Students learn how to be a leader and how to develop their leadership capacity as they participate in shared experiences or learning communities, many of which are facilitated by student affairs professionals through campus activities programs. For large numbers of college students, their first learning community, and subsequent path to future…

At the time of his death, Dr. Adam Peck served as Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at Illinois State University. During his 25 years in student affairs, he served in a variety of other roles, including assistant vice president and dean of students at Stephen F. Austin State University and director of student life at Saint Louis…

Advisors of student organizations face many challenges, including holding students accountable while respecting their autonomy, dealing with challenges of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and navigating their lack of training. Coupled with other professional obligations, it is common for advisors to feel stressed and under-prepared in their…

There has been an increased emphasis for professionals within the field of student affairs to focus on programming that will engage and help support increasingly diverse student populations on (Odag, Wallin, & Kedzior, 2016). Bowman (2012) writes: "Many entering college students have had limited opportunities for meaningful interactions…

Using the Applied Critical Leadership (Santamaría & Santamaría, 2012) framework to operationalize leadership and to celebrate the ways in which Black women Vice Presidents of Student Affairs (VPSAs) acquire institutional access to create real change, this study sought to identify what motivates Black Women to engage in creating supporting…

Many student affairs professionals have experienced grief spanning across their personal and professional lives. As student affairs professionals, they often serve on the "front lines" when bad things happen. These roles are mentally exhausting to take on and can be overwhelming. This article explores two different cases of staff deaths,…

This empirical work is driven by a study on the experiences and motivation of a group of college-aged student activists. Using a cohort of 14 millennial-aged activists who organized their work in response to a rise of right-wing authoritarianism in national and state politics, this paper presents recommendations for how student affairs…

A student body president's work involves addressing emerging crises and challenging institutional decision-makers to respond to the cost of higher education, campus sexual assault, mental health, free speech, and student safety (Student Voice Index, 2018). This phenomenological study unearths the experiences of individuals who previously served as…

The student activities professionals we work with and have spoken to for this article are busy people who argue that they hardly have the time to slow down to use theory to guide and direct their work. However, what they do not realize is that they use theory in most situations and in virtually, all aspects of their work. The theories they most…

The role of new student affairs professionals is broad, complex, and ever-changing. They serve as mentors, role models, and educators (Guthrie, Woods, Cusker, & Gregory, 2005). New student affairs professionals are tasked with the holistic development and growth of students, which requires tireless work both outside and inside the classroom…

In fights for social justice, simply proclaiming oneself to be an ally is insufficient. As increases in social activism in recent years, it is important to recognize that there is not a line between student leaders and student activists. Leaders are taking on activist roles, and activists are leaders on campus (Linder, 2019). Student activities…

Guided by critical perspectives on race and whiteness, this qualitative study explores how White campus activities professionals navigate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in relation to their privileged racial identity. Using a phenomenological approach, the findings reveal a common thread of white comfort and solidarity within campus…

A debate currently rages as to the value of higher education, including topics as broad as learning outcomes, employability, safety, and politics. It might seem to a casual observer that the modern college landscape is riddled with criticism and doubt. Up until the 2010s higher education long enjoyed popular support. For decades, overall…