Student Affairs

The text of this essay was derived from a speech to the 1997 Mississippi Chief Student Affairs Officers Conference; thus, it is written in an informal style. This article is meant to provide a wake-up call to our profession as we enter an era that will be unlike any other. We must link ourselves to the institutional academic mission, focus on student learning, and prepare for reengineering and other quality/efficiency efforts.

Student Affairs in Canada in 2013 Perceptions, Trends, and an Outlook toward the Future

Chief Student Affairs Officers (CSAOs) are senior-level student affairs personnel. In 2011, 33 CSAOs responded to a national survey and provided a professional perspective on field development, student services, as well as predicted five-year trends for student affairs. In 2013, 17 CSAOs responded to the same survey and provided further information on these topics. Results indicated that attitudes towards diversity and technology remained stable between 2011 and 2013. We established that CSAOs have less positive attitudes towards research, evaluation, and assessment than they do towards communication and leadership. Here, we discuss at length the implications of these finding, as well as the potential for research into student affairs. In addition, we examine the continued professionalization of the CSAO field and note that research into CSAOs should be proactive instead of reactive.

Survey of Chief Student Affairs Officers Regarding Relevance of Graduate Preparation of New Professionals

The study examines the perceptions of chief student affairs officers at 50 colleges/universities in order to provide insights into the extent to which preparation programs are effectively preparing new professionals for the field. The results of the study will assist faculty teaching in these programs in future decisions regarding curricula; provide a rich source of information to practitioners interested in the preparation of new professionals entering the field; and delineate specific areas of skill development, knowledge, and personal traits important for advancement in the field. Results indicate that there may be a need to consider additional course work in several content areas.

Facing a 'New' Challenge: Chief Student Affairs Officers' Responses to Casino Gambling in Mississippi

The authors present the results of a qualitative study examining chief student affairs officers' (CSAOs) perceptions of the impact of legalized casino gambling on student life, service delivery, and student affairs administration of Mississippi's college and university campuses.