This dissertation investigated the expectations both professional academic advisors and undergraduate students, respectively, possessed of academic advising and of the advisor role. As students come to their postsecondary endeavors with increased needs, expectations, and consumer-mentalities, it is important to understand their expectations -- and…

This dissertation explores school psychologists' evolving roles and responsibilities, examining how their practices align with the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) domains. This study utilized an online survey distributed via the snowball method; data was collected from 97 school psychologists across multiple states. The study…

Supervisors of on-campus student employees are perhaps the most consistent touchpoint of a working undergraduate's college experience and the criticality of this role within higher education has gone relatively unrecognized. The current study explored how student affairs professionals learn to supervise student employees who work part-time on…

This dissertation investigates student experiences on a four-year public U.S. college campus, focusing on the impact of humanized support services in non-academic administrative offices. Chapter 1 introduces the study's purpose, while Chapter 2 reviews literature on customer service practices through the lenses of Experience Management, Service…

Over the past few decades, the prevalence and adverse impact of trauma on children have been widely researched and documented. Trauma exposure in children has been associated with long-lasting and detrimental outcomes in childhood and into adulthood, causing disruptions and impairments in their cognitive, social-emotional, mental health, and…

This phenomenological study aimed to understand the onboarding and training experiences of entry-level student affairs practitioners working in housing and residence life departments on college campuses. These practitioners were responsible for identifying, responding, and reporting student of concern incidents. With an increase of student mental…

Early career professionals' attrition in student affairs have been reported at rates as high as 60% before year five in the last few decades of literature. Retaining these professionals is vital to the sustainability of the field (Winston Jr. & Creamer, 1997). This study explores experiences and retention in the field of student affairs,…

This generic qualitative study aimed to identify the benefits and barriers of implementing social-emotional learning (SEL) in K-12 public schools in southern Illinois. Overall schools are beginning to implement SEL mainly in the wake of COVID-19. Participants were chosen via convenience and snowball sampling to take part in a semi-structured…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the stories shared by interventionists which focused on the work they do to create student connectedness in rural middle schools. Illinois schools are designated by performance indicators, where successful schools are rated "Exemplary" or "Commendable" based primarily on…

This executive dissertation assumes a sensemaking lens to investigate how Assistant and Associate Vice President (AVP)-level administrators in student affairs approach their supervisory roles within the current climate of higher education and employment. The study's primary goal is to identify how leaders can prepare for changing employment trends…

This study investigated the use of othermothering as a relationship building approach in student affairs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and its association with job burnout outcomes in HBCU student affairs professionals. Job burnout outcomes affect job turnover intention decisions (Michaels & Spector, 1982); therefore,…

Federal health agencies are facing multiple vacancies and governance challenges due to their aging workforce, additional needs due to COVID-19, remote work opportunities, and decades-long mandates for reforming the Federal recruitment and hiring process. Training curriculum is often planned to be responsive to job-related competencies and current…

This qualitative study investigated staff retention in higher education by focusing on the retention of academic advisors. Academic advisors play an integral role in student success and advising is notably one of the fields in higher education with the greatest turnover. This turnover comes at great costs, financial and otherwise, for the…

Student affairs professionals often grapple with how to attain proper work/family balance (WFB), as being a part of a helping profession can make it extremely difficult for these professionals to set limits and boundaries. In addition, successfully balancing one's work and family domains appears to be more challenging for parents that have…

Professional and graduate residence life staff members play an important role in promoting student success and wellbeing. The community built within a residence hall impacts all students, but this impact is salient for students with marginalized identities. Meaningful diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training is crucial for fostering…