Volume 45, Issue 2

A university governing board’s influence on institutional policy is undeniable. Educating board members about student affairs issues is essential to ensuring a well-informed, effective board. This study examined the relationship between student affairs and the board’s student affairs committee (SAC). An 89-item survey was developed and administered to 1,100 NASPA voting delegates with a 33% return rate. The survey focused on Goodale’s (1997) four broad areas of responsibilities for the SAC as well as membership, agendas, and their orientation. The results showed significant differences between public and private institutions in the number with a SAC, issues discussed, having a clear mission or charge and having a student voting member. As a result of the study, five recommendations were made to enhance the effectiveness of the SAC.

A survey on campus culture and alcohol use was completed by 1,864 first-year students in their first semester of enrollment at a large public Midwest university. Twenty-four percent of these students agreed that students can do nothing about alcohol abuse as part of campus culture, as opposed to 46% disagreeing with this statement and 24% standing neutral on the question. As compared to the students believing nothing can be done, students in the “alcohol culture can be changed” group drank less and reported higher levels of self-efficacy in their own use of alcohol. The students asserting “change in alcohol culture is not possible” agreed that the university had a reputation as a party school and reported more tolerance of intoxicated behavior. The contrasting profiles of these two groups of students suggest that there is a broader view of alcohol use, student responsibility, and definitions of culture than is sometimes recognized. Implications for campus-sponsored educational programming are discussed in terms of adolescent development and social networking.

This study analyzed data gathered from interviews with professionals at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to examine the nature of relationships student affairs administrators form with students. The data were interpreted through the guardianship conceptual framework found in African American feminist literature. Results reveal how the notion of “othermothering” permeates relationships at HBCUs and the considerable importance attached to those formed between students and student affairs administrators. Relationships serve as a primary means to facilitate student retention at HBCUs and ensure the continued existence of a unique type of institution.

Tribal colleges play a powerful role in the personal development as well as the academic development of American Indian students. By providing access, exposure to native culture, personal support, preparation for further education, and a sense of empowerment, tribal colleges are influential in advancing self-awareness, interpersonal sensitivity, intellectual development, acculturation, and identity development of their enrolled students. While theories of student development have helped to explain the psychosocial, cognitive, and moral development of students in American higher education, very little research has specifically investigated the development of American Indian students, particularly those enrolled in tribal colleges. Theories of adult development and learning, acculturation, and identity development are gaining greater attention in the human development literature and have potential for enhancing understanding of the development that American Indian students experience. These theories, however, rarely consider the effects of higher education on development. In this article, we present a brief overview of several adult development, acculturation, and identity development theories, along with what little research does exist relating these theories to American Indian students. We speculate about the impact that tribal college environments have on development and discuss potentially influential factors in these environments that enhance development. Finally, we present implications for practice and future research focusing on the development of American Indian students in tribal college settings.

This study examined chief student affairs officer (CSAO) titles at 2,621 4-year public and private institutions and 2-year institutions included in the 2006 Higher Education Directory. This study replicated and extended Rickard’s (1985a) study of CSAO titles, with regard to institutional autonomy and professional standardization and provides a 22-year update on the uses of CSAO titles. Among study findings, males were found to hold 55% of CSAO titles and females to hold 45%. This finding represented a significant increase for females from 22% in 1984 to 45% in 2006. Other findings identified information based on gender, titles, and institutional type and size.

Although students who live off-campus comprise over 85% of today’s college enrollments (Horn & Nevill, 2006), the body of research on this group is far smaller than that on residential students. Researchers regularly treat commuter students as a homogenous group and largely ignore the significant within-group differences that characterize the population (Jacoby & Garland, 2004). One way to look at the diversity within this group is to study commuter students living in the home of a parent, guardian, or other relative (i.e., dependent); and commuters who live on their own or with others (i.e., independent) (Roe Clark, 2006). This study used data from the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership to examine within-group differences between dependent and independent commuters on the key college outcome of leadership self-efficacy (Astin & Astin, 2000). Leadership self-efficacy refers to one’s confidence in his or her capacity to lead (Murphy, 2002), and often makes the difference as to whether one actually does lead. The study also examined unique predictors of leadership efficacy for each population. Results reflected statistically significant within-group differences with independent commuters, indicating a greater sense of leadership efficacy than their dependent commuter peers. The same three environmental variables emerged as the most significant predictors of leadership efficacy for both groups: socio-cultural conversations with peers, positional leadership roles in college organizations, and employer mentoring. These were complemented by additional predictors unique to each population. This research supports the assertion of commuter student diversity and provides insights into how educational practice can best support their development of self-efficacy for leadership. Funding support for the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership was provided by the National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs, C. Charles Jackson Foundation, NASPA Foundation, and ACPA Educational Leadership Foundation.