Student affairs and services has a long history in higher education and associations followed suit to assist in the efforts of professionalization. This region differs in that in the US and Canada there are many specialized associations for certain functions in SAS but this report examines the works of four of the most established associations in…

In this article, we provide an overview of the current and emerging professional competencies for student affairs professionals around the world, highlighting those from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Botswana. We compare and contrast competencies from these countries and conclude with implications for the student affairs…

Objective: This study aimed to explore the mental health status, coping strategies, and social support of international students in Canada. Participants: Undergraduate and graduate international students studying at one Canadian university participated in an online survey. Methods: The survey consisting of four assessments--the Mental Health…

Through examining nine Accessibility Advisors' (AAs) stories of becoming professionals in their field, this study provides an important entry point into understanding the individuals whose work is central to supporting students with disabilities within Canadian research-intensive post-secondary institutions. AAs function as Third Space…

University students represent a reservoir of entrepreneurial talent and an inherent source of creativity and innovation. One way to help unleash their talents as an engine of economic growth is by increasing our understanding of elements--internal or external, real or perceived--that lead to and influence the emergence of new ventures led by…

The prevalence of mental illness is increasing among post-secondary students. Despite more mental health services being offered within post-secondary institutions, uptake among students remains suboptimal. This study aimed to examine facilitators and barriers for students seeking mental health services through service providers' perspectives.…

Utilizing interviews with 44 full-time HESA faculty members, this study explores how they describe planning for individual courses. Findings suggest a model of course planning in which faculty members enter the process with particular beliefs and then make decisions as they consider existing syllabi, course objectives, course content, and student…

This environmental scan study aimed to determine the current status of mental wellness resources and toolkits on Canadian post-secondary campuses. This study was completed in the summer of 2016 and consisted of three parts: Web search, campus survey, and semi-structured, individual interviews. The Web search of 135 institutions indicated that the…

Background: Access to university mental health services is poorly characterized. Our objectives were to (1) assess patterns of access and (2) explore predictability of contact with student mental health services. Participants: Data derived from the U-Flourish study, which includes a survey of successive cohorts of incoming undergraduate students…

This quantitative study explored the secondary trauma experience of Canadian student affairs professionals. Using a composite scale comprised of the Secondary Trauma in Student Affairs Professionals scale (Lynch & Glass, 2019), the Brief Resilience Scale (Smith et al., 2008), the Survey on Perceived Organizational Support (Eisenberger, Armeli,…

The purpose of this study was to describe how frontline student service professionals in Western Canadian higher education describe their personal engagement at work, through the lens of Kahn's (1990) theory of employee engagement and psychological dimensions of meaningfulness, safety, and availability. It was motivated by the prospect that…

This study examined lived experiences of foreign-born student affairs professionals (SAPs) in the United States and Canadian higher education. We sought to understand foreign-born SAPs' impacts on higher education internationalization and what their professional experiences inferred about the level of international engagement in the field of…

The demand for counseling services in Canadian post-secondary settings has grown dramatically over the past decade putting increased demands on limited resources as colleges and universities were never intended to be part of the mental health treatment continuum of care. One response at many institutions has been to introduce walk-in counseling…

An increasing amount of evidence indicates that mental health conditions pose a significant challenge for post-secondary students on the autism spectrum. A review of the literature was conducted to bring greater awareness to the issue of mental health conditions of university students on the autism spectrum, to identify the impact of mental health…

Science students face specific challenges associated with their field of study. The purpose of this study was to assess science students' use of support services and programs, identify barriers to use and group differences, determine professors' and staff's familiarity with programs and solicit ideas from all participants about what programming…