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.

This qualitative study will examine the concept of work/family demand specifically through the lens of male student affairs practitioners. Work family balance has been identified as a critical issue for the field of HRD impacting both individual and organizational performance. The profession of student affairs was chosen, due to its nature of requiring long hours and encouraging unhealthy practitioner behavior. A qualitative, case study approach was used. Seven men representing a wide variety of years of service, marital status, and university environments were selected and asked to share their impressions and experience with work/family balance within their profession. Clark's Work/Family Border theory was used to guide this study. The emergent themes indicate that men create definitions for the boundaries between work and home based on their individual station in life including marital and parental status. The men face emotional consequences for their actions, and in essence learn their boundaries based on how they impact other people. The findings of this study will assist HRD practitioners in the ability to create individualized means by which to help men achieve work/family balance and maintain mental and emotional health. This in turn will allow them to be as productive as they can be within their organizational setting. Furthermore, this dissertation will encourage HRD practitioners to consider the full context of the day to day stressors, from both work and home that impact an individuals' overall performance.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 150 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-141).

Thesis (M.S.)--Central Connecticut State University, 2003. / Thesis advisor: H. Jane Fried. " ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Counseling." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 40-46). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, May 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 134-141).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Bowling Green State University, 2009. / Document formatted into pages; contains xiv, 131 p. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2009. / Directed by Deborah Taub; submitted to the Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed May 11, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-82).

No description available.

No description available.