This study examines the 50-year history of the Australian New Zealand Student Services Association, the key association in the region. Specific initiatives on how the association has evolved and pivoted over time to meet the needs of its members, the students the members support, and their institutions.

Involving undergraduates in the design, delivery, and evaluation of classroom-based learning enhances student ownership of the learning environment and stimulates peer interest in the transformative possibilities of education. As bell hooks (1994) eloquently describes, the process of honoring student voices in the classroom enhances "the…

This chapter provides guiding principles for designing and implementing successful multicultural initiatives. A rationale for why these elements transcend both higher education and student affairs settings is presented. In addition to providing guiding principles, this chapter includes advice for socially and politically conscious-minded…

This chapter explores the design and implementation of service learning as a multicultural initiative. The author shares considerations for multicultural service-learning practice using an example from a course project focused on leadership skill development in public service.

Peer educators have a critical role to play in the delivery of a wide variety of important programs on college campuses. Nowhere is this more evident than in learning assistance programs. These programs, typically housed in a learning center or learning assistance office, include tutoring and mentoring and often take the form of individual and…

Commuter students make up an overwhelming majority of the college student population. At the same time, the amount of research on commuter students is minuscule compared to that of residential students. The characteristics of the commuter student subgroup that is referenced in this chapter can be described as living independent of guardians or…

Leadership development is an outcome of colleges and universities today stressed both in and out of the classroom. Additionally, leadership is often included in institutional missions, with emphasis on students developing as responsible citizens or leaders. The use of peer educators is standard in many student leadership development programs. In…

Continued competition for precious resources in higher education, along with the simultaneous increasing expectations of higher education by parents, students, and other stakeholders, has forced institution administrators to look for significant alternatives for funding. In conjunction with these pressures, the U.S. Congress is pressing colleges…

Planning from a strategic perspective has been a mainstay of organizational management for decades. Founded in the private sector, strategic planning is now embraced by the nonprofit world as a catalyst for sound resource allocation, transformative decision making, and motivating staff. Student affairs professionals who think, plan, and act…

In challenging economic times, student affairs administrators need to employ creative tactics seeking fiscal resources for their efforts to support student learning and student services. The cost of higher education has increased as government support wanes. Transferring the cost to students and their families is often unworkable and can put…

Student affairs organizations must deal with the reality that if offering high-quality and innovative programs for students is a priority, then identifying and soliciting outside funding sources is essential. If the vice president for student affairs has decided to establish a development office in the division of student affairs in a large public…

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States, forced the fall semester closure of Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. In the aftermath of this unprecedented storm, the Tulane leadership set forth a plan for renewal to secure the survival, recovery, and sustainability of the institution,…

The Common Ground Multicultural Dialogue program in the Department of Resident Life at the University of Maryland is an innovative peer education program designed to teach skills for engagement through exploration of contemporary multicultural societal dilemmas. The Common Ground Dialogue Program was launched in 2000 to provide undergraduate…

As colleges and universities adjust to the changing relationship between today's students and their families, the benefits of providing parent services become increasingly clear. Parents have a stake in their student's education because of the financial and personal investment they are making. Today's young adults are in frequent contact--50…

If colleges and universities are truly committed to promoting the well-being of their students and fostering their academic success, they must attend to the needs of grieving students. One way to do this is to invite students to use the university's counseling services following the death of a loved one. However, although grief counseling can be…