Digital Commons Network^™

A Place For Scholarship In Campus Activities Practice: A Collective Case Study, Cindy Kane

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explores the integration of forms of scholarship in campus activities practice at four institutions in the Northeast. Using a collective case study approach, interviews were conducted with a total of 23 campus activities staff members and six senior student affairs officers at four institutions achieving comprehensive recognition for excellence in campus activities programs from one professional association. Administrators explored Boyer’s (1990) frames of scholarship and shared experiences with the engagement with the four frames of scholarship in their daily work. Findings presented highlight a strong identification between participants and the scholarship of teaching, moderate engagement with application and …

Portraits Of Transformation In Higher Education, Christine P. Braun

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Implicit Values In Cornerstone Student Affairs Textbooks, Nathan Slife

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The field of student affairs is properly cautious about indoctrination. Indoctrination, after all, clearly contradicts the field's ethical statements and standards. These cautions have led student affairs researchers to investigate explicit values in the field to prevent explicit forms of indoctrination. However, recent investigations of implicit values in the discipline of psychology have revealed a potential new source of indoctrination not currently studied in student affairs. Specifically, psychological researchers have identified a system of implicit values called liberal individualism that has been found to be pervasive throughout the psychological discipline. Given the widely acknowledged link between student affairs and psychology, …

Self-Perceived Competence Of New Student Affairs Professionals, Jennifer Smith Schneider

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine the extent to which new student affairs professionals feel competent for the work and to identify the experiences that foster such competence in them. The study also revealed discrepancies in the perceived levels and sources of competence between professionals who have completed either one or three years of full-time employment in student affairs. While some quantitative studies have addressed competence in student affairs professionals, the literature lacks in-depth information regarding the acquisition of competence of new professionals. This basic qualitative study offers rich information about competence development from the professionals themselves.

Participants graduated from …

Grounding Student Affairs In A Catholic Charism: The Journey Of One Faculty Member In Connecting Curriculum With Mission, Rich Whitney Phd, Mark Laboe

Journal of Catholic Education

The institutional mission of a university guides interactions among faculty, staff, students, and others and is instrumental in shaping the campus culture. As such, it is important that all members of a campus community not only understand the mission, but also have a sense of agency in determining how to live the mission through their work. This article presents a case study of one faculty member’s journey to deeper mission understanding, identification, and agency. The article explores commonalities between Vincentian Personalism and the basic tenets of the field of Student Affairs and highlights experiences and formation needed by lay faculty …

Distinguishing Assessment From Accountability: Honoring Student Learning And Values In Assessment, Erin Elizabeth Pearce Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Accountability is documented as one of the two major forces for engaging in assessment (Ewell, 2002, 2009; Keeling, 2006; Keeling et al., 2008; Love & Estanek, 2004; Terenzini, 1989). Due in part to neoliberalism's influence on education assessment rhetoric and discourse, accountability dominates how assessment is understood and practiced. The dominance of the accountability rhetoric effects how student affairs educators perceive and value assessment. The purpose of this study is to explore why assessment is not a pervasive or consistent practice within student affairs. Through an interpretivist case study examination of Manresa University's division of student affairs, participant observation, document …

Exceptional Senior Student Affairs Administrators’ Leadership: Strategies And Competencies For Success, Joshua W. Bass

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

No abstract provided.

Factors Related To Financial Stress Among College Students, Stuart Heckman, Hanna Lim, Catherine Montalto

Journal of Financial Therapy

Concerns that debt loads and other financial worries negatively affect student wellness are a top priority for many university administrators. Factors related to financial stress among college students were explored using the Roy Adaptation Model, a conceptual framework used in health care applications. Responses from the 2010 Ohio Student Financial Wellness Survey were analyzed using proportion tests and multivariate logistic regressions. The results show that financial stress is widespread among students – 71% of the sample reported feeling stress from personal finances. The results of the proportion tests and logistic regressions show that this study successfully identified important financial stressors …

Three Justifications For Support Of Female Student Affairs Professionals, Anna Filipek Adams

Masters Theses

Female student affairs professionals have experienced much advancement in the field. Yet we still suffer gender discrimination in our career paths, salaries, and work experiences. Unfortunately, this issue is not seen as important by decision makers, due to the acceptance of slow change, the past reluctances to begin this discussion, and the arguments of critics. In order to reinvigorate our growth and advancement in the field, I argue that there is value in supporting female student affairs professionals.

I justify the value of supporting of female student affairs professionals from student affairs, human resources, and cultural studies perspectives. From a …

Naspa’S New Professionals Institute: Exploring The Personal And Professional Impact Of A Two-Day, Intensive Professional Development Experience, Ashley Stone

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Professional development experiences, like professional development literature, are vast. While existing professional development literature discussed the needs for and barriers toward professional development as well as the benefits and types of professional development experiences, no research existed about NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education’s (NASPA) New Professionals Institute (NPI), an intensive, two-day leading professional development experience for student affairs professionals who have been in the field for less than five years. Therefore, I conducted a phenomenological qualitative study, which explored the meanings NASPA’s Region IV-West NPI participants made of their two-day professional development experience as well as the personal …

What Matters Most? Factors Influencing Choice Of A Student Affairs Master's Program, Stacy A. Dam

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Numerous studies exist on the undergraduate choice process. This has led to undergraduate models being applied to the graduate selection process even though there are known differences between groups. Graduate program enrollment is increasing, yet there is little research on what factors encourage prospective students to enroll in a particular master’s or doctoral program. This study seeks to add to the graduate program choice research for student affairs master’s programs. The sample population of this quantitative study was current master’s students who are members of the professional organization NASPA region IV-West and currently enrolled in a student affairs master’s program. …

Can They Ever Feel At Home?: Saudi Student Experiences In Residence Halls

Stander Symposium Projects

Saudi students are choosing to pursue higher education at institutions in the United States at an accelerated rate. As a result, it is essential that administration develop ways to better serve this population. The residence halls at American institutions provide a unique challenge for Saudi students because of certain elements of their culture including religion, gender dynamics, and more. Currently, there is a lack of research on this particular topic. In a one hour semi-structured interviews, participants reflected on their experience in the residence halls as well as provided suggestions for future programming and physical space. Information collected through this …

Unfamiliar Territory: A Phenomological Study Of International Students Enrolled In A Large Urban Community College

Stander Symposium Projects

International students are choosing community colleges for reasons of affordability, easy access, and as a good place to start their education, especially if English is their second language. There is a deficiency of research surrounding this student population despite an increase in enrollment. With little representation of the ICCS in current literature and with institutions recognizing their value more than ever, an understanding of their experience is needed. This qualitative study sought to explore and understand the shared experience of the international college student enrolled in a large Midwestern urban community college. The method of data collection included personal interviews …

First Year Chinese Student Engagement In Residence Halls: A Mixed Methods Study

Stander Symposium Projects

Social adjustment is tumultuous for first year international students, especially for those living in residence halls. Yet, research focused specifically on international residents in this environment is lacking (Paltridge et al., 2010). This mixed methods study assessed first year Chinese students perception of racial climate in the residence halls at a mid-sized, Midwestern private institution. The quantitative results indicated that the students’ perceptions of a positive racial climate directly impacted their personal and social learning outcomes. Students’ first impression of the hall environment impacted how they subsequently perceived the sense of community. The qualitative analysis revealed aspects of the social …

But It's A Party School: The Impact Of Alcohol Culture On Student Initial College Choice

Stander Symposium Projects

While many aspects can affect a student’s decision to attend a specific institution, a college’s alcohol culture can have a positive or negative effect on student choice. Research explains one of the biggest aspects to aid in a students’ decision to attend a university is the perception of alcohol culture on campus (Parker, 2009). Lifestyle choices can also affect this decision. Therefore, there is a need for an examination of why students select a college based on perceived drinking culture of that institution. This study will offer an insight into why first-year students in the fall of 2013 decided to …

All The Single Ladies: Romantic Partnering And Its Influence On The Self-Esteem Of Female College Students

Stander Symposium Projects

As college students understand and vocalize their needs, supports, and decisions, they begin to believe in their own choices and build confidence and self-esteem. Early on in their undergraduate years, many female students define themselves by their social relationships and cannot separate themselves from whom they are associated with. Thus, those in a committed romantic relationship may have more validation and support for fostering self-esteem than those who are not romantically involved. The current study seeks to understand the relationship between 250undergraduate female students’ levels of self-esteem and romantic partnerships, and projected changes if the relationship status were to change. …

Who Needs Friends…I'M A Leader!: Peer Support's Effect On Student Leadership

Stander Symposium Projects

The relationship between student’s leadership development and the role in which peer support enhances it, creates a phenomenon which is experienced at the University of Dayton. The concept of Propinquity explains peer support as a catalyst within a student’s leadership development and provides insight for their various leadership skills and competencies. This research looks at University Dayton students' leadership competencies and strength of peer support through quantitative analyses of an online survey. Results offer insights for college professional staff and administrators in leadership programming.

Wanted: Bromances: Impacts Of Hegemonic Masculinity On The Relationships Of Sophomore Men

Stander Symposium Projects

Hegemonic masculinity is constructed in a way that pressures men into certain behaviors and mindsets. Traditional genders roles emphasized in hegemonic masculinity call for alcohol and drug abuse, unprotected sex, and other prohibited behavior (Edwards & Jones, 2009). There is a significant lack of research aimed specifically on the sophomore year experience for college students (Gardner et al., 2010). Hegemonic masculinity (Arxer, 2011) and its foundations give way to how men translate the pressures of masculinity into relationships. The research for this study revolved around the success of sophomore students and hegemonic masculinity. The study attempted to gain a new …

Thou Shall Not: The Impact Of Faith On Female Students' Decision To Engage In Risky Behaviors

Stander Symposium Projects

Alcohol abuse and other risky behaviors, such as illegal drug use and unplanned sex, are not uncommon on college campuses. Peers often influence these behaviors and students continue to believe involvement in them is connected to their college experience where students examine life’s meaning and purpose (Dodd, Glassman, Arthur, Webb & Miller, 2010). Therefore, an understanding of this relationship is needed. Qualitative, one-on-one interviews were conducted with eight female undergraduate students. Participants were all actively involved in a faith-based student organization on campus. Findings revealed students’ tendency to avoid risky behaviors due to their desire to honor their spiritual beliefs. …

We're Here To Help: Accessing The Needs Of Transfer Students.

Stander Symposium Projects

The need to assist transfer students is particularly important because transfer students enter into new institutions with unique needs, perspectives, and experiences compared to non-transfer students. Many orientation programs do not address the needs of transfer students and focus on freshman students. Little is known about the correlation between transfer students and orientation attendance. Therefore, this study aimed to identify transfer student needs, increase their attendance of orientation programs, and to provide effective programming for them. Participants were asked questions regarding barriers to program attendance and institutional support. This qualitative study focused on eight undergraduate students at a private, midsized, …

Focus Groups: An Assessment Tool In Student Affairs [Presentation With Audio], Sarah Jackson

Assessment & Accountability in Student Affairs & Higher Education (CNS 610)

No abstract provided.

Learning Outcomes [Presentation With Audio], Lisa Brun

Assessment & Accountability in Student Affairs & Higher Education (CNS 610)

No abstract provided.

Development Of Professional Identity Through Socialization In Graduate School, Debora L. Liddell, Maureen E. Wilson, Kira Pasquesi, Amy S. Hirschy, Kathleen M. Boyle

Higher Education and Student Affairs Faculty Publications

Professional identity is one outcome of successful socialization. The purpose of this study was to understand how socialization in graduate programs contributes to the development of professional identity for new professionals in student affairs. Via survey, we found significant relationships between program qualities, standards, activities, and experiences and measures of professional identity. Out-of-class experiences were perceived to have a strong influence than in-class experiences. Implications for graduate preparation programs and supervisors are discussed.

President's Annual Report, Brooks Keel

President's Annual Report (2012-2015)

No abstract provided.

Incorporating Religiosity, Spirituality, And Mindfulness Into The Professional Development Of Residence Life Staff, Monica Burke, Lacretia Dye, Jill Duba Sauerheber, Aaron W. Hughey

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Perceived Benefits Of Participation In Living And Learning Communities: The Student Perspective, Sally Adams

Masters Theses

Students' experiences outside the classroom are important to their overall growth and development. Living learning communities (LLC) play a big role in helping to support these areas of growth. Students residing in an LLC are aware of the benefits of the LLC experience and can articulate how their residential environment can help them develop. Non-LLC members find it difficult to define the LLC experience and are not receiving the same benefits. Institutions and residence life often struggle in evaluating and assessing these communities because of the lack of direction and outcomes not clearly being stated. If institutions work to clearly …

The Path Into Student Affairs: How Undergraduate Experiences Influence Students To Pursue A Career In Student Affairs, Bryce Jacob Reuer Gergely

Masters Theses

The career field of Student Affairs is one that most individuals know nothing about until coming to college when they have the chance to interact with professionals in the field. How exactly do individuals come to be professionals in student affairs? This study looks to answer that question through the examination of nine individuals in various stages of the process into Student Affairs, analyzing their experiences throughout their undergraduate career. Special focus is given to experiences during participants' undergraduate education, influences on their decision to pursue Student Affairs as a career, and how interactions with Student Affairs professionals played a …

Captains Of Erudition: How The First Generation Of American University Presidents Paved The Way For The Student Development Profession, Drew Moser

Drew Moser PhD

This article explores the pioneering work of the first generation of university presidents; a group of men Veblen named the "Captains of Erudition." Their administrative work paved the way for what we now know as student affairs/student development.

The Development, Validity, And Reliability Of A Psychometric Instrument Measuring Competencies In Student Affairs, Rishi Sriram

Rishi Sriram, Ph.D.

The study of competencies in student affairs began more than 4 decades ago, but no instrument currently exists to measure competencies broadly. This study builds upon previous research by developing an instrument to measure student affairs competencies. Results not only validate the competencies espoused by NASPA and ACPA, but also suggest adding a new competency and dividing some existing competencies into separate ones. Competency strengths, competency weaknesses, and implications for current practice and future research are discussed.