STUDENT SERVICES AS A PROFESSION 2

Student Services as a Profession

I interviewed a student affair professional, specifically a careers advisor who works at
Ashford University. Her roles and responsibilities as a career advisor include providing advice to
students in regards to important aspects of their academic and personal lives. They talk to
students on matters such as learning, personal growth, and career choice and progression. She
offers advice to students on their future career plans. She is also tasked with providing
individual, face-to-face, and online services where students can discuss their career needs and
aspirations. She offers advice to students on how to write cover letters CVs, and how to present
themselves during interviews. As a career adviser, she delivers careers-related presentations
during webinars and seminars. The issue that I discussed during the interview is ‘increasing
enrollment in higher education by distance learners, online learners, and older adult learners.’
Online education has had an impact on the number of students enrolling in higher education. Due
to the convenience that it offers, it has also encouraged more adult learners to pursue higher
education. Consequently, there has been a random shift in how students access and receive
services. The personal touch in traditional learning environments is no longer there as students
receive education and other services remotely. I selected this issue because I am a beneficiary of
online learning. As an adult, this platform has offered me convenience as I can receive education
and still manage to take care of my family.
Students affairs professionals often make complex decisions in their daily practice as they
provide their services. Making good decisions and resolving these complex issues requires
professional judgement. According to Blimling (2011), student services professionals must
merge experience and theory in their practice. Theories provide a framework and a lens through
which practitioners engage their roles and responsibilities in making decisions. They provide

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professionals with a way of making sound judgments and guide them in their interpretations of
environments, organizations and individuals. Theories remind professionals that students always
remain larger than their categories. Although theories do not tell professionals what exactly to
do, they guide them accordingly in their judgement and decisions.
During the interview, the careers advisor explained that student services are critical in
higher education. The field comprises of professionals who are committed to supporting the
personal and academic development needs of students. These professionals work in assisting
students in dealing with various issues that are related to their pursuit of higher education. Some
of these issues may be completely personal such as depression or family issues, for instance, if
parents are going through a divorce. Also, there are other academic issues, such as performance
or co-curricular issues. Student services provide mentorship programs, and they help in the
holistic development of learners.
According to Kegan’s theory of self-evolution, the self and the environment are usually at
the center of personal development. Student services professionals are part of the environment
with which students interact with while on campus or in their online learning environments.
Kegan described the interpersonal, intrapersonal, and cognitive dimensions of individual
development. In a college situation, students make meaning of things that occur within them and
those that occur outside. In most cases, students tend to follow their peers even when their beliefs
and values do not align with the actions of their peers. According to Kegan, the activity of
making meaning is the point where the environment intersects with the person. Human’s
interpretation is based on experiences and rules formed through them. As such, when a student
meets a student professional, in this case, a careers adviser, their meaning-making activity is
enhanced.

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As a person grows, they unfold in many ways and organize experience which is
subsumed into complex cognitive systems. Kegan mentions that the environment, through
experiences, plays two main roles in the development of an individual. First, it supports an
individual in their current developmental stage. the student affairs professionals form part of the
environment that a student interacts with while pursuing higher education. Through their roles,
they support the growth of students at a personal and academic level. They guide students
accordingly in, for instance, selecting majors that align with their career goals and aspirations.
Secondly, the environment provides support and encourages progression to the next evolutionary
truce. It forms an evolutionary bridge that individuals use to cross over onto the next level. In the
case of career advisers, they provide a holding environment for students as they transition from
campus life into the workforce. They guide students and provide them with an “evolutionary
bridge” for them to use as they transition from being students into being career men and women.
During the interview, the student services practitioner also mentioned a list of
skills/competencies that are necessary when serving in the student affairs department. Some of
the competencies mentioned relate, and others match with the ten essential competencies
mentioned by Schuh et al., (2017). In response to the interview questions, the student affairs
professional asserted that professionalism is one of the key competencies when working as a
student services practitioner. She asserted that professionalism invokes a sense of duty to the
students. Further, Schuh et al. (2017) state that professionalism relays a responsibility to the
students and to the public in general. Professionalism is personal, societal, and academic and is
thus accessed at a local level as well as institutionally. The authors further explain that
professional competencies such as technology, personal and ethical foundations, advising and
supporting, law, policy and governance, leadership, values and philosophy as well as student

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learning and development define professional knowledge, dispositions and skills. For instance, a
student affairs practitioner will demonstrate professionalism, if they exhibit culturally inclusive
and active listening skills.
Multicultural competence is also important when serving as a student affairs practitioner.
Multicultural awareness is required when working as a student services professional because one
will encounter students of diverse cultural backgrounds. It entails beliefs and values that shape a
professional’s understanding of students who are culturally different from themselves. A careers
adviser must be aware of the effect that a student’s upbringing, experiences, perceptions, and
cultural worldview has on their general view of life. When interacting with a diverse student
population, it is thus important to evaluate biases, stereotypes, ad assumptions that are based on
the culture in determining what, if any, inappropriate or biased views we hold in regard to a
certain culture or person. A multiculturally aware professional handles students in a manner that
is multiculturally sensitive, and they do not let any flawed beliefs and assumptions interfere with
their interactions with students. The student’s services practitioner mentioned that cultural
humility and global fluency are key competencies when serving in the profession. These entail a
person’s multicultural awareness and how well they are able to interact with diverse students
without making judgements based on biased and flawed cultural assumptions and beliefs. She
stated that a career in student services entails interacting with students from diverse cultural
backgrounds, demonstrating cultural humility, and global fluency entails being considerate and
accommodative of people with different values and qualities. She emphasized that being
multiculturally aware ensures that a professional understands the effect of culture on student
behavior and choices. When dealing with each student, a multiculturally aware individual is able
to know how cultural background affects the student’s attitude, behavior, and beliefs.

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Further, leadership is a professional competency and social construction. Student affairs
professionals have a unique role in creating leadership development programs that are aimed at
enhancing growth among students. Such programs relate to student development, enhancement
of diversity and inclusion, and training and evaluation. In achieving this, these professionals
must first establish a rapport with students. According to Schuh et al. (2017), a collective
understanding of leadership is formed through first establishing strong and functional
relationships. For student services professionals, the reality is founded on relationships as it is
socially constructed. Students services practitioners then create a campus environment where
they come together with students and guide them as they learn and grow. Although this was not
mentioned in the interview, it is evident that student affairs practitioners have the capacity to
create leadership development across different forums. For instance, those who serve as
educators can mentor students towards becoming leaders and developing leadership traits that
will help them stand out in their careers.
The careers advisor engages in good practices that foster academic and student services
partnerships. She mentioned that she collaborates with faculty to support the success of students.
She collaborates with faculty by handing only cases or issues within her area of expertise and
referring any other cases to respective faculty members with the necessary expertise. Also, in
case she has issues or needs help, she asserted that she always consults with faculty members,
and this has proven effective in giving her new ideas on how to deal with certain ambiguous
issues. Based on the interview, the career adviser engages in good practices that support the
career development of students. She is open-minded and deals with students uniquely as she is
aware of the impact that culture has on each student that she comes across.

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Student service practitioners face certain challenges in their work as they interact with
students and with each other. From the interview, it was apparent that there lacks a clear
institutional philosophy and model that guides the functioning, positioning, and resourcing of
student affairs. Another issue is on role ambiguity and role conflict. Regardless of the area within
student services that one serves, there is usually role ambiguity. Students will approach with all
manner of questions. While some have no problem being referred to another person who has the
expertise, others insist on talking and getting help from me. Sometimes it is almost impossible to
stick within the limits of my expertise, but I always insist on seeking additional help so that
students get the necessary help.
Based on the above-identified challenges, I suggest certain recommendations, that if
implemented, such problems would be addressed. First, the already existing student affairs
philosophy on student learning should be reviewed and refined to include other issues that touch
on functions of student affairs practitioners. First, to truly come up with a philosophy that is
comprehensive, it is important to first understand student affairs practice and its roots. According
to Caple (1998), understanding history helps us in understanding how we got where we are at, it
gives meaning to current behavior and provides a foundation of a debate regarding the future.
Thus, understanding the history of the student affairs practice is important, and it will shape a
debate concerning the future of the practice (Evans & Reason, 2001). History not only helps in
the prediction of the future but also in the selection of the direction to be taken. Therefore, in
coming up with a clear institutional philosophy and model that guides the functioning,
positioning, and resourcing of student affairs, history is important. The philosophy will then be
founded on historical origins of the practice, and the current thinking of those already n the
practice today.

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Further, student affairs practice was developed and diversified because it was seen as
necessary to have professionals who were trained to handle and oversee students’ activities when
out of the classroom. Thus, every department has a role that they play. In response to the conflict
and role ambiguity challenge, students should be sensitized on the roles of each professional.
They should be educated on who to visit when they have a need. For instance, should be advised
to visit a counsellor when they need problems to do with mental health. They should be advised
to talk to a career adviser when they need help in personal and professional growth. They may
also visit a career advisor when they need help selecting a major that aligns with their career
goals and aspirations.
Overall, the interview was very informative. I have learned that serving as a student
affairs professionals entails helping students develop holistically. A practitioner thus needs to
come up with mechanisms on how to engage learners in active learning. Learning does not only
occur with the constraints of a classroom. Learning can be facilitated in various spheres
depending on the area where a professional serve. Also, to function optimally, multicultural
awareness is necessary. He or she needs to set and communicate high expectations for students in
all areas; emotionally, academically, intellectually and all other dimensions that require growth.
Students are continually growing and they need support for them to develop holistically. Also, as
student affairs professionals work to help students develop, they need to align their practice with
the goals and missions of the institutions within which they operate. The lessons from the
interview and course material will shape my development as a student services practitioner. Most
importantly, I will work towards achieving multicultural awareness as this will have a positive
impact on my interactions with the students and my colleagues as well.

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References

Caple, R. B. (1998). To mark the beginning: A social history of college student affairs. Lanham,
MD: American College Personnel Association.
Evans, N. J., & Reason, R. D. (2001). Guiding Principles: A Review and Analysis of Student
Affairs Philosophical Statements. Journal of college student development, 42(4), 359.
Schuh, J. H., Jones, S. R., & Torres, V. (Eds.) (2017). Student services: A handbook for the
profession (6th ed.). Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com