Contexts for identifying and understanding current opportunities and challenges for student affairs leaders are described and a framework for the rest of the sourcebook is offered.

This chapter describes and discusses the topics covered in the "New Directions for Student Services" sourcebook series from 1997 through 2014 and provides a profile of the guest editors for the series.

Based on experiences over the past 2 decades, the authors look at some of the challenges of making predictions and then offer some thoughts about student affairs practice in the foreseeable future.

This chapter describes and discusses implications of the experiences of student affairs leaders--the challenges and the opportunities, the obstacles and the joy--for understanding and facilitating student affairs leadership.

Responses of student affairs leaders to questions about the opportunities and joy they find in their work are examined and discussed.

Responses of student affairs leaders to questions about the challenges and obstacles they find in their work are examined and discussed.

In this article, the authors argue that the relevance of student affairs depends on the will to redefine the mission, structures, and practices to provide the leadership that institutions require. They begin with an overview of challenges to higher education and student affairs, examine the implications of those challenges for student affairs, and…

While academic and student affairs partnership programs have been championed as a means to enhance undergraduate education, research documenting the characteristics of effective partnership programs is sparse. The Boyer Partnership Assessment Project is a qualitative examination of academic and student affairs partnership programs at 18, diverse…

Although academic and student affairs partnership programs have been cited as potential means to create seamless learning environments for undergraduate students, little research exists on the outcomes of such programs for students. The Boyer Partnership Assessment Project examined the outcomes for students participating in academic and student…

Examines search for professional philosophy in student affairs. Describes two alternative ways of viewing world that may influence necessity, desirability, and possibility of arriving at unifying philosophy for student affairs. Explores appropriateness of current philosophy statement "Student Personnel Point of View" (American Council on…

This book, based on the conclusions of a study of practices in college student affairs, presents nine papers which identify the best practices in student affairs, review research used to define the best practices, and give examples of how to use these practices in the field. The book is based on a 1996 meeting of an interdisciplinary study group…

Provides an introduction to qualitative research methods. Describes principles of qualitative research and discusses appropriateness of qualitative methods for student affairs research. Explains qualitative methods, including design, data collection and analysis, and reporting of results. Identifies and addresses problems of trustworthiness of…

Provides historical information on student affairs models including student development, student services, and the "Student Learning Imperative." Explains why and how the "Seven Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs" were established. Describes an incident in which these principles were put into practice. (MKA)

Interest in creating the conditions that enhance student learning and support students in achieving their educational goals is at an all-time high. Four-fifths of high school graduates need some form of postsecondary education to acquire the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to address increasingly complex social, economic, and…