Developments, Volume 11, Issue 1 (Winter 2013)

“My University Success class helped me realize just how important these first few years in college are. I feel like a lot of freshmen do not realize this until it is too late and they cannot change the situations they’ve got themselves in.” Jennifer ¹, Age 18

In the twenty-first ...

Jan Davis Barham, Chair, 2012 ACPA Membership Survey Analysis Team
Associate Dean of Students & Director of Tate Student Center
University of Georgia

ACPA-College Student Educators International has always placed strong value on member needs and involvement. Indeed, member feedback was the basis for the Association’s new strategic plan. The following article represents a synopsis of what our members said during the recent member survey, and how the Association plans to use that feedback within the context of ...

Gregory Roberts
ACPA Executive Director

Greetings to the New Year and to the many activities of the spring semester. It is difficult to believe that we are wrapping up the preparations for the 89th Annual Convention of ACPA. Just imagine what it was like 89 years ago when nine professionals came together to create what is now know as ACPA. What a difference a “few years make.”

2013 is unique in that we are hosting the largest professional development program of the ...

Neal H. Hutchens
University of Kentucky

Issues involving speech and academic freedom in higher education regularly receive attention in scholarly literature and the media, but typically in regards to student or faculty speech. These conversations rarely involve issues related to the speech of student affairs professionals. As a small step in helping to fill this gap in the literature, I will consider legal standards relevant to the speech rights of student affairs professionals when carrying out their employment ...

Keith Humphrey
ACPA President
Cal Poly

At this time of year, one of the most common questions I get asked is, “Has your year as ACPA President been what you expected?”

The short answer is no. I am not sure it ever is what you expect when you lead a dynamic association of creative professionals. It is not about one person, that is for sure. However, I have realized that the longer answer is both yes and no – it was a year of both ...

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Paul Eaton
Editor

One of the pleasures of working on the publication of Developments is garnering a more full and complete sense of the people we work with daily, the many issues we tackle, and our continued commitment as a profession to ensuring our communities are strong, vibrant, and welcoming. Next week our profession will join with NIRSA in Las Vegas to examine how we “Inspire Communities of Wellbeing.” Conference season is our opportunity to renew ...

Matthew B. Fuller
Sam Houston State University

Student Affairs Staff Support, Resistance, or Indifference to Assessment

Much has been said about the importance of a culture of assessment in institutional communities and while less has been researched and written, an emerging scholarship does make it possible for student affairs practitioners to discuss their role in developing, maintaining, or augmenting a culture of assessment on their campus. Assessment culture is often assumed to be a positive force because ...

New Student Affairs professionals enter the field with excitement about serving students, making an impact, and experiencing new opportunities. The thought of ethical decision-making may not be at the forefront of their day-to-day agendas. However, ...

Jason E. Lane
State University of New York, Albany

Last fall at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, I was a discussant for a set of papers that sought to “problematize” international students. The authors explored various theoretical perspectives to demonstrate the ways in which higher education professionals think international students could directly affect how an institution chooses to engage with those students. My engagement with the panel caused me to reflect that international students are increasingly being ...

In celebration of our 40th Anniversary, members of the Standing Committee for Women are pleased to sponsor a Series in Developments. Our Series, “Women As,” explores how women’s intersecting identities (race, class, gender expression and performance, sexuality, religion, etc.) impact women’s experiences in different roles. Thus, authors ...