Many student affairs practitioners passionately support students, but the cost of caring may include compassion fatigue or secondary stress. This constructivist case study examined how a program that serves at-promise students contributes to and alleviates compassion fatigue among staff members. While the scope of work, position of the program at…

This study examines how higher education professionals navigate intersectional failures in institutional, state, and federal support as advocates for undocumented students. Semi-structured interviews with these professionals reveal that they rely on college interventionists to fill the gaps in undocumented student support on their college…

Since 2010, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among college students have increased. Student affairs (SA) practitioners may not have received sufficient training to handle issues regarding student suicidality. Results of a survey of SA professionals across the United States assessing their knowledge, opinions, and actions taken around student…

Using a constructivist paradigm, this qualitative study investigated the impact of social identities on how professionalism is learned, practiced, and challenged by new professionals in student affairs. Collaborators in this study included 25 recent graduates of a student affairs professional preparation program. Findings suggest race, gender,…

The authors investigated 12 student affairs professionals' experiences with political climate across five predominantly white institutions using a multiple case study constant comparative approach. This article describes how recurring racialized incidents have affected student affairs professionals' ability to navigate the United States political…

Despite incorporating diversity coursework into most higher education and student affairs (HESA) graduate programs, HESA graduate students report feeling underprepared to enact social justice work. Current pedagogical approaches introduce students to foundational concepts but fail to develop reflective, justice conscious administrators. This…

Using qualitative data from 22 early-career-student-affairs professionals, this study examines the relationship between social and professional identity and professional practice. Guided by the R-MMDI and a criticalist perspective (Freire, 1970), we find that race, gender, age, and first-generation status are the most salient identities in the…

Current American college administration has been charged with the development of the whole student, producing well-rounded, intelligent graduates ready to enter the workforce. Presently, mentorship and tutoring programs exist in many environments but have no cohesive aim to develop self-authorship. Untapped potential for promotion of college…

This study used findings from the Secondary Trauma in "Student Affairs Professionals Scale" to explore the extent to which student affairs professionals may experience secondary trauma as well as factors associated with secondary trauma symptomology. Findings indicated 44% of sampled professionals met minimum criteria for secondary…

Informed by Kolb's experiential learning theory and Baxter Magolda's holistic theory of student development, this qualitative study explores the experiences of graduate students in a supervised internship. From an analysis of written assignments completed during the internship experience, our findings reveal abundant meaning-making opportunities…

This qualitative inquiry examined the supervisory practices of 12 student-affairs professionals who were identified by their supervisees as modeling the tenets of inclusive supervision. Through a deductive research design and pattern-matching analysis, this study sought to test the consistency of the inclusive supervision model through the…

Scholars have documented the positive outcomes that affiliation with sorority and fraternity life (SFL) organizations affords students; yet, few studies have explored how SFL professionals enable these benefits. Using validation theory as a framework, this narrative study examined how SFL practitioners affirm members of culturally based sororities…

This review analyzed the effectiveness of mandated substance use interventions in reducing future cannabis or other illicit drug use. Findings indicated that early decreases in cannabis and other drug use are commonly reported among students participating in mandated interventions. The longer time elapses post-intervention, the more likely…

This study develops and validates a model explaining how the organizational and human resources, advising and supporting, and personal and ethical foundations competencies influence leadership in student affairs. The most notable finding from this study is the overlooked and powerful influence of advising and supporting upon leadership. The…

We surveyed 441 senior student affairs officers to measure their perceptions of behaviors, attitudes, skills, and knowledge (BASK) important to their effectiveness. Most important was integrity. Women and People of Color scored higher on BASK factors than other SSAOs. Practice implications include discussing BASK in NASPA associate/assistant vice…