Reflction 10

Accountability for student professionals is crucial. Every professional should be accountable for the services offered in the department. Accountability refers to using organizational resources for the greater good in student services. student services are to maintain high standards of performance and they are to be accountable for everything in their work field. This calls for stewardship.

The issue of partnership of academic and students services is inevitable. The academic department cannot come up with a program which will best suit students. This forces the academic and students affairs department to team up to create a curriculum which is wholistic in nature. In turn, harmony will be reinforced since both department come together to establish a program for students.

One of the striking issues in chapter 27 is the assessment process in student services. To perform better, feedback thorough assessment is vital. student services should assess satisfaction and needs of the students. Periodic assessment is important in the sense that it involves students. They can critique learning and development outcomes and can give suggestions on how to serve them better.

Reflection 9-Fiscal pressures, Budgeting and Legal Issues

The challenge of future funding for students in higher education is inevitable. This is because students aren't in the position to pay for their education. Factors such as single parenthood, poverty and increase in tuition fees due to the economic crisis. The question is how should institution help students with financial need enroll in higher education. Institution should device financial solutions to make it possible for students to study. Alternative sources of income should be sought and income generating project.

The financial health of an organizations is crucial for its success. This creates a necessity for good budgeting and financial management. Additionally, the activity of monitoring performance is advised. The financial controller should monitor the expenditures to be in harmony with the budget. Budget cuts can be used as one method to reduce the operating costs of the organizations. The management should look into strategies to cut down the cost in the institution. Some expenditure can be minimized and unnecessary cost can be reduced.

Legal issues surround the profession of students services. Legal counsel for the educational institutions can guide the student services personnel through legal complexities. Another issue of much emphasis is Negligence. Negligence can cost dearly the department and the organization. Students can file legal claims in cases of negligence. Its a sole duty of the student affairs professionals to be careful in the services offered.

Student Affairs is on Twitter

A microblogging phenomenon known as Twitter has recently rocketed into popular consciousness. In the recent past, Twitter is not exactly the newest social networking site. However, it was in 2009 that Twitter’s mainstream notoriety occurred. Twitter users in Iran produced thousands of microblog posts informing the world of post-election protests. Ashton Kutcher and CNN held a contest to see which of their popular accounts could garner the most followers. Oprah and Ellen began tweeting this year. Even President Obama utilized Twitter as part of a successful election communications strategy. Twitter provides a content platform that can be used for personal tweets, organizing, event updates, networking, content syndication and research.

What Does Twitter Have to Do with Student Affairs and Its Practitioners?

The answer to how Twitter is relevant to Student Affairs practitioners is crystal clear: communication. Many of higher education institutions, leaders within those organizations, and social media savvy faculty/staff/students are posting 140 character microblog updates to Twitter on a day to day basis. Twitter provides a conduit for a wide range of communication-based applications that Student Affairs professionals can utilize.

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ORGANIZATION & MANAGEMENT

Organizational design and structure of student service must focus on the students. There is no single way to structure student affairs organization. However, there are certain aspect that should be taken into serious consideration. First, The organizational model should be functional in form. Second, they should be in alignment with the organizational mission and type. In addition, given the student affair profession is dynamic, student affairs should adapt accordingly. This involves creating and modifying the strategic plan, focusing on organizational strengths, identifying priorities and resources, and consideration of structural options.

The recruitment and selection of student affair personnel is crucial. It normally determines the success of the department. The focus should be placed on the recruitment and selection of competent professionals. Other issues include supervision of the student affairs staff. In supervision, time management is important. The staff should be rewarded and recognized for a job well done. It motivates them to work better. The student service department should have staff and professional development programs to make the staff effective and efficient.

Middle managers influence the departmental culture. The culture will trigger everything either for the worst or for the best. The managers responsibility is to create a culture which foster productivity in the department and serve students well. How do we achieve this? The manager should apply authority wisely, supervise appropriately, perform an appraisal, and plan wisely. Moreover Staff development is required to meet new demands in the industry. In all this, the manager should be ethical and credible.

ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

Ethics is the art of making wise and responsible decisions. A student service professional should adhere to the professional code of ethics. Sometimes, there is a conflict between the rules, ethical values and the personal conscience. The best approach, student affairs staff are required to consider the organization ethical code of conduct when faced with ethical dilemmas and problems at work. Sometimes it calls to take unpopular stands.

Professional standards are used to measure the quality of work. These standards are applicable in student services too. The most fascinating issue about standards is the issue of continuous improvement. Since the profession is on the move, the staff should be innovative and creative in establishing new standards. This is looking on how to reach students better. Moreover, the bar of standards should be set high and attainable. This will result into effectiveness and efficiency in matters concerning student affairs. In addition, let the students give suggestions for areas that need to be improved. They are ones who receive the services and they might see better. Then the student affairs staff can evaluate and take the best suggestions for implementation. Definitely, This will help in the improvement process.

Professional associations are considered the expert arena. Its the place where student services professionals meet to discuss their work and challenges. As you know a man is no Island. Every professional is interdependent. We learn from each other. Thus, it requires every professional to attend meeting and student service conferences. Workshops and associations are important to sharpen the skills of the workers. It is an opportunity to learn more so as to perform better.

Religio-Spirituality in SA Administrators

Religio-spirituality impacts the ways in which some student affairs staff support and encourage each other in tough times, and religio-spirituality provides a framework for the leadership styles and strategies of some administrators(Moran & Curtis, 2004). This is very obvious among the student service workers. It reflects in the character, behavior and actions. The religio-spiritual atmosphere creates a working culture. It is the reason why a true christian can be identified among other workers. Student service personnel are able to touch other people if they are spiritual. We are able to bear fruits for other workers and students so they might feel the love God.

The reading on student development point out very important lessons for student service practitioners. Spirituality creates purpose,meaning and direction in life. This inturn will be passed to the students who are served. The students will make an introspection to find their purpose, meaning and directions in life. We also need to recognize that religious activity and other spiritually related activities may be manifestations of students’ search for meaning and faith. This can be done by creating mentoring communities and review of current student groups and organizations. We need to bring spirituality into education, not keep it separate and banished to small sectors of campus (the religious studies department, the campus ministry). Constitution advocates that we may not favor one religion over another—not that we must totally erase all notions of spiritual development from publiclife and the academy. We can do away with spirituality if we want our students to be full developed.

According to Allen and Kellom, If there is one good reason to consider the spiritual development of student affairs staff, it is that it helps us survive personally and professionally in the demanding jobs we have. Spirituality proves to be helpful in the profession. The question is how much to do we engage as leaders or student professionals to ensure there is a high level of spirituality? Do we create an organizational climate and culture which foster spirituality?

Reflection on Relationship, Conflict and Campus Crisis

Relationships is everything. As matter of fact, relationship is inevitable. The chapter on relationship pinpoint finding a common ground. Its important to know where to meet students at their point of need. This includes identifying their problems, concerns and challenges. These issues are best done when we see their students point of view by being on the others person side. Then its possible for the students service practitioners to serve students better.

Managing student conflict is another concern. The solution to this is relationship, which might reduce the extent of the conflict. There are different approaches to confict management. these methods can be used interchangebly depending on the situation. Student Services Professional should be sensitive in resolving conflict. Because a small spark can cause a enourmos fire. Thus, its the duty of student service to confront the conflict and not suppress it. This bring an experience in some educational institutions which ignores the problems of the students. Later the problem becomes so big and expensive to solve. Something could have been done at a early stage to future problems.

Student personnel should be ready for crisis. These are unpredictable events which need immediate response. Two things are important in dealing with crisis: Forecasting and Continous Investigation. The students service must be in the position to predict what event might happen. at the sametime, continous investigation should be done. This is help to foresee any unseen events and plan adequately.

Reflection on Internationalization, changing student population and multicultural campus communities

It fascinating to know how scholars are investing on internationalization of higher education and student affairs. This is due to the fact that the world is a global village. Thus, it calls for people from different background who share their resources together. Harmony and unity is established in internationalization. Likewise in student services, these services are to be made international. student service personnel should create a multi-cultural climate. Student from other cultures should feel comfortable and involved. It can be done by integrating cross cultural programs. This is very practical at Andrews University.

The essence of changing student population is another important concern. Its evident that there is a demographic shift of student going for higher education. So its the duty to reach the students more effectively than before. Student affairs Practitioners should adjust their service according to the prospective student population. Appropriate prediction of student enrollment interms of race, gender, culture, age and other demographical factors is to be taken into serious considerations.

The topic on multicultural campus communities is expounding on the previous chapters. It implies that professional should remodel their services to involve various ethnic groups. Student service should have a common goal of making diversified student live and work together. The basic question that we can ask are: is our institutions exerting effort to improve services for a multicultural group of students? If not, something must be done. If yes well and good, let them strive for continous improvements.

Importance of Institutional Mission

Student Services Professional must translate the mission statement in their services. It implies the services focus on fulfilling the mission of the institution. The institution mission shapes professional practices in student affairs. Student affairs professionals also need to be proactive. Unfortunately, some organization do not take this issue into serious consideration. Eventually, it leads to inappropriate services and complaints from students.
Student Services is committed to enhancing the individual student experience by providing an accessible, efficient and excellent service which supports the mission statement. Hence, thereby enabling each student to achieve their full potential.

Context of Professional Practice

The chapter explores the work evolution of Student Deans and personnel over time. These individual adjust to the new demands in the profession. In order to cope with the rising demand of the profession, each student services personnel should be innovative and creative.

The history od student services identifies where and when it come. Its our duty to shape the future with creativity and innovation. Its necessary to adapt new techniques and skills to serve the student. Student affairs professional must be prepared to think differently about services to students based on the new research and changing demographics that inform practice. This innovative drive-in institute will address the unique needs of student populations on campus including veterans, adult learners, students with disabilities and foster care youth.

Theory to Practice

Sometimes it difficult to put theory into practice. It becomes sometimes easy to read different kinds of theories but the application becomes seemingly impossible. The topic of the week emphasize on using theories to solve student affair problems. These theories are important from pyschosocial development, cognitive, environment to human aggregate perspective. The issue sometimes involved in the student services are beyond the theories. Occasionally, some problems involve more than one theory to succumb the problem. Despite this, we are supposed to use the theories in the daily activities in student services.
An crucial lesson is found in the physical environment we create for the students. It communicates a lot to the student. Thus the organization should create a favorable physical environment. It starts with the classrooms, library residence halls and other infrastructures necessary for students. This will help the student services personnel work effectively.

Technology

The reading was catching, in the sense that how technology has been the major element in student affairs. Growth in online learning is the trend forward. The classroom experience is brought in your house, office or at your disposal. Students are busy due to fast pace of life. hence, convenience is the priority in selecting a course or a higher learning institution. Online learning serves the purpose. This calls for student services personnel to reach the target market (students). We are to learn the distance learners and assess their educational supports needs. Moreover, we are to determine the best means of technology to reach the students. This raises the issue to assess online student motivation and the service they require to succeed academically. then, give the online student services for the general public.
We have to think about the technological shortcoming or challenges. while technology is improving in one level, we are loosing at the other end. we must be aware of these issues and the strategies to curb the problem. what are solutions for the problem?

Reflections

Welcome to my blog of scholarly and reflectional writings on issues impacting student affairs and higher education. Its a wonderful opportunity to create a platform where we can exchange ideas and air our concerns for our institutions and our communities at large.

As always, your comments are welcome.