Mid-level administrators occupy a complex position within higher education institutions, a role defined by "middleness" (Gleeson & Shain, 1999, p. 488), which characterizes their place in institutional hierarchies between superiors and subordinates. Mid-level administrators often feel isolated since they cannot be seen as having…

Many colleges and universities today are reorganizing student affairs operations in ways that eliminate or reassign many of their functions to other university departments. In some drastic cases, student affairs departments and senior leadership positions have been eliminated. On some campuses, the chief student affairs officer does not report…

While there has been growing research that explores the impact of race- and cultural-specific student organizations or spaces on Black students and particularly Black males (Dancy, 2011; Harper & Quaye, 2007; McClure, 2006; Museus, 2008; L. Patton, 2006), there have been fewer studies (Ellis, 2009) examining emerging, institutionalized Black…

Three hundred and twenty-seven senior student affairs officers (SSAOs) responded to a questionnaire about the effectiveness of the Clery Act and their views of campus safety. As a group, SSAO responses were very homogenous, resulting in few significant differences when institutional type (public v. private) and status (2-year v. 4-year) were…

The purpose of this study was to explore the performance appraisal experience of 14 mid-level women in student affairs administration at four-year colleges and universities in Northern Illinois using a qualitative research approach involving personal interviews. Previous research on career development and advancement of mid-level women in student…

Explores the relationship between the dynamics of leadership teams in student affairs divisions of universities and colleges and campus leaders' perceptions of the effectiveness of the student affairs division as a whole. Results suggest that leadership teams in which members perceived higher levels of trust, structure, and work also perceived…

Reviews one system successfully used to implement Total Quality Management (TQM) principles and techniques in a student affairs department at a large public university. Discusses TQM applications and argues that implementation of TQM requires both planned staff training and an organization-wide culture change. (RJM)

Explores the key benefits and costs of implementing Total Quality Management (TQM) in student affairs. Discusses the experiences of early innovators and uses specific criteria to analyze TQM. Outlines effects on financial aid, costs, goal achievement, time and resource commitment, long-term focus, leaders as models, and clarity of mission. (RJM)

Explores the idea of quality, what it means to educators (student affairs professionals in particular), and the role assessment plays in measuring quality. Examines how assessment is used within Total Quality Management to measure quality from a customer perspective; compares such assessments to traditional evaluative methods. (RJM)

Institutional vitality, a broad measure of the quality of organizational life at colleges and universities, has not been systematically addressed in the literature. To identify management and personnel practices which contribute to institutional vitality within student affairs divisions, a two-stage methodology was employed. First, an…

During the 1982-83 school year, a quality/performance circles system model was implemented at Lakeshore Technical Institute (LTI) to promote greater participation by staff in decision making and problem solving. All management staff at the college (N=45) were invited to participate in the process, and 39 volunteered. Non-management staff (N=240)…