Student development theory (SDT) is a diverse corpus of academic and popular psychology with real-world application to the maturation of college and university students. It originated during the campus upheavals of the 1960s as part of a collective effort to reconcile restive students to mass higher education and modern technological society.…

An imaginary divide exists between academic affairs and student affairs, fueled by disagreements over responsibility for the educational mission of a university. Some in academic affairs doubt the capability of student affairs professionals to promote rigorous learning, because student affairs is often viewed as the realm outside of the classroom.…

This article examines how appreciative inquiry can be a helpful tool to improve the supervision of graduate assistants in student affairs. Representing the future of the field, these emerging professionals need supervisors willing to invest in their development, a process that can be improved when approached with appreciative frameworks.

Although universities often expect student affairs staff to possess advanced leadership skills, many have not undergone formal training as leadership educators, which often leads to inconsistent outcomes in leadership development programs. Drawing on best practices in facilitating leadership learning --including the use of multiple pedagogies,…

Canonical research and identity-evasive best practices have pushed Student Affairs Professionals (SAP) to limit the applicability and effectiveness of involvement for a swath of the student body. By examining the push for involvement on college campuses, it is imperative to critically examine the impact traditional forms of student engagement have…

Navigating higher education can be a challenging experience for Black men. Among these, Black men often face unique mental health challenges stemming from systemic racism, cultural expectations, and societal pressures. Addressing their specific needs requires a comprehensive approach. However, supporting Black men's mental health in higher…

The study of student development has long been considered a cornerstone of the higher education and student affairs (HESA) profession. However, perspectives on what constitutes student development have evolved as scholars continuously embrace more critical frameworks to implicate systems of power and oppression--what scholars have termed the third…

This article explores how changing generational demographics of student affairs professionals influence varied perspectives on workplaces in the field. Accordingly, this article grapples with how generational perspectives show up in supervision and influence the student affairs professional pipeline.

The Student Financial Services (SFS) Benchmarking Report examines student financial services operations, including: unpaid student account balances; student accounts in collections; payment channels and methods; student refunds; third-party billing; and staffing and financial services operating budget.

Despite a focus on the holistic formation of students, nonreligious narratives shape student affairs theories and professional practice guidelines. Recognizing this problem, Christian scholar-practitioners have authored a growing body of literature about what might be distinct about Christian student affairs. This article provides an analysis of…

Anti-Blackness in the academy has the potential to negatively impact relationships between Black Women, which can ultimately influence Black women's retention and career advancement. Through an analysis of existing theories, including workplace friendships, Black feminist thought, and critical race theory, the authors first interrogate how…

The influence of whiteness on campus spaces is perhaps unsurprising, given that student affairs professionals (SAPs) often normalize ideologies and practices around whiteness (Cabrera et al., 2016, 2017). Whiteness is often demonstrated in how SAPs advocate (or not) for Students of Color and respond to racialized incidents that occur all too often…

This article articulates tensions, or strains, that occur within the context of the supervisory relationship, how they arise, and explores some of their interpersonal and organizational impacts. The authors conclude the article with offering strategies supervisors can use to mitigate these tensions.

This report explores the higher education financial aid workforce, including pay and pay equity, staffing, representation, and retention. Taken together, the results in this report suggest the need for colleges and universities to implement strategies to better retain people of color within the financial aid employee pipeline and to ensure…

This article puts into complicated conversation three intellectual discourses: academic disciplinarity, postcolonial theorizing, and curriculum theorizing. The author harnesses Pinar's (2007) conceptualizing the important role of "studying" academic disciplines; Singh's (2018) critique and challenge to postcolonial theorists, most aptly…