Volume 47, Issue 4

Many higher education institutions require student organization advisors to be employees. Such requirements can be interpreted as barriers to students and can limit the number and types of groups found on college campuses. Using quantitative analysis, this study investigates the motivation of student organization advisors at six public institutions in the northwest U.S. Conclusions from this study may assist student affairs professionals in the identification, recruitment, and recognition of faculty and staff who volunteer as student organization advisors.

This study contributes to the scarce research on U.S. college students studying abroad by documenting general and sexual negative alcohol-related risks and factors associated with such risk. The manner of drinking (quantity vs. frequency), pre-departure expectations surrounding alcohol use while abroad, culture-related social anxiety, and perceived disparity between home and host cultures, differentially predicted consequences abroad. The findings include important implications for student affairs professionals in developing study abroad-specific interventions and resources to maintain student well-being while abroad.

This article explores how the concept of psychological well-being (PWB) relates to the religious and spiritual engagement of college students, as well as how levels of PWB vary between racial/ethnic groups over time during college. The study uses descriptive and multivariate analyses to examine PWB for White, Black, Latino/a, and Asian American students. Data were derived from the 2004 and 2007 College Students’ Beliefs and Values Survey, a longitudinal national survey examining the spiritual and religious development of college students.

The single-parent undergraduate is an underserved student population who face organizational barriers and negative climates. These barriers negatively impact their collegiate experience and could influence retention. This research uses feminist-informed focus groups to explore the single-parent undergraduate experience and posit suggestions for institutional change.

Burns B. Crookston was a man ahead of his times. He left a legacy to the student affairs profession that inspired the practice of student development education. His writings described a role for higher education in training students to become active citizens by learning about leadership, decision making, and conflict resolution in democratic organizations. His discussion of social contracts led to a renewed vision of democracy, public service, and the practice of community engagement on all levels of society, beginning with teaching and learning in residence halls and extending to student government and civic engagement in the wider society.

This mixed method study explored the assessment-related skills and job duties that student affairs administrators expect from new employees as reflected in 1,759 job openings posted in 2008, of which seven job postings were specialist positions in outcomes-based assessment. The skills and du- ties required of these seven positions were primarily related to leadership, education, teamwork, and research. In the entire sample of job postings, the study found no differences in required assessment-related skills or job duties between public and private institutions or schools of various sizes. However, there were significant differences in requisite assessment skills and job duties among the various functional areas and among jobs with varying educational and experience requirements. Implications for institutions, graduate preparation programs, and professional development efforts are discussed.