Thursday, November 19, 2009

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.

Monday, November 9, 2009

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.