Student affairs professionals have always been concerned with the development of the "whole student" or a student's intellectual capacity and achievement, emotional make-up, physical condition, social relationships, vocational aptitudes and skills, moral and religious values, economic resources, and aesthetic appreciations. Although the activities of student affairs have changed over time, the basic tenets of helping students reach their full potential and attending to them as a human beings - not simply those in need of intellectual training - has remained constant.
History
Several developments in higher education gave rise to student affairs. In colonial colleges, faculty were responsible for enforcing regulations on students. Colleges acted in loco parentis or in place of parents. By the mid-nineteenth century, extracurricular activities such as literary clubs, athletic teams, and eating clubs were founded by students in response to the classical course of study. The rise of research universities and the subsequent changes in the roles of college presidents and faculty, and the increase in women's colleges and coeducation, led to the first appointments of student personnel workers - deans of men and deans of women - who among other duties, relieved college presidents of their role as disciplinarian and resolved student problems. The first dean, LeBaron Briggs, was appointed at Harvard University in 1891, and his duties also included personal counseling of students.
The Student Personnel Point of View, a report issued by the American Council on Education in 1937 and revised in 1949, serves as a foundation document for student affairs. It was developed on a philosophy stressing the importance of educating the whole student. It describes a number of services that are adapted according the specific mission, aims, objectives, and student demographics of individual campuses. Also emphasized is the need to coordinate student personnel functions with other programs and services on campus.
In 1914 Columbia University's Teachers College awarded the first master's degree for "Adviser of Women." Esther Lloyd-Jones earned the first doctorate in the field in 1929 and men were admitted for the first time in 1932. As of 2002, eighty-four institutions are listed in the Directory of Graduate Preparation Programs and there are additional ones as well. Entry-level professional positions in student affairs typically require a master's degree in college student personnel or a related field, and advancement to senior management positions often requires a doctorate.
Professional organizations reflect the development of professional positions in student affairs. The National Association of Deans of Women began in 1916; became the National Association of Women Deans, Administrators, and Counselors in 1972; changed its name to the National Association for Women in Education in 1991; and folded in 2000. Founded in 1919, the National Association of Deans and Advisers of Men became the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators in 1951. The American College Personnel Association began in 1924 as the National Association of Appointment Secretaries, assisting in job placement for teachers and other college graduates. Other specialized organizations serve various functional areas (e.g., Association of College Unions International, Association of College and University Housing Officers - International, and National Orientation Directions Association) and state and regional organizations serve members as well.
Functions
On college and university campuses, the division of student affairs provides services to students and supports the educational mission of the institution. These services may include academic support services, academic advising, admissions, alcohol and drug education programs, career services, campus ministries, community service and service learning, counseling, financial aid, food services, fraternities and sororities, health centers, housing and residence life, multicultural programs, orientation, recreational sports, student activities, student discipline, and wellness programs.
All these programs and services have had to adapt to increasingly diverse student bodies. In the colonial era, higher education was for white males from well-to-do families. The establishment of women's colleges and historically black institutions in the late nineteenth century broadened the scope of higher education. Legislation including the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 and Servicemen's Read-justment Act of 1944 (G.I. Bill) allowed new populations access to higher education. Student affairs programs and services expanded accordingly.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the majority of undergraduates are more than twenty-one years old. More than 40 percent are enrolled part-time. Nearly 27 percent are people of color. About 65 percent of high school graduates attend college, although far fewer graduate. Furthermore, many students lack adequate preparation for college-level courses. Effective student affairs organizations are able to deliver programs and services to serve diverse populations and assist in the recruitment and retention of students.
Trends
Like all departments on campus, student affairs has had to make critical decisions in the face of rising costs and reduced budgets. Fee-for-service arrangements can mitigate some expenses. Hence, students may have to pay for counseling, health, and other services sometimes covered in student activity fees. Privatization is another issue facing campuses. In an effort to control costs in the face of dwindling budgets, administrators are outsourcing various functions including health services, dining services, maintenance, housekeeping, and bookstores. Although many question the move and raise concerns about job security, quality control, and incompatible operating philosophies, financial considerations are often compelling. Furthermore, private companies have increased competition with campus departments. For instance, off-campus apartment complexes attract students out of campus residence halls and into facilities that are often located close to campus. They may provide shuttle services, swimming pools, workout rooms, cable television, Internet access, laundry machines, and other attractive amenities at very competitive rates. Finally, to remain competitive and meet student demand, many campuses have increased board plan options for students and changed dining facilities and programs. Food courts (often offering popular fast-food chains), a la carte dining options, and expanded service hours now supplement traditional, all-you-can eat dining commons.
Contemporary efforts in student affairs have attempted to refocus student affairs on creating intentionally the conditions that enhance student learning and development, encouraging student commitment to educationally purposeful activities in and out of the classroom, and assessing those initiatives. Increasing the quality of student - faculty interactions and linking in-class and extracurricular activities through living-learning centers in residence halls are two strategies to promote student success. To be involved in the central missions of college and universities, student affairs must affirm its commitment to student learning and development.
Bibliography
American College Personnel Association. 1994. The Student Learning Imperative: Implications for Student Affairs. Washington, DC: American College Personnel Association.
American College Personnel Association and National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. 1997. Principles of Good Practice in Student Affairs. Washington, DC: American College Personnel Association and National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
American Council on Education. 1937/1949. The Student Personnel Point of View. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
Coomes, Michael, and Talbot, Donna, eds. 1999. Directory of Graduate Preparation Programs in Student Affairs. Washington, DC: American College Personnel Association.
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. 1987. A Perspective on Student Affairs. Washington, DC: National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
Nuss, Elizabeth M. 1996. "The Development of Student Affairs." In Student Services: A Handbook for the Profession., ed. Susan R. Komives et al. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Thelin, John R. 1996. "Historical Overview of American Higher Education." In Student Services: A Handbook for the Profession., ed. Susan R. Komives et al. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
— U. MONIQUE ROBINSON-WRIGHT, SONYA G. SMITH
