Student Affairs Philosophy

I never thought I would someday become a role model to nearly 12,000 Missouri high school students. These students are not any ordinary students; they are members of an organization that is truly the ultimate leadership experience. This organization is known as the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and is a student led organization, based off of family and consumer sciences education. FCCLA has given me unbelievable opportunities! But of all of the opportunities this organization has provided me with, serving as a FCCLA state officer has definitely been the best. However, becoming a state officer wasn’t easy and required a long process.

Higher Education between 1945 and 1970 was known as the “Golden Age” and SPPV (1949) came right at the beginning of this era (Thelin & Gasman, 2011). In 1945 the federal government used the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill), to offset the pressure of hundreds of thousands returning war veterans into a job market that was not able to handle them all (Thelin & Gasman, 2011). The GI Bill provided a policy for increasing the diversity of student at both colleges and universities (Thelin & Gasman, 2011). The influx of students stressed many campuses because they did not have enough faculty and staff to accommodate the students as well as the physical environment to house all the students (Thelin & Gassman, 2011). The stress involved with the increase of students even further shows the need for SPPV (1949) pushing the separation between student services staff and faculty, because faculty simply did not have the time to advise and work with every new student now enrolling in the higher education system. Parker (1978) shows that during the 1960’s most colleges and universities had whole divisions dedicated to student affairs professionals, which were not present in the past and directly reflective of SPPV (1949). SPPV (1949) laid out 17 services of a student personnel program that became divisions by the 1960’s (Parker, 1978).

1.) Throughout my entire career as a student at Iowa and as a member of Delta Tau Delta (DTD), I have sought out opportunities to better myself as a person and a leader. I have participated in a variety of different leadership academies that were offered through both the University of Iowa and Delta Tau Delta’s national Educational Foundation. I have attended the following leadership programs: FSL’s Emerging Leader Retreat twice, FSL’s Leadership Advance for incoming Chapter Presidents, Leadershape, StrengthsQuest, Student Organization Leadership Institute (SOLI), DTD’s annual Division Conference four times, DTD’s biennial Karnea, and DTD’s premiere leadership institute the Charge. I have served as a leader on campus in many different aspects.

rate in the previous year; falling in line with the divisions mission and vision. In addition, the department developed and presented housing and food service presentations to 12,000 students. This program allows to division to meets its mission of providing educational opportunities to students. The division also reaches across the aisle to other departments and host the Longhorn Neighborhood resource fair alongside 23 other divisions. These are a few examples of how the University of Texas at Austin’s student affairs department supports its students by providing the best innovative programs and services. As for the departments vision, the university has lunched HornLink, an online student portal that is geared towards uniting students with student organizations. Through Texas Parents, the department also host six family orientation sessions per year and three inaugural transfer sessions to welcome new families.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a statement of professional philosophy. First, I will introduce myself as a student affairs educator. Next, I will gather together my beliefs on student affairs, and provide a context for my professional practice. Lastly, I will explain how I will contribute to the profession. My aspiration to become a student affairs professional derives from the challenges I experienced as an Asian American, first generation, and low-socioeconomic status.

We believe that our youth are the leaders of tomorrow, and leadership can be learned and should be practiced. Therefore, Moving in the Spirit’s student leadership philosophy involves giving students opportunities to practice leadership skills in a supportive learning environment. We believe it is critical for students to have increased opportunities to be social change agents and engaged citizens because our communities need more people who have the skills and ability to provide a positive impact in the communities in which they live in. Our class structure and youth development workshops are the foundation of the development of leadership skills. We work to develop the following leadership skills of effective communication; conflict resolution;

College Pressure “College Pressures” written by William Zinsser, describes the everyday pressures of a college student. He comments, that students no longer want to change the world but, want to get ahead in it. As a college student I couldn’t agree more with this statement, I find myself trying to be the best of the best, regardless if I’m interested in what I’m doing. The pressures of being a college student are hard to see past, when your whole life revolves around what you do while you are in school.

The first two chapters of this book set the background for student development and how theory has evolved over the years. As time passed and college student demographics changed, new ideas and views were developed to understand the ever changing student body. Theorists realized that the college experience was different between demographic groups. Being able to develop student affairs practices and activities that can reach the different student groups is probably the biggest challenge a student affairs professional will tackle. It is said that student development is most achieved by involvement by the students. This means that these activities must be designed to accommodate students from all walks of life.

The history and construction of student affairs in higher education is multifaceted because of all the major changes that have taken place during the development of this profession. It started as a response to attend to issues of student conduct and has shifted into a variety of functional areas that focus on the support and development of their students. Student affairs professionals changed from acting in loco parentis to focusing on academics and extracurricular activities. It is the main purpose of student affairs professionals to understand how students develop in different function areas and help create opportunities to move them through their development. Student affairs help students find parts of their identity which then helps them

The three documents, “The Students Personal Points, 1937”, “The Student Personnel Point of View, 1949”, and “A Perspective on Student Affairs, 1987”, are documents created for the purpose of student personal work. The Student Personnel Point of View, 1937 existed when several board members of the American Council on Education held a meeting in Washington D.C. on April 16 &17, 1937. The two-day conference was related to student personnel work. These problems were the clarification field work of students, their work phases of institutional programs and research of special studies needed to help determine the nature of future development concerning their work. However, the American Council wanted to see if students were using their personnel

One important aspect of the student affairs profession is the importance and involvement of ethics within your daily life and within the workplace. From personal experience I believe that autonomy, faithfulness, doing no harm, and the ability to be just are extremely important. I also believe that there are many important expectations found in NASPA’s Standards of Professional Practice. These expectations include, equal consideration and treatment of others, assessment, agreement with institutional missions and goals, and conflict of interest. The student affairs profession spans many areas within the university environment and this can cause many different views and perceptions of the profession. Fried states that the curriculum of student affairs “includes interpersonal communications, conflict resolution, personal life planning, financial planning, career planning, leadership and participation in small and large groups, public speaking, and developing the necessary skills to live and work in a culturally diverse democracy” (Fried, 2002). Another responsibility of student affairs professionals is supporting and aiding students during crises, which seem less predictable and more frequent, causing psychological pressure to increase (Schuh, Jones, & Harper, 2011, p. 111). While supporting and developing students in modern times and working to complete all responsibilities that pair with the student affairs profession it is important to

The College of Education, Human Services, Behavioral Sciences, and Justice (EHBJ) aspires to be a professional leader who offers academic support to our students, faculty members, local communities, and international organizations. Meanwhile, this college will inspire participatory, innovation, and high-quality courses relevant activities with the professional community and commit to providing talents, which adapt to the tendency of the social development.

There are a lot of programs and organizations at Georgia State University (GSU). None of these organizations are quite like Panther L.E.A.P. (Leadership, Engagement, Achievement, and Pride). Panther L.E.A.P. is one of the few programs at GSU that solely revolves around leadership. This program is specifically designed to help students in their leadership skills and overall development. This program focuses on student development on a personal level. After watching the interaction between the mentors and the mentees, one can conclude that they are a caring and loving community, concerned about each other. This community helps lead GSU students in the right direction towards success. Once students complete the program, they will have gained skills needed to help make them a well rounded person. For instance, each person will possess leadership skills, confidence, and self esteem. Their new skill set will give confidence and capability in handling and directing any situation that comes their way. Panther L.E.A.P. is a unique asset to Georgia State University because it aids in strengthening the student with developmental techniques, such as leadership, balance, and self-confidence that will shape the student into a personal improved version.

Leadership training program is becoming more and more common in the modern-day of higher education institutions. The positive effects on students’ character development and value have been found in leadership education (Astin & Antonio, 2004). Participating in the leadership development program was related to the students how to make the moral and ethical decisions (Astin & Antonio, 2004). Leadership development activities can be found in clubs and organizations, classes and also community service. Nevertheless, no matter in what organization, serving in leadership roles allows students to interact with others and to develop new skills.

Student personnel point of view encompasses the student as a whole. The concept of education is broadened o the student’’s well rounded development- physically, socially, emotionally and spiritually as well as intellectually. (sppv) Student affairs not only emphasize on academic excellence but to shape each individual as a unique human by providing a holistic learning and living environment. Student Affairs professionals play a pivotal role in the development of the students. By applying different theories in student development, they can foster student learning to help them shape their identity. Student affairs staff members must view themselves as educators to refute the belief that learning is held only in the classroom. (contested issue, 29). Learning does not only occur in the classroom but through out of class activities as well. Student affairs staff should talk about student learning and development to enhance the multiplicity of growth areas for students in higher education. These learning and development experiences do not simply happen to students. They happen with their active involvement. There are numerous branches of fields in student affairs that attend to the unique needs of each individual. Residence Director trains Residence assistance to cater to the needs of first year students who are new to the college environment. RA plays a major role of introducing the life of college through building relationships and community to help them develop their sense of