Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio University, June, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 176-180).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 288 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 254-262).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-131).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, June, 2004. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 176-180)

This study compares the official and the ideal duties and responsibilities of the director of international student affairs in selected institutions of higher education in the United States.

M.Com. (Business Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

According to higher education preparation standards, students who complete master’s preparation programs in student affairs should not only be acquiring skills and knowledge, they should be socialized into the field of student affairs Master’s level preparation programs in college student personnel or higher education leadership are often coupled with a graduate assistantship so that students are able to obtain valuable theory-to-practice experience This additional experience becomes complementary to the work the graduate student is doing in the classroom and thus becomes a practical learning opportunity After completing a preparation program, a former master’s student will most likely move into an entry-level position in student affairs, such as residence hall director, student activities coordinator, judicial affairs coordinator, or a fraternity/sorority coordinator However, despite this common career pathway, there has been limited research regarding the role a student affairs graduate assistantship plays in assisting students in their socialization and transition into the field and how this prepares these new student affairs professionals for their first position post-master’s degree Thirteen new professionals in student affairs who graduated from two preparation programs in the southeastern region of the United States participated in this basic interpretive qualitative study The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to examine and describe the experience of new student affairs professionals who held a graduate assistantship in student affairs during their graduate preparation program and the role, if any, the graduate assistantship played in their perceptions of preparedness Based on the findings of this study, the graduate assistantship in student affairs indeed plays a role in the perceptions of preparedness of these new professionals The overarching themes that emerged using Schlossberg’s (1984) transition theory as the analytical lens were mentorship, hands-on experience, peer interactions, and financial enticement The findings from this study align with and expand upon the existing student affairs literature, and provide awareness to student affairs practitioners and higher education leadership faculty on how to best support new professionals as they transition into the field of student affairs / Includes bibliography / Dissertation (PhD)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This mixed design study surveyed members of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) to determine the baseline for wellness among student affairs administrators and within the profession. In addition to describing the wellness levels of the administrators and comparing them to the wellness of the general population, the study explored how wellness is represented within the student affairs profession, as reflected in the literature and practice. Student affairs administrators' wellness was assessed utilizing the Five Factor Wel Wellness Inventory (Myers & Sweeney, 2004). Collectively, the administrators posted "well" scores on the six factors utilized in the study and scored higher than the norms reported for the 5F-Wel general population. However, there was a broad range of actual scores across individuals indicating that not everyone can be considered to be maintaining a well-balanced lifestyle. The administrators' wellness was not affected by their length of time in the student affairs profession but was negatively associated with the number of hours they worked per week. The administrators possessed a holistic view of wellness and could articulate the behaviors and conditions associated with achieving, and failing to achieve, balance. However, reported engagement in certain wellness behaviors (e.g., physical activity and healthy eating) was not always reflected in the 5F-Wel scores. Additionally, the administrators noted a lack of focus on wellness issues in the student affairs literature, professional organizations, and most pointedly, in graduate preparation programs. The study creates a context for individual exploration of balance given the "norms" of the profession and instigates dialog focused on building healthy workplaces that facilitate positive role modeling experiences for students and staff. Recommendations for practitioners, graduate program faculty, and the profession aim to maximize personal wellness, create balanced professionals, and facilitate congruence between the student affairs profession's espoused values and wellness philosophy and the enculturation of professionals into this ideology.

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.

Using McClusky"s (1963) Power Load Margin (PLM) theory, this study employed a correlational research design to investigate if relationships existed between involvement in career-related professional development outlets and activities, and Margin in Life (MIL) scores for full-time student affairs professionals at Ball State University. Correlation coefficients (Pearson r) were calculated to determine if relationships existed between MIL scores and the number of career-related professional development outlets and activities. Partial correlation coefficients were calculated to determine if relationships existed between subjects' ages and the relationship between MIL scores and the number of career-related professional development outlets and activities.Subjects (n = 107) were identified using the 2004-2005 Ball State University Directory and mailed a Professional Development Questionnaire (PDQ), created by the researcher, and Stevenson's (1982) Margin in Life Scale. Responses from 64 subjects were used in this study (31 females and 33 males). Subjects' ages ranged from 22 to 67 years (M = 41.5 years).PDQ results indicated that subjects averaged involvement in 10.6 outlets in the previous 12 months. Six indicated involvement in more than 20 outlets. Excluding these responses, the mean for outlets was 8.8. The mean for activities was 8.4.The mean MIL score for subjects was .60. All subjects in this study had a sufficient amount of power; thus, no subject had an excessive amount of load.Results of the correlational analyses suggest the possibility that a negative correlation may exist between MIL scores and the number of career-related professional development outlets. Although the correlation and partial correlation coefficients were weak, this may have been a function of the relatively small number of subjects who participated in this study. Additional research with a larger subject population is suggested to investigate this possible relationship. No relationship was found between MIL scores and career-related professional development activities. No differences in relationships between outlets and activities, and MIL scores were found when the age of subjects was factored either in or out as an influence. Further PLM research in student affairs is suggested, including qualitative methods investigating areas of professional development relating to power, load, and margin. / Department of Educational Studies