Departure among student affairs administrators in higher education has been an issue for decades (Evans, 1988; Lorden, 1998; Tull, 2006). Rates of departure from student affairs within the first five years of experience are estimated at 50% to 60% (Holmes, Verrier, & Chisholm, 1983; Lorden, 1998; Tull, 2006). However, there is very little research that examines the reasons that student affairs professionals leave the field. I conducted a qualitative study, using purposeful sampling, to determine what factors were most salient in new student affairs professionals' departure. The conceptual framework was a modified version of Daly and Dee's (2006) model that described how psychological, structural, and environmental variables affect intent to stay with an organization. Participants included 24 former student affairs professionals who earned a master's degree in student affairs administration or a related field between 2004 and 2010 and who left the field between 2009 and 2011. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative method. Findings suggest that new professionals depart student affairs for both Institutional and Individual reasons. Institutionally, professionals want to believe they are valued and supported, particularly by those in management positions. They want stable and supportive supervisors. They also seek stable organizational environments. Many feel they work too many hours for too little money and find few opportunities to advance. Individually, professionals seek a personal connection to their institution and job and leave the profession if those expectations are unmet. Additionally, some professionals find it difficult to obtain work/life balance. When they are left feeling unfulfilled in their jobs, they seek satisfaction outside of the field, pursuing other positions that more fully meet their wants and needs more. Future research could explore whether the rate of new student affairs professional departure is unusual when compared to other professions (e.g., teachers, social workers, nurses) or whether it is endemic to the student affairs profession. / Ph. D.

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In the contemporary landscape of fraternity and sorority life (SFL), where National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations operate alongside Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council (IFC) groups, Black sorority and fraternity life professionals have become essential to the field. However, Black student affairs professionals in sorority and fraternity life encounter incidents of racism’s permanence, embedded into the foundations of the sorority and fraternity life system. Therein lies a struggle for Black SFL professionals who are regularly and systematically harmed by the institutions they are charged with sustaining. This study’s purpose was to examine Black student affairs professionals’ experiences and narratives with racialized incidents and how this informs their perceptions of sorority and fraternity life. The research question that guided this study was: How have Black student affairs professionals’ in sorority and fraternity life experiences and narratives with racialized incidents informed their perceptions of sorority and fraternity life? The literature review focuses on Black student affairs professionals' experiences with racialized incidents and the history of sorority and fraternity life. Critical Race Theory served as this study's theoretical framework, focusing on counter narrative as a theory. The use of a counter narrative amplified the voice of 12 participants to share their narratives of and experiences with racialized incidents in sorority and fraternity life and their perceptions of the field. Four themes presented in this study made participants question a) the disillusionment of trust in a system built to harm; b) the white and racist legacy of sorority and fraternity life; c) the significance of #BlackLivesMatter and the Trump presidency on racialized incidents in sorority and fraternity life; and d) recognition that Black students need Black SFL professionals, and their faith keeps them. Additional research is necessary to address racialized incidents in sorority and fraternity life and find ways to put procedures and policies in place in the aftermath of racialized incidents that harm Black SFL professionals. Black student affairs professionals in sorority and fraternity life did not create this broken system. They should not be the ones expected to fix it on their own.

One segment of the academic community that is overlooked in most research is the large cadre of professionals who deliver a multitude of services to students outside of the classroom. From the perspective of students, the student affairs professionals they encounter in the residence halls, advising offices, and within other aspects of the campus life fabric, are the face of the university. This case study of student affairs professionals within four departments at one large, public, Research-I University seeks to define the core values of the work, understand perspectives on the individuals they work with, how practice unfolds within the organization context of the campus, and what values guide practice. The literatures drawn upon include; student affairs ideology, service delivery patterns and techniques, institutional theory, professional specialization, and trends in higher education. The findings from this study illustrate that the work experiences of student affairs professionals are dominated by brief encounters with students that occur within a work environment that is frequently overwhelming. High volumes of students seeking service and limited opportunities to develop ongoing relationships create challenging work expectations for student affairs professionals. The core values of the profession are in transition as institutional priorities that focus on efficiency and competitive advantage become further established within academe. Policy recommendations for the student affairs profession and institutional decision makers are made in the final chapter.

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Job satisfaction of entry-level student affairs professionals has been an issue of interest to researchers and practitioners alike since at least the 1980s. A high turnover of housing and residence life live-on and live-in (LO/LI) professionals has led to a curiosity for the reason. Investigation into job satisfaction of these professionals is an ideal way to determine ways to help retain LO/LI professionals and enhance their overall job satisfaction. In this study, the personal demographics, institutional demographics, and amenities provided to entry-level housing and residence life professionals holding LO/LI positions, and what impact, if any, they had on job satisfaction were examined. Job satisfaction was measured by two separate means, both based on the theoretical framework, the Job Characteristics Model. A web-based survey was distributed to approximately 9,000 members of the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International, asking for all LO/LI professionals to complete the survey. Personal demographics slightly affected job satisfaction, and institutional demographics were not related to job satisfaction. Amenities were the strongest predictors of job satisfaction among the three areas examined. Specific amenities such as meal plans, reserved parking, and flexible work hours had a more significant impact on job satisfaction than others.

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The purpose of this study was to determine the level of burnout among student affairs professionals at the 52 U.S. member institutions of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. Packets containing the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Moos Work Environment Scale (WES), and a demographic survey were mailed to 371 senior student affairs administrators at the member institutions, with a completed response rate of 58.22%. The senior student affairs administrators surveyed included the chief student affairs officers and the professional staff who reported to them. The research design employed t-tests, analyses of variance, and Pearson's Product Moment correlations. The scores obtained from the MBI and WES subscales were compared overall and along 9 independent variablestitle of position, size of institution, appointment, salary, years in current position, years in profession, age, gender, and highest degree attained. Average levels of burnout were found on each of the MBI subscores. Contrary to earlier studies, women did not suffer from statistically significant higher levels of burnout than men, and burnout levels decreased with age and years in the profession for both sexes. Lower scores on the MBI depersonalization subscale were found in employees in mid-career and in professionals from smaller schools. Emotional exhaustion was not a factor. Environmental factors relating to burnout and job satisfaction were also explored. Statistically significant differences on the WES were found on all of the independent variables except the years in the current position variable. The metropolitan environment may have been effective in reducing the amount of burnout felt by this group of student affairs professionals. The study underscored the need for continuing research in burnout for student affairs professionals and for continued professional development throughout the career span.

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