This qualitative study examined the experiences of entry-level men in student affairs, with particular focus on the function of mentors and role models. Through semistructured interviews and a focus group, 22 participants shared their thoughts and experiences regarding mentorship. Results indicated mentorship to be instrumental in recruitment and…

The Office Consultation Project is an innovative capstone project that partners graduate students in student affairs preparation programs with academic and student affairs practitioners. It provides an opportunity for students to apply research and scholarship to practical settings, while giving practitioners new insight into their units,…

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…

Persistence of transfer students is greatly influenced by academic and social integration at receiving institutions. The purpose of this study was to examine how transfer students and student affairs professionals used Facebook during the initial transition to campus. Findings from 15 different institutional Facebook groups revealed that transfer…

This study examines senior student affairs leadership through the diverse lenses of subordinates, administrative peers, presidents, and senior student affairs officers (SSAOs). Guided by an interpretive paradigm, a qualitative methodology was employed consisting of a six-case comparative analysis and grounded theory approach. The findings provide…

The study reviewed 17 years of research extending the work of Lovell and Kosten (2000) on student affairs competencies important for professional preparation and practice. A meta-analysis was used to organize and present data on 22 articles concerned with knowledge, skills, dispositions, curriculum, multicultural competency, and professional…

This study explores student affairs capitalism as the alteration of professional practice towards the financial interests of institutions. Student affairs capitalism has the potential to create dynamics in which the interests of students become secondary to the institution's economic needs. This study examined this phenomenon from the…

The phrase "best practice" is used often in student affairs, but the term lacks a common and accepted definition. This results in the implementation of programs and services that are neither grounded nor assessed. A model is proposed here that suggests a best practice process that integrates foundational student affairs documents and applies the…

Entry-level student affairs staff are the profession's future and seasoned professionals must lay a strong supervisory foundation. Supervision has received little attention in the literature even though practitioners spend substantial time supervising. Although an important role, many seasoned professionals are ill prepared for this task. This…

This study of student affairs leaders who have left senior roles used an interpretive qualitative approach to explore these lived transitional experiences. The context of the departure, its immediate impact, the ensuing emotions, the change navigation process, and the envisioned future appear to shape the departing leaders' perceptions of the…

Native American students find sources of strength in their families, communities, and culture. This article reviews the experiences of 26 Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) college graduates who lived in residence halls while enrolled in college. These students obtained college educations while remaining culturally centered by going home often, some said…

Walter Dill Scott (1869-1955), tenth president of Northwestern University and pioneer of industrial psychology, is an essential architect of student personnel work. This study of his accomplishments, drawing on records from the Northwestern University archives, tells a story about the people he influenced and his involvement in codifying what was…

Scholarly inquiry into identity development is a foundation of the student affairs field; typically, such scholarship examines domains of student development as discrete entities. This paper explains the process an autoethnographic research group employed to explore how multiple identities have been shaped during coresearchers' lifetimes. Findings…

Since the 1950s, the critical incident technique (CIT) has aided researchers in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of qualitative data. In the student affairs literature only a very small number of CIT studies exist. Using the two most recent publications as examples, this article provides a detailed overview of the CIT, highlights its…

In this article, we synthesize existing theory-to-practice approaches within the student affairs literature to arrive at a new model that incorporates formal and informal theory, institutional context, and reflective practice. The new model arrives at a balance between the rigor necessary for scholarly theory development and the adaptability…