Student Affairs
Student Affairs staff are responsible for out-of-classroom learning in colleges and universities (higher education) in the United States and abroad. The chief student affairs officer at a college or university is typically the Vice President for Student Affairs, a position that reports directly to the President of the University.
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Student Affairs areas
The Student Affairs division of a university can include:
- Community Service and Volunteerism: engages students in community service within the local community, often including national alternative spring break programs
- Commuter Services: provides services for students who do not live on the campus such as social programs and other opportunities these students are often perceived to miss or be unaware of due to their status as non-residents
- Graduate Student Services
- Health Services
- International Student Services: assists incoming students with passport and visa issues in addition to providing programming and support for international students; this area may also report to Academic Affairs
- Multicultural affairs
- Orientation and First-year programming
- Psychological Counseling
- Recreation and Intramurals: provides recreational activities and events for students, often including intramural sports, club sports, and outdoor activities (kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, etc.)
- Residence Life or Housing: oversees programming and operations of campus residence halls
- Student Activities: provides co-curricular programming on campus, advises program boards and student governments, provides leadership development opportunities
- Student Development
- Judicial Affairs and Conduct: enforces community standards
- A Dean of Student Affairs: often a first contact point when problems come up for a student
- Career Services
- Athletics can sometimes fall under student affairs, particularly on smaller campuses (often NCAA Division II or III).
- Public Safety or university police can also fall under student affairs.
Enrollment Services Areas
The following areas traditionally either fall under student affairs or a separate area called enrollment services:
- Admissions
- Financial Aid
- Student Learning Support and Retention
- Registrar / Academic Records
- Student Business Services
History of Student Affairs
Student affairs came out of the first Dean of Men, created at Harvard University in 1890.
LeBaron Russell Briggs was appointed as Dean of Men in charge of academic advising as well as disciplinary duties. This appointment took the day-to-day administration of student issues away from the president and gave it to an individual. In 1892, Alice Freeman Palmer at the University of Chicago became the first Dean of Women.
Preparation for Student Affairs work
Today, student affairs practitioners typically have at least a Masters level degree in College Student Personnel, Educational Leadership, Higher Education, College Counseling, or Student Affairs. A Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in either higher education or another academic field are normally required for chief student affairs officers depending on the institution.
A Directory of Graduate Programs in Student Affairs is published by the American College Personnel Association.
Principles of Good Practice
For more complete information, please see the article at http://www.acpa.nche.edu/pgp/principle.htm
From the ACPA site above:
Good practice in student affairs:
- Engages students in active learning.
- Helps students develop coherent values and ethical standards.
- Sets and communicates high expectations for student learning.
- Uses systematic inquiry to improve student and institutional performance.
- Uses resources effectively to achieve institutional missions and goals.
- Forges educational partnerships that advance student learning.
- Builds supportive and inclusive communities.
From the NASPA site: (http://www.naspa.org/gradprep/index.cfm?show=2)
College student affairs professionals provide services and develop programs that affect all aspects of students' lives inside and outside the classroom. For example, student affairs practitioners work to:
- improve the quality of campus life
- enhance student learning
- attract and retain qualified students
- provide students with satisfactory housing, health services, and recreational facilities
- coordinate student activities
- manage financial aid programs
- help students make career decisions
- meet the needs of commuter and nontraditional students
Professional Organizations
There are several professional associations to which members of student affairs areas belong including:
- National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA)
- American College Personnel Association (ACPA)
There has been some talk of merging the two organizations. Please check out the White Paper on Consolidation for more information.
In addition, there are several specialization-related organizations including:
- American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)
- Association of College and University Housing Officers International (ACUHO-I)
- National Association of Campus Activities (NACA)
- National ACademic ADvising Association (NACADA)
- National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA)
- National Orientation Directors Association (NODA)