Student Affairs NOW

The podcast discusses the unique opportunities and challenges of student affairs at small colleges. They explore direct student engagement, relationship and community building, resource challenges, and the importance of place. The speakers also highlight the challenges of communication and community building during the pandemic and the tension between student affairs professionals and students. They emphasize the significance of feeling valued and heard in a small college environment and discuss the current state of legislation and challenges faced by student affairs at small colleges.

This episode features a conversation about a newly published book, Unmasking: Toward Authentic Masculinity, by Dr. Keith E. Edwards PHD. Unmasking is a process by which men first become conscious of the masks they wear to conform to external expectations and then practice exploring their identity as men and becoming intentional about aligning their actions with integrity. Written for men and those of us who have men in our lives, the book offers student affairs educators a unique research-based lens on the issues, strategies, and engagement strategies for men on college and university campuses.

Three college presidents discuss their journeys through student affairs, transitioning to the presidency, and lessons learned. Join Drs. Lori White, Frank Shushok, and Rob Kelly as they share their journeys. They discuss their student affairs capacities, the critical role of mentorship and guides, authenticity as leadership, and finding the joys in leadership in service of others.

Critical hope helps educators navigate the both/and of criticality and possibility while avoiding the harms of deficit mindsets, toxic positivity, and cynicism. In this episode, leading scholars of critical hope, Jeffrey Duncan-Andrade and Kari Grain, discuss the what, why, and how of critical hope.

Rejecting outright the Student Affairs “Legend” title we ascribed to her, Susan Jones joins us to discuss her career as an award-winning professor, prolific author, and valued mentor to many in the profession. Listen in as she shares her hopes and fears for our future and the future of student affairs and higher education. BTW, we stand by our description of Dr. Susan R. Jones as a legend.

By definition, an ombudsperson is a role whose focus is neutral and impartial conflict resolution. They typically operate independently from the university and has no official or formal decision-making capabilities. Ombudspersons have been referred to as the “conscience of the university” -- working within campus communities to resolve conflict through identifying systemic issues and trends while focusing on fair treatment of individuals. These campus offices are also important partners with divisions of student affairs and college student educators. In this episode, Dr. Heather Shea speaks with four folks who serve as campus ombuds to learn more.

Three student body presidents discuss their experiences and learnings. Jermaine Turner, Jael Kerandi, and Akheem Mitchell share the issues facing students, the critical role of making campuses inclusive for the success of all students, and understanding broader systems to navigate them as leaders effectively. They offer suggestions for student affairs professionals and current students considering pursuing this leadership role.

What happens when SA Professionals become parents of college students? Dr. Glenn DeGuzman sits down with 3 parents who are also student affairs professionals to collectively reflect on their experiences of raising humans going to college. Join this lighthearted conversation with Mari Strombom, David Ruble and Dr. Shelah Crear as they share what they have been thinking about as their own kid(s) goes to college.

Meeting the needs of commuter students is much more complicated than simply directing services and programs towards those students who live off campus. On today’s episode, a large panel discusses the complexities of both identifying and helping commuter students succeed as well as innovative lessons for increasing commuter’s sense of belonging. Applying lessons from online learners and remote engagement during COVID, panelists provide resources for our listeners to better understand and support the commuter students on their campuses.

In this episode, you will get the dose of hope you need to remember your 'why' for working in higher education and student affairs. Reflecting on a life and career of service in student affairs, Mike Segawa reminds us that while the human condition may change, our profession continues to rise to meet the needs of our students. In a conversation grounded in critical and unflappable hope, fall in love with our profession again.