Band 43, Heft 2

Personal issues and career development processes of individuals working in student affairs who have recently completed a doctorate were explored in this study. Results indicated that almost 70% were employed at the completion of their doctorate either by accepting a new position or remaining in their current position. New doctoral graduates obtained a position at a significantly lower level than they expected; however, a significant positive correlation between expected and actual starting salary range indicates graduates were able to accurately predict their starting salary range. Over 75% of respondents were still employed in their first post-doctoral position at the time they completed the survey. Implications for student affairs graduate programs are discussed.

Today’s colleges and universities operate in a complex environment characterized by rapid and unrelenting change, and nowhere do the challenges inherent in change more directly impact students than in the delivery of student services. The need to integrate new models of service delivery, data-driven approaches to enrollment management, greater accountability for student success, stronger emphasis on customer service, and provision of “anytime, anyplace” services through technology are readily evident. Yet, many institutions are finding that their internal cultures are unreceptive, even hostile, toward adopting needed changes. This qualitative case study focusing on a 4- year purposeful change initiative at a community college was conducted to provide higher educational leaders with a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the influence of cultural change on student services staff. The results of this study indicated that student services staff constituted a distinct subculture that perceived, experienced, responded to, and influenced planned change differently from other subcultural groups. Specifically, student services staff more demonstrably supported the purpose of the change initiative; identified empowerment, inclusion and involvement in college decision-making, and improved lines of communication as the most important impacts of the change process; and expressed strong confidence regarding the sustainability of the changes that had occurred. Student services staff also indicated that they found greater meaning and developed stronger commitment to their work as a result of the change process. As a result of these findings, implications and strategies that may be helpful in designing and implementing a successful planned change initiative involving student services personnel are presented.

Previous literature has suggested that ascribed characteristics,such as gender and ethnicity, achieved characteristics such as highest degree earned; and institutional characteristics such as size and public or private affiliation of the college, may serve as determinants of salary among senior student affairs officers. This research, however, has relied upon t test and ANCOVA methods and, as a result, has not been able to examine the impacts of ascribed, achieved, and institutional characteristics simultaneously while holding the other constant. Using data gathered through the 2001–02 NASPA Salary Survey, researchers employed multivariate OLS regression to hold gender, ethnicity, and numerous other personal and institutional characteristics constant while comparing their individual effects on salary. Analyses have found that institutional factors far outweigh individual characteristics and that, when all factors are controlled for, race and gender no longer have a significant effect on salary. Overall, educational attainment, enrollment, region of the country, and type of degree granted have the largest impact on salaries. Although women and Blacks continue to be underrepresented among SSAOs these findings suggest that concerns over salary inequity for women and Blacks are unsupported.

For-profit higher education has expanded dramatically over the last decade and represents a newly prominent choice for students pursuing postsecondary education. How do for-profit institutions serve and support students? The practice of student affairs in the for-profit sector was explored through campus visits and interviews with administrators at 17 institutions. Five principles of student affairs are discussed. There is much that is familiar about student affairs in the for-profit sector, but the particular organizational context and mission of these institutions suggests a reconceptualization of student affairs.

The purposes of this study were to explore the extent to which technology disrupts and occupies the time of a college student and to determine the degree to which these disruptions contribute to perceived stress. A 71-item survey to assess perceived stress, technology use and disruptions, and social support was administered to 299 undergraduate students. The results indicate 25% of participants have problems with disruptions from technology, and more disruptions from technology are related to higher levels of perceived stress. Experiencing disruptions from technology is a significant problem among college students and needs to be addressed by student affairs professionals.

This paper describes a university initiative, cochaired by a faculty member and a student affairs administrator, to increase the collaboration between academic and student affairs. The initiative, called Claiming a Liberal Education, adapted a conflict resolution model, intergroup dialogues, to increase the interaction and communication between staff and faculty. Specific recommendations coming out of the intergroup dialogues are described and include strategies for greater emphasis on student learning,intercultural awareness that is integrated into the fabric of the institution, and clear messages about student and faculty expectations in the context of a liberal education.Findings from the study indicate that: participants learned about academic and student affairs’ respective areas of responsibility, participants expressed a desire to increase collaboration between academic and student affairs with a focus on student learning, and projects incorporating both academic and student affairs staff resulted from the initiative.

This study used the Measure of Epistemology Reflection to explore the impact of service-learning and social justice education on college students’ cognitive development. Six service-learning courses taught with or without a social justice emphasis were studied. Results showed that service- learning courses in general had a positive impact on students’ cognitive development, while service-learning courses with a social justice emphasis appeared to have more impact on students’ cognitive development than those without a social justice emphasis.

Heavy drinking continues to be a nationally recognized problem on college campuses. This article describes how student affairs professionals play a pivotal role in identifying and referring these students for relevant services. A five-step model for alcohol screening, advising, and referral is described using motivational enhancement strategies.

To reduce alcohol-impaired driving among college students, some university officials have organized safe ride programs for their campuses. Such programs provide transportation for students from local bars and restaurants to campus-area housing. In June 2001, Midwestern University (MU) initiated a safe ride program, the Midnight Special, as part of a larger network of expanded transportation services. Responding to a query from the MU Faculty Council for more information about the safe ride program, a preliminary assessment of the bus service was conducted. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, information was sought regarding the use of the service, perceptions of the value of the service from key stakeholders, and insight on how the service contributes to the campus environment and student culture.