From its beginnings in the 1980s, ACPA’s Statement of Ethical Principles and Standards has centered four elements: professional responsibility and competence, student learning and development, responsibility to the institution, and responsibility to society. As we sit in the midst of tremendous transition and change in higher education and the larger community, we are compelled to engage in a reflection on the ethical practice of student affairs. This work is led by ACPA’s Ethics Task Force but is dependent on the input of members as we craft ethical standards to effectively address the issues we are currently navigating and situate student affairs professionals for an ethical future beyond the moment. We also seek to position student affairs professionals for an ethical future beyond the current moment, emerging issues and changes. Developments is hosting a series of articles by members of the Ethics Task Force to inform and engage members in the process.
An Overview of the Ethics Task Force
In August of 2023 a set of Ethics Task Force recommendations were developed to guide ethical practice across student affairs and higher education. These recommendations included:
- Creating a long-term, sustainable structure for the task force, taking into consideration changing demographics in student affairs and higher education
- Clarifying the task force’s role using a grounded theory approach to its development
- Developing a communication plan related to ACPA ethical guidelines
- Providing ethics education for the association, including an ethics toolkit consisting of a report of ethics inquiries and ethical case studies that connect to ACPA values
- Reviewing and approving revisions to the ACPA Statement of Ethical Principles and Standards
- Clarifying connections to other associations, organizations, agencies and groups as they relate to ethical considerations
Within a year, a new ACPA Ethics Task Force was established with a charge to continually update the Statement of Ethical Principles and Standards document and to promote the statement to ACPA members and across the profession. Since that time, the Task Force has met regularly to explore the current version of the Statement and to solicit feedback on the document, and we are now positioned to discuss the feedback gathered and to look ahead to future work and revisions related to the ACPA Ethics Code/Guidelines.
The purpose of the Ethics Task Force is to maintain ACPA ethical standards and guidelines. Members of the task force meet every other month to review and discuss ethical standards. We plan for the future of the Statement and how to engage ACPA members in ethics-related dialogue. The current work of the task force has focused on soliciting input from members via a survey, focus groups and dialogues, and upcoming ACPA conference sessions to gain additional perspectives on the ethics of our work in practice as well as the Statement itself.
Survey Information
On September 11, 2025, a survey on ethics in student affairs practice was launched for ACPA members. 74 respondents shared their thoughts about ACPA’s Ethics Code/Guidelines though responses varied across questions. Highlights from that feedback included:
- A need to redesign the document to increase accessibility and readability, including the use of more student-centered language
- Clarification of the document as a guide not a rulebook to function with other resources and frameworks
- Alignment of the code with the Strategic Imperative for Racial Justice and Decolonization
- Acknowledgement of diversity of roles, institutional types, and international perspectives within the context of ethical considerations
- Creation and distribution of supplemental resources such as case studies or ethical dilemmas for ACPA members
Some limitations to this feedback are that we can neither regulate the field of student affairs nor solve the profession’s burnout, precarity, or labor crisis. Across both the survey data and the open dialogues/focus groups, participants largely agreed that the ACPA Code of Ethics meets expectations in values and intent but expressed consistent concern that its application is unclear and difficult to navigate, particularly within increasingly regulated and politicized institutional environments. While members affirmed commitments to social justice, decolonization, and ethical accountability, they emphasized the need for greater contextual guidance, improved readability, and practical tools that acknowledge unequal agency across institutional types and career stages. In addition, this survey was delimited by the fact that ACPA is not the sole or final authority on ethics in higher education, we cannot design ethical standards to fit every functional area, institutional type, or philosophical tradition, and we are revising this particular code not replacing the profession.
Focused Dialogues, Fall 2025
The ACPA Ethics Task Force hosted four focused dialogues to discuss the ACPA Ethics Code/Guidelines, the current social, political, and cultural context of our work, and to look ahead to the needs of our members. Dialogues in October, November, and December surfaced a number of issues. A total of 13 ACPA and community members participated in the focus groups. While distinct, each focus group shared the following themes:
- Compliance and Ethical Dilemmas in an Era of Regulation
- Readability, Access and Practical Support
- Perspectives of Varied Professional Levels
The main topic and point of contention was the first theme, relating to how one can develop an ethical voice while facing institutional, state and federal compliance. Similar to the survey data, this theme conveyed not only ethical burnout in the workplace, but also complexity and contradictions on how to successfully navigate and/or de-escalate unethical practices. Rather than focusing on a theoretical approach, there is a current shift to understanding and centering practicality in the pressure of resolving ethical issues when time, leadership and/or capacity are limited. Further recommendations included incorporating learning tools, visuals, and scorecards for individuals to scaffold and set goals while tracking progress in applying ethical principles and standards. This was a recommendation from many members including newer, mid- and senior-level professionals who partook in the group. This theme is central as the ACPA Ethics Code/Guidelines is encouraged to be utilized throughout all points and levels of one’s education and career, and not only when intervention is needed. Despite a diverse range of experiences and roles, the aim of the ACPA Ethics Code/Guidelines is to help develop and continue growing an ethical voice to affirm higher education practitioners in the service of students and communities.
A limitation of the focus group dialogues is the reality that many of us are living in a time of fear and anxiety. Whether it be at home, work or the state of U.S. and international politics, the impact of the current administration permeates every space. It became apparent during the focus groups that while many higher education practitioners and/or faculty value ACPA’s Ethics Code/Guidelines, that does not remove the scrutiny or legal concerns faced in participating in these conversations.
ACPA Convention Opportunities
As we prepare to gather in Baltimore, we have the opportunity to continue to engage in other ways about the state of ethics in ACPA and across the profession. At this year’s convention we invite members to participate in the following conference sessions: 1) “Everyday Ethics: Justice, Power, and Purpose in Student Affairs” on Tuesday, March 31, 9:45-10:45 am in Baltimore Convention Center room 314, and 2) Ethics Task Force business meeting on Tuesday, March 31, 1:15-2:15 pm in Baltimore Convention Center room 318. Your input is essential to meeting the various needs of members, institutions, and the students, colleagues, and collaborators with whom we meet. At a time when there is so much change and often a lack of clarity about the requirements and expectations of higher education work, our ability to establish ethical standards to which we can anchor our work has perhaps never been more important. While federal guidelines are changing on an almost daily basis and the role of state legislatures informs our work in ways we have not experienced in recent memory, our dedication to issues of responsibility and competence, student learning and development, and our institutional and societal responsibilities are as important as ever.
ACPA Ethics Task Force Members
Jonathan O’Brien, Task Force Chair
Michelle L. Boettcher
Dan Cantiller
Anne Hornak
Otis Johnson
Sean Robinson
Esther Rosbrook
Sean Watson
Tricia Fechter Gates
Cecelia Lopez