Competencies Self-Assessment

1. Professionalism
    Entails a professional’s aspirational qualities.
    It relays a responsibility to the public and the field.
    It invokes a sense of duty
   Professionalism entails demonstrating allegiance to and a commitment to a given
   profession. It entails having a sense of responsibility towards one’s area of specialization and to
   members of the public. It involves continuously demonstrating a commitment to a person’s
   professional development. It is an acceptance to be mentored by other professionals, mentoring
   other people, and creating a professional identity. Professionalism creates an ideal environment
   where the professional and the personal intersect.
   Professionalism is important to a career in student services as it ensures that a practitioner
   is able to address questions and concerns raised by students as required. The needs of students
   are addressed in a respectful and courteous way. A professional handles student concerns in an
   integral and confidential manner. Professionalism ensures that a professional navigates complex
   workplace environments in a rightful manner. For instance, a professional manages time well,
   dresses in professional attire, and navigates organizational structures and professional initiatives
   as per laid down rules and regulations. Practicing professionalism makes a person easy to handle;
   it is possible to maintain healthy workplace relationships with colleagues as well as the students
   receiving services. This is an area that I have grown exponentially over the years, and I do not
   think I need additional support in it.
2. Multiculturalism

 Developing multi-cultural awareness is a significant starting point for a student affair
professional
 It requires commitment and a supportive environment to nurture the commitment
 Begins with first becoming aware of one’s privileges, biases, and assumptions
Multi-cultural awareness entails beliefs, attitudes, value systems, and assumptions that shape
an individual’s understanding of other people who are culturally different. A person’s awareness
of the impact that life experiences, upbringing, and a general cultural worldview have on
interpersonal interactions and perceptions about others is key to attaining multi-cultural
awareness. Being aware of entails being multiculturally sensitive and examining or challenging
any misinformation that a person may have absorbed relating to flawed beliefs and assumptions.
Multi-cultural knowledge is focused on existing information on cultural groups and their distinct
cultural knowledge. after internalizing multi-cultural knowledge and awareness, then multi-
cultural skills come in, and these entail the implementation part. The key component is the
ability to communicate across divergent cultures, appreciating, and respecting the impact of
culture on a person’s verbal and non-verbal communication.
Multi-cultural awareness and competence are one of the greatest values in the professional
life of a student affairs practitioner. A professional is able to play a central part in effecting
multi-cultural change around campus. It helps in the creation of an inclusive and affirming
campus environment. Since multi-cultural change is a long-term effort, practitioners need to
constantly make a conscious effort to improve their multi-cultural awareness. Ding so will help
them play an active role in effecting the necessary change required around campus. Also, since
they interact with students from across different cultural backgrounds, they need to constantly

practice their multi-cultural skills to ensure that students receive the necessary services. They are
also able to understand how a student’s cultural background affects their decisions about life.

3. Leadership
    Leadership is socially constructed
    Culture affects how leadership is understood, experienced, and enacted
    Leadership development does not end with the attainment of a degree but unfolds
   through the lifetime of one’s career
   Leadership is important to a career in student affairs. First, for a professional to shape the
   leadership climate within an institution, they must first understand the institutional mission.
   Student affairs professionals have a unique role in human development and training as they work
   to create inclusive leadership programs for students. These professionals create and accept
   spaces where student failure is embraced as a form of learning. They thus play a critical role in
   shaping student perceptions of failure and success. Student affairs professionals create access to
   programs that cultivate capacity, enactment, efficacy, and motivation for leadership. They have a
   role in advocating and encouraging the creation of student leadership development programs and
   efforts around campus. I am strong in leadership. I am serving in various leadership capacities,
   both at a personal and professional level. Thus, the development of leadership is key to both
   student affairs professionals and colleagues as they shape the understanding of their roles and
   interaction with students.
   Staffing and Supervision
    Staffing is a synergistic process
    Good supervision is key for professional growth

 Learning is central to staffing processes

Great members of staff are made nor born. One of the important elements of staffing practices is
centered on the processes of training and learning. Through processes that aid in professional
development, student affairs practitioners become effective administrators and more productive
in their roles. The two central purposes of professional development are the facilitation of
institutional effectiveness and enhancement of personal growth among individual staff members.
The role of supervisors is mainly to enhance overall effectiveness, especially in instances where
every member of staff is actively involved in professional development programs. Good
supervision then leads to growth, development, and healthy competition for higher ranks among
employees. Staffing and supervision are critical to a career in student services as it ensures that
staff members work in an environment that fosters their professional growth. When there is a
promotion in sight, staff members are encouraged to work optimally and develop themselves
professionally. Consequently, students benefit as they are served by practitioners who are not
only well-motivated but also mature professionally. I feel that I need more growth in this area as
I would wish to work in a supervisory role. I will thus require skills, knowledge, as well as the
necessary experience to fit in such a position.
Teaching and facilitation
 Facilitation is a supportive role
 It is a less-directive approach
 Students reflect, ask questions, and take a more active role in their development
 Teaching is a process of mutual sharing of knowledge among students and teachers

Teaching and facilitation are important to a career in student services. First, facilitation is
a process that seeks to embrace equality and distribute power to everyone involved. A facilitator
thus hence a student to identify systems that encourage inequality and understand their individual
roles and responsibilities in either dismantling or maintaining them. A facilitator guides students
by providing them with appropriate readings, questions, reflection activities, and helping them
get attuned to the learning process. A facilitator thus understands the class dynamics and comes
up with an effective mechanism to guide individual students as they take charge of the process of
learning. Student affairs educators interact in students in various settings. As they perform
divergent roles, they require facilitation. Some practitioners train students to work as
undergraduate peers. This helps in ensuring that students get the help they require in whichever
area. As a teacher, facilitation is a very important component of instruction. I am strong in this
area. I believe strongly that facilitation helps students take charge of their learning processes, and
this helps ensure that they are actively engaged throughout the entire process.
Counseling and Helping Skills
Helping takes three phases;
 Establishing rapport with the students and exploring the dilemma
 Understanding facts related to the dilemma and focusing on resolving it
 Helping or taking action
During counseling and helping students, student affairs practitioners must first
conceptualize the issues and concerns raised by students. Practitioners thus spend considerable
amounts of time addressing issues and concerns raised by a few students. These may relate to
their personal lives or to the campus community. Student affairs practitioners need to be

multiculturally competent as this enables them to work ethically and effectively with students
and colleagues who are culturally similar or different. They use their experiences and unique
perspectives from diverse backgrounds to improve their practice. Multiculturally competent
practitioners are able to handle issues raised by all students regardless of their backgrounds. I
think that I am culturally competent. Throughout my sports career as a basketball coach, I have
interacted with diverse players, and this has raised my multi-cultural awareness and sensitivity.
Advising student organizations
 Advising student organizations entails
 Sharing ideas
 Giving guidance and advice
 Giving counsels
 Sharing insights
Student affairs practitioners who qualify to serve as advisors to student
organizations must be knowledgeable in theories and philosophy on student development.
This will ensure that they appropriately support students and engage in activities that
foster learning and student development. These professionals work with students with
different skill and knowledge levels, thus must have adaptive advising skills. They must
also have and demonstrate an interest in the individual students that are involved in the
organization. Have professional expertise and understand organizational development.
Advising student organization is critical to a career in student services. There does not
exist a specific profile for these advisors. They are sourced from a variety of disciplines
and have different skill sets, experiences, and interests. based on the individual needs of
an institution, campuses have unique standards and requirements. Advisor eligibility may

be affected by different factors, such as the purpose of the organization. Advisors are
important in student organizations as they act as helpers and cheerleaders. They play a
supervisory role and that of an educator as well. I can comfortably act as an advisor. I am
an educator, do well in supervisory roles and as a cheerleader. I have a passion for
working with young people and can guide them in acquiring leadership skills.
Crisis Management
 Crises and conflicts are bound to happen in campus environments
 Principles of justice are central to conflict management and resolution in
campus
 Student affairs practitioners are tasked with addressing and responding to
crises and conflicts

Diverse and well-trained student affairs practitioners are needed to maintain a safe campus
environment. However, when people live and interact, conflicts are bound to occur. When this
happens, student affairs professionals have the ability to address them and respond to resolve
them. The application od distributive justice, social justice, and restorative justice are some of
the effective mechanisms of resolving and managing campus conflicts. I do not possess strong
conflict resolution and management techniques. Therefore, this is an area that I need to work on
by deliberately studying and engaging in research on it.
Designing programs for engaging differences
 Programs that engage difference with fidelity
 Creation of an open, celebrative, and inclusive community

Academic settings and student affairs programming possess defining characteristics of
high-impact processes for engaging difference. Some high-impact interventions for engaging
difference include mentoring programs. Students go through mentorship programs which help
them achieve a sense of belonging, own their uniqueness as they embrace difference. A campus
environment harbors diverse student communities. Therefore, such programs create space to
engage differences that encourage students to embrace diversity. Student affairs practitioners
may come up with opportunities that allow for a race and social construct exploration. Students
are exposed and equipped on how to recognize personal positionality and foster collective
empathy. I strive to create inclusive learning environments. These are spaces that engage
differences. I may need personal growth in this area, but this will help me build onto the
knowledge that I already possess.
Applying theories and research to practice
 Theories help in understanding issues
 They help in achieving desired goals and outcomes
 Theories help identify concerns to be addressed.
Theory models supply student affairs professionals with frameworks to determine
relevant factors, potential action plans, and strategies that are appropriate for implementation.
These are important as they guide their practice. They enhance harmony in practice. They ensure
that professionals identify concerns that need to e addressed. They guide them in identifying
goals and outcomes that are desired in specific situations. They help in understanding issues and
concerns raised by students and achieving desired goals.
Justification for Growth

Areas where I need growth;
 Designing programs for engaging differences
 Crisis Management
Learning is a lifelong process. Thus, I am constantly learning about new ways through
which I can design programs for engaging differences. Working with different student
communities requires adaptive strategies. One program may be effective for one student
population and be ineffective when dealing with another population. Thus, the constant need to
meet divergent needs and concerns of students requires learning. The same case is similar to
crisis management. The effectiveness of conflict resolution strategies varies depending on the
nature of conflict and the individuals involved. This explains why I need to grow personally and
equip myself with adaptive strategies in these two areas.
Role of professional organizations
 Educational offerings
 Providing opportunities for professional networking
 Professional networking
Professional organizations will play a central role in my development. First, I will get
access to educational materials. Learning is key to professional development. Having access to
the appropriate reading materials will propel my professional growth in the right direction. Other
than educational offerings, I will have access to networking opportunities and professional
companionship. Engaging with professionals will help me grow as I will acquire knowledge and
skills from them. Short courses, seminars, and meetings will create great learning opportunities.

References
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
Shaw, M. (2018). Teaching campus crisis management through case studies: Moving
between theory and practice. Journal of Student Affairs Research and
Practice, 55(3), 308-320.