There have been numerous studies conducted concerning how various businesses, management groups and library science organizations address the preservation of their history, the development of goals, the evaluation of those goals and how these lead to the positive development of their organization. However, to date, the researcher has been unable to locate research that has been conducted to assess how Student Affairs associations preserve their history and how they evaluate the effectiveness of their goals or even if they do evaluate their goals. Based on research conducted through in-depth interviews, review of the data raises questions regarding the way SACSA is attempting to accomplish the current goals, how the goals were established, how that information is disseminated and how the history of the association is being maintained. The membership voiced clearly that there is a conflict between member?s perceptions. With the association not utilizing past reports and findings from other committees, such as the Blue Ribbon Task Force, only confirms the need for better communication and follow through. Many of the past SACSA committee studies have yielded the same results as my study. My results further substantiate and fortify the fact that the association is not addressing the reports or perceived needs of the association. A number of recommendations are offered to improve the preservation of SACSA?s history as well as procedures that provide checks and balances to ensure that whatever the membership is communicating that it is being followed through and addressed.

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The Great Resignation has brought a renewed national focus on job quit rates throughout the United States (Gittleman, 2022; Serenko, 2023). Researchers have explored why non-faculty higher education professionals leave the field of student affairs, but few recent studies have considered departure among functional area-specific professionals, with the exception of residence life and housing. Further, while there are studies on burnout, the field lacks research about how the day-to-day reality of fraternity/sorority advising (FSL work) impacts the quitting behaviors of fraternity/sorority advising professionals (FSAs). This general qualitative study was rooted in the sensitizing concepts (Charmaz, 2003) of the weight of the work of FSAs, the complexity of the fraternity and sorority advising job, and the burn-through that exists in fraternity/sorority advising. Participants included nine former campus-based FSAs who left the field from January 2018-December 2023. Data were collected through participant interest forms and semi-structured Zoom interviews to answer the following research questions: 1. How do former campus-based fraternity/sorority advisors describe their former FSA positions and work experiences? 2. What aspects of the fraternity/sorority advising position led to former campus-based FSAs' decisions to quit their campus-based role? Thematic analysis and inductive coding methods were used to analyze the data. Findings included four major themes related to the experiences of former FSAs: unrealistic expectations, challenges that are specific to working in fraternity and sorority life, the impact of the campus environment, and lasting personal effects of the FSA experience. This study offers implications and recommendations for policy and practice, specifically around the areas of training and onboarding, employee well-being, and the resources that are necessary to support the work of FSAs. Further research should explore how various stakeholders define the value of fraternities and sororities and the prevalence and lasting impact of the student affairs practice of burning through and exhausting student affairs professionals for the sake of the college or university. / Doctor of Philosophy / The Great Resignation has brought a renewed national focus on job quit rates throughout the United States (Gittleman, 2022; Serenko, 2023). In higher education, there is research on why non-faculty higher education professionals leave the field of student affairs, but few studies have focused on functional area-specific student affairs professionals, except in residence life and housing. Further, while there are studies on burnout in student affairs, there is limited research on the day-to-day reality of fraternity/sorority advising work (FSL work) and how this reality impacts the quitting behaviors of fraternity/sorority advising professionals (FSAs). The purpose of this study was to explore how the complex nature of FSL work influenced the quitting behaviors of formerly campus-based fraternity/sorority professionals. Nine participants participated in a Zoom interview where they each shared details about their experiences as former FSAs, their ultimate decisions to leave campus-based work, and how their experiences and decisions to quit impacted their lives. Findings from this study include four major themes related to the experiences of former FSAs: unrealistic expectations, challenges that are specific to working in fraternity and sorority life, the impact of the campus environment, and lasting personal effects of the FSA experience. This study offers implications and recommendations for policy, practice and further research that apply not only to fraternity and sorority advising, but also more broadly to student affairs.

This study investigated the conflict management styles of chief student affairs officers in 4-year public institutions of higher education in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The data for the study were collected using Hall's Conflict Management Survey. The sample for the study consisted of 25 chief student affairs officers. The purpose of the study was to identify the conflict management style preferences of chief student affairs officers. The other variables studied to ascertain if they had an impact on the style preferences were age, gender, number of years of experience as a chief student affairs officer, ethnicity, and the size (enrollment) of their employing institution. The study found statistically significant associations (p<.05) between ethnicity and conflict management style, specifically the synergistic and win-lose styles, and between the synergistic style and age. The association between ethnicity and conflict management style could be attributed to the fact that the Caucasian group of chief student affairs officers comprised 66.7 % of the synergistic styles and 100 % of the win-lose styles. The association between the synergistic style and age could be due to the fact that the majority of the chief student affairs officers had a synergistic style, and of that group, 66.7 % were in the 50-59 age range. No statistically significant associations were found for correlations between conflict management style and gender; conflict management styles and number of years of experience as a chief student affairs officer; or conflict management styles and size (enrollment) of their employing institutions. The lack of significance shows that there are no associations between the conflict management styles of chief student affairs officers stratified according to gender, number of years of experience, and size (enrollment) of their employing institutions.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify and compare differences in leadership behaviors of senior student affairs officers (SSAOs) based on their generational cohort (Baby Boomer, Generation X, Millennial). The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was used to measure nine leadership behaviors and three leadership outcomes. Surveys were administered electronically to 3,361 individuals identified as a chief student affairs officer or director of student affairs in the Higher Education Online Directory (2014). The 449 respondents included 246 Baby Boomers, 192 Generation Xers, and 11 Millennials. Due to an uneven sample size, the Millennial group was removed from the data analysis. The total respondents consisted of 215 male and 219 female SSAOs with 260 employed at four-year private institutions and 170 employed at four-year public institutions. A MANOVA was utilized to determine whether or not statistical differences existed between the nine dependent variables (leadership behaviors) and independent group variables (generational group). The findings showed that whereas Generation X SSAOs exhibited more transactional leadership behaviors, Baby Boomer SSAOs were more transformational. The results of this study have implications for the field of student affairs in that research and practice support the need for more transformational leaders in senior administrative positions in higher education. If Generation X SSAOs who represent the next generation of administrators are more transactional in their leadership, college presidents and professional associations may need to develop a new, more transformational generation of SSAOs to replace Baby Boomers as they retire.

This study attempted to determine the types, extent, and quality of student personnel services in colleges and universities accredited by the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC). The Basic Services Questionnaire (BSQ) was adapted for use among Bible colleges and universities and mailed to chief student affairs officers representing 69 Bible colleges in the United States accredited by the AABC. Of the 71 surveys mailed (two institutions employed both a Dean of Men and Dean of Women), 46 were returned for a response rate of 65 percent. Chi-square tests of goodness-of-fit were performed on the data in order to categorize the types, extent, and quality of student services provided by the institutions. The Mueller-Schuessler Index of Qualitative Variation was used to determine the homogeneity, or heterogeneity, of the chief student affairs officers when grouped according to specific variables (gender, ethnic origin, major for highest degree earned, and highest degree earned). Frequency counts and percentage distributions were used on demographic data to present a profile of chief student services administrators at AABC schools. The results of the study point to four conclusions. First, the types of student personnel services provided by American Bible colleges and universities accredited by the AABC closely match those offered by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) as essential to student services divisions within colleges or universities. Second, the extent of the student personnel services provided by American Bible colleges and universities accredited by the AABC was average to broad. Student services such as student development and financial aid were rated as broad to very broad. Third, quality of student personnel services at AABC institutions was fair to good. Financial aid services and student activities were rated as very good. Fourth, the chief student affairs officers at American Bible colleges and universities accredited by the AABC were homogeneous in regard to gender, ethnicity, and education.

There is a lack of equitable representation of women of color in upper-leadership roles on college campuses. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore how women of color who serve as Chief Student Affairs Officers (CSAO), navigated both their racial and gender identities in their professional role, how they were prepared for this identity navigation throughout their career, and how they mentor younger professional women of color. Women of color CSAOs only make up about 4% of the population, so it was important to learn from their experiences in order to improve as a field. A qualitative study using a phenomenological approach, and Intersectionality as the theoretical framework, was conducted amongst women of color who serve as CSAOs at predominantly white, four-year colleges or universities. The theoretical framework was applied to illuminate the structural, political, and representational aspects of intersectionality that were experienced by the participants. The findings from this study illuminated the practices in the higher education and student affairs workplace that impact the racial and gendered experiences of women of color who serve as CSAOs. The results can and should be utilized to create more equitable workplace practices and policies for institutions of higher education. Overall, this study sought to add to the small body of research on women of color Chief Student Affairs Officers by continuing the much-needed conversation about the intersection of navigating both race and gender in a white and male dominated workplace.

ABSTRACT This study had a three-fold purpose: first, to assess the attitudes of student affairs administrators working in the Florida College System (FCS) about globalization, internationalization, and their strategies for effecting internationalization efforts at their community/state colleges. This study also investigated the relationship between student affairs administrators' attitudes about globalization and internationalization and what they considered to be the role of student affairs administrators in internationalizing the community/state college. Finally, this study examined the relationship between student affairs administrators' attitudes about their perceived role in internationalizing the community/state college and certain demographic variables. No study has been found which asks these research questions related to the role of student affairs administrators in internationalizing the community college. This quantitative study was conducted with student affairs administrators working at a FCS community or state college. The specially devised survey instrument was administered online and all responses were anonymous. Data analyses, including Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), post hoc Tukey's tests, regressions, and descriptive statistics, were calculated. Survey findings indicated that student affairs administrators working in the FCS have positive attitudes about Globalization and Internationalization, and that these positive attitudes correlate strongly with their perceptions regarding the Role student affairs administrators should serve in internationalizing the community/state college. Respondents agreed that the role of student affairs administrators is central to internationalization of the college, and they generally agreed on what activities were critical to the role of the student affairs administrator. The data showed that student affairs administrators who possess higher levels of fluency in a language other than English are more likely to view foreign language skills as being important to internationalizing the community/state college than those who are less proficient in another language or who possess no foreign language skills. Data also indicated that respondents who categorized themselves as possessing "extensive" or "very good" international activity experience, as compared with their peers who ranked their international activity as being "nominal," exhibited stronger composite mean scores related to student affairs administrators' role in internationalizing the college. This ranking indicated that those who possess more international activity experience also are more likely to have an increased perception of the role student affairs administrators should have in internationalizing their community/state colleges. Colleges desiring to enhance their internationalization endeavors might wish to support opportunities for student affairs administrators to study a language other than English since this variable had a statistically significant effect on student affairs administrators' perceptions of internationalizing colleges. Additionally, more extensive international travel experiences correlated with support for internalization activities, so colleges might benefit from providing opportunities for student affairs administrators to gain international travel experience, especially for those administrators with less higher education experience.

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively analyze the perceptions of student affairs professionals in their experience with diversity training to find effective diversity training methods. Directors of student affairs departments at Ball State University were asked to name post-master's professionals in their area who they felt were committed to diversity. One professional was selected from each of the ten participating departments.The interpretation of qualitative data revealed that diversity was consistently described by the participants as "difference;" that commitment to diversity was derived from personal experience; and effective diversity training methods included connecting to personal experience, allowing ample time for training, encouraging contact with diverse groups, and utilizing effective presentation style. Departments could better prepare their professionals for dealing with issues of diversity by having extensive training throughout the year and making diversity a part of the department's values. / Department of Educational Studies

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Dec., 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.