Жоғары білім орнында студенттерге көмек көрсету қызметтері

Department of services for student success at institutions of higher education

Student affairs, student support, or student services is the department or division of services and support for student success at institutions of higher education to enhance student growth and development. People who work in this field are known as student affairs educators, student affairs practitioners, or student affairs professionals. These student affairs practitioners work to provide services and support for students and drive student learning outside of the classroom at institutions of higher education. There it developed from the originally distinct positions of "dean of women" and "dean of men". The field developed much later in continental Europe, where development first began in the 1950s but was greatly spurred when the Bologna Process in the 1990s created a surge in international students with greater needs for student support. Similarly in many other countries where student affairs is still a largely inchoate profession, such as Uruguay, professional activity in the field has emerged in relation to the needs of international students.

In 1988, Asia Pacific Student Services Association (APSSA) was created after representatives of the Asia Pacific Student Affairs Conference recognized there was a need for more communication and partnerships between student affairs professionals and the institutions they worked for. The work that APSSA does focuses creating a space for international collaboration through conferences with internal attendees and training and staff networking programs through the Institute of Student Affairs (ISA). ISA is the standing committee for APSSA's Executive Committee, and manages the planning and marketing for training and networking programs. In 2021, the Institute has five recorded Program Coordinators from different countries and regions: Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, and China. From 2018 to 2022, the position of Director of ISA was appointed to Dr. Maria Paquita D. Bonnet from De La Salle University in the Philippines
APSSA holds a staff conference every two years where individuals from different countries will come together and encourage ideas for student affairs workers and offices to collaborate with one another. This conference allows for networking between organizations and staff and upholds APSSA's goal of global collaboration. This society also holds a student conference, which allows for student leaders from participating countries to meet and nurture their leadership strengths together, while also allowing students to have a platform to share their thoughts and ideas for activities and careers.

Student affairs draws its origins on the Oxbridge model and the Anglo American concept that schools stand in loco parentis, creating a greater legal obligation for the university to govern student life. However, professional student affairs administration in the United Kingdom is of relatively recent date: student affairs departments became a feature of all United Kingdom universities in 1992, having previously been widespread only in the new universities.

The profession of student affairs "grew from the campus up, not from theory down". Early higher education in the United States was based on the Oxbridge model of education; thus, most early institutions were residential and the tutors lived in the halls with the students. These men were the precursor to student affairs professionals in the United States. Typically, they served as dean of discipline and in loco parentis (in place of the parent). These early student affairs practitioners' focus was on control of the student as opposed to modern philosophy which focuses on the development of the student as a whole, but has always connected those interested in the welfare of students with students needing assistance. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as the number of land grant institutions increased, enrollment expanded, student populations began to include women, the idea of vocationalism began to influence academics and the institution's president began to be viewed as "the chief moral front". With these changes it became apparent that additional staff members were needed to allow the president to respond to the issues of finance and faculty recruitment. These first student affairs professionals were the dean of women, dean of men and personnel workers. Many of the early deans came from "teaching roles in the liberal arts". The first dean of men was LeBaron Russell Briggs at Harvard University in 1890, with the first dean of women being Adelia Field Johnston in 1869 at the Oberlin College as lady principal and later named dean of women in 1894. Alice Freeman Palmer in 1892 at the University of Chicago was the first to hold the title of dean of women. The dean of men's position typically included discipline, but could vary depending on the institution's overall philosophy. The position description might have read, "that officer in the administration who undertakes to assist the men students [to] achieve the utmost of which they are individually capable, through personal effort on their behalf, and through mobilizing in their behalf all the forces within the University which can be made to serve this end". The one thing that remained consistent was the responsibility to deal with men and help them develop to their potential. Deans of Women were trail blazers as women in positions of authority. Not only were women at colleges and universities a new development, but women as staff members even more new. The institutional leadership was dominated by men, but still they persevered including the founding of what is now the American Association of University Women (AAUW) in 1903. In December 1918 Robert Rienow, the dean of men at the University of Iowa, wrote a letter to Thomas Arkle Clark, dean of men at the University of Illinois, suggesting a meeting that is now recognized as the founding of the organization now known as NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. In 1924, May L. Cheney, who organized a teacher placement office at the University of California, Berkeley, helped form the National Association of Appointment Secretaries (NAAS). That year, NAAS met for the first time and came as guests of the National Association of Deans of Women (NADW) to a convention sponsored by the Department Superintendence of the National Education Association. In 1929, forty six NAAS members registered for the Sixth Annual Convention. NAAS became the National Association of Personnel and Placement Officers (NAPPO). The name American College Personnel Association (ACPA) was adopted in 1931. Association communication consisted of one mailed newsletter, the Personnel O Gram (P O G). In 1937, the Student Personnel Point of View statement was developed by leaders of the American Council on Education (ACE) and ACPA. The Student Personnel Points of View, written in 1937 and 1949, further developed the area of student affairs. In the 1960s the student development movement arose. Based on student development theory, it originated in the context of broad campus unrest during the 1960s. The aim of student development was to better integrate students into mass higher education and modern society. In the 1970s the landscape of student affairs began to change when the voting age was lowered and 18 year olds were granted adult status in the eyes of the law. In the United States as early as 1992, student affairs began to see a change in the reporting structure. Chief student affairs officers began to shift to the provost, the chief academic officer.

The work of student affairs is critical across all institutional types, but essential at a community college, an open access to institution. While enrollment at community colleges are holding steady across the country, the students within this population require more assistance, both in and out of the classroom.

Student Affairs professionals are individuals who serve in a supportive capacity and provide a variety of supports and services within Higher Education. Roles range from service providers to senior leadership. Staff have diverse backgrounds and programs of study, bringing a wealth of knowledge and research aimed at best supporting students in their development during the course of their studies. Relying on current student development theories, they support the whole student (physical, emotional, and mental health). Challenges in meeting this goal include budget cuts, emotional strain, crisis related issues, feeling devalued, and having to do more with less. Student Affairs professionals are often the first point of contact for students in crisis situations, which may include sexual violence, suicidal ideation, severe mental health episodes, hate crimes/discrimination. As first responders with exposure to traumatic information, they may be prone to occupational burnout and compassion fatigue.

Some Student Affairs professionals and College Student Personnel (CSP) have completed graduate work with a complementary assistantship. An assistantship can be an entry level position, but is usually a part time paraprofessional position with compensation including tuition waiver, professional development and a stipend. These are sometimes called graduate assistant positions. The graduate program is usually two academic years of full time study with opportunities for internship and abroad opportunities. Universities offer graduate programs sometimes called College Student Personnel (for example, at Bucknell University), Higher Education Student Affairs, or Educational Leadership which lead to a Master of Education (MEd), Master of Arts (MA) degree, or Master of Science (MSc) degree. Doctoral programs also exist for student affairs professionals, leading to an Doctorate in Education (EdD) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Student Affairs professionals or College Student Personnel (CSP) graduate programs may include classes in psychology, business, law, communication, inter and intra personal counseling, higher education, and group dynamics. These help to form a foundation for creating relationships with students, faculty, staff, and parents. College Student Personnel programs tend to be found in departments of leadership, counseling, psychology and education. Traditionally these programs have an emphasis in administration, student development theory, or counseling. There are also many other ways to learn more about and prepare for a position in student affairs. This can include completing certificates, reading prominent journals, volunteering or attending conferences for student affairs organizations (such as CACUSS or other professional organizations as listed below), and networking with student affairs professionals in the areas that you may want to work in. For Canadians looking to enter student affairs, some useful certificates to attain can include SafeTalk training, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Mental Health First Aid training, and Standard First Aid training. Additionally, it is important for student affairs professionals to have theoretical and practical knowledge and experiences in providing support and resources to students outside the classroom.

Academic advising: Student academic services related to course selection, finding a major, study skills, and referrals to tutoring and academic success skills The National Intramural and Recreation Sports Association (NIRSA) is a governing body for collegiate recreation both in the United States and Canada. The association's main goal is to support recreational leaders, and promote wellness.

Student affairs and services delivery is challenged by contemporary issues and influences both internal and external to the institution. Increasingly diverse student populations, new technologies, political and government influences, and increasing pressure to improve retention and recruitment require flexible and innovative institutional and organizational cultures. The organization, structure, and function of student affairs and services at universities and colleges are criticized as slow to adapt to these changing contexts because institutional cultures emphasize practices rooted in tradition. Further complicating the efficacy of organizational change are the unique subcultures internalized by different functional units that reflect the underlying values, beliefs, and assumptions held by those professionals. As student affairs and services continues to grow, it is difficult to have consensus on the core values across functional areas. Tension occurs within the field of student affairs and services among different function units and individual practitioners who use a student centered or institution focused approach to their work. Differing perceptions by student affairs and services staff towards their institution's approach of supporting student success reflects structures whose cultures are either connected or siloed. Yet, student affairs practices often bear little resemblance or connection to student development theories. As Paul Bloland (1979) wrote in an article in the NASPA Journal, “We have cultivated an expertise that was not requested, is not sought out, and for which there is little recognition or demand. Many entry level and (many) seasoned professionals know little of student development theory and practice and, in fact, do not really need such expertise to meet the role expectations of their supervisors or, in too many instances, their institutions.” Today, theory to practice models reflect the necessity to combine foundational theoretical knowledge of student development theories with the functional knowledge gained through professional practice and ongoing reflection. Unfortunately, there has been relatively little research on the relationship between student affairs professionals (also referred to as staff) and students as compared to that between faculty and students. Mentors can help students achieve success, and while some research suggests that the racial matching of mentors and mentees is beneficial, this element of the staff student relationship is often ignored or forgotten.

Basinger, J. (2003). More Power for Provosts. The Chronicle of Higher Education. NASPA Standards of Professional Practice. NASPA. Retrieved on 2010 10 4.