emerging Leaders Academy and distinguished professor emeritus at Iowa State University.

Peering Into the Future

Based on experiences over the past 2 decades, the authors look at some of the challenges of making predictions and then offer some thoughts about student affairs practice in the foreseeable future.

Trends and Milestones Affecting Student Affairs Practice

Four principal evolutions that have affected student affairs practice are identified and discussed in this chapter.

Characterizations of Students and Effective Student Affairs Practice

Undergraduate students have changed over the past 20 years. This chapter traces the evolution of students, reviews effective student affairs responses, and considers practice moving forward.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Traditional and Innovative Models of Student Affairs Practice by Kathleen Manning, Jillian Kinzie, and John H. Schuh (review)

One Size Does Not Fit All: Traditional and Innovative Models of Student Affairs Practice by Kathleen Manning, Jillian Kinzie, and John H. Schuh (review)

What Matters in College to Students: Critical Incidents in the Undergraduate Experience

This article advances that undergraduates are partners to higher education institutions in establishing the educational enterprise. Leaning on student relationship management as a theoretical construct and the critical incident technique as method, the study found 58 undergraduates’ interpersonal interactions with faculty, staff, and peers mattered most to their perceived relationships with their institutions. Implications for student affairs practice are offered.

The Correlation Between Feminist Identity Development and Psychological Maltreatment in Intimate Relationships Among College Students

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between feminist identity and psychological maltreatment in intimate relationships among college students. Existing research and theories have raised questions about the relationship between these constructs, but no studies have yet explored the relationship between them. The intent of the following article is to present findings and implications that can inform student affairs practice and contribute to a better understanding of intimate partner violence.

Complex perceptions of identity: the experiences of student combat veterans in community college

ABSTRACTThis qualitative study illustrates how complex perceptions of identity influence the community college experience for student veterans who have been in combat, creating barriers to their overall persistence. The collective experiences of student combat veterans at two community colleges in northwestern Massachusetts are presented, and a Combat Veteran Conceptual Identity Model to illustrate the ongoing negotiation of identity combat veterans experience while in college is introduced. Notable implications for future research and practice in Student Affairs are discussed.

The Conservative Corner of the Liberal Academy? Fraternity/Sorority Membership, Politics, and Activism

We use a longitudinal dataset to explore the effect of fraternity/sorority membership on political orientation and social/political activism. After controlling for a variety of potentially confounding variables, including pretests on the dependent variables, fraternity and sorority members were significantly less liberal that their unaffiliated peers after four years of college. There were no differences in social/political activism associated with fraternity/sorority membership. We conclude by discussing implications for student affairs practice and future research.

Do Fraternities and Sororities Inhibit Intercultural Competence?

This study explored the impact of fraternity and sorority affiliation on students’ development of intercultural competence over four years of college at 11 institutions. Prior research admonishes fraternities and sororities for being largely heterogeneous organizations that detract from institutional efforts to create a culturally competent student body. In the present study, fraternity and sorority members did not differ from their unaffiliated peers on their development of intercultural competence during college. Implications for higher education and student affairs practice and intercultural competence among fraternity/sorority communities is discussed.

Student Affairs Case Management: Merging Social Work Theory With Student Affairs Practice

Case management is a functional area in higher education and student affairs that emerged after the mass shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007. Although new to higher education, case management emerged from established social work practice. This article compares social work theory and case management standards with a new case management model for student affairs practitioners. Finally, the article presents benefits and challenges of case management in student affairs.

Conceptualizing Research‐Driven Practice and the Wabash National Study

This chapter explores the concept of research‐driven practice in student affairs and provides an overview of the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education.

Developing Moral Character

This chapter synthesizes WNS research that examined moral character and concludes with recommendations for student affairs practice.

The Effects of Student Interactions With Student Affairs Professionals on College Outcomes

This chapter explores how students’ interactions with student affairs professionals influence college outcomes with a particular focus on applying findings to student affairs practice.

Manning, K., Kinzie, J., & Schuh, J. H. (2014). One size does not fit all: Traditional and innovative models of student affairs practice. (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge

Manning, K., Kinzie, J., & Schuh, J. H. (2014). One size does not fit all: Traditional and innovative models of student affairs practice. (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge

Media Review: Organizational Theory in Higher Education

(2014). Media Review: Organizational Theory in Higher Education. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice: Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 340-342.

The Emergence of Esther Lloyd-Jones

Esther Lloyd-Jones made significant contributions to the field of student affairs during her career, and she is known most commonly for her influence on the 1937 Student Personnel Point of View (SPPV). Much of her work can be applied to modern student affairs philosophy and practice. This study explores the early life of Lloyd-Jones, leading up to her involvement with the SPPV. Findings demonstrate the lasting influence Lloyd-Jones has had on the field of student affairs

Media Review: Paying for the Party: How College Maintains Inequality

(2014). Media Review: Paying for the Party: How College Maintains Inequality. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice: Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 337-339.

Using History to Promote Reflection: A Model for Reframing Student Affairs Practice

Though history has long been a part of graduate preparation in higher education administration, new student affairs professionals often struggle to see its relevance to their work. We present a conceptual framework that links organizational ecology, institutional culture and climate, and student development through a historical lens. We then provide concrete recommendations regarding the framework’s use as a reflexive tool