In the Middle: How the Experience Defines Mid-Career for Student Affairs Professionals (original) (raw)

An Exploration of Senior Student Affairs Officers' Career and Life Paths

2009

The purpose of this study was to explore the career and life paths of male and female Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs). The study used Super's components of Work Salience and Career maturity to examine gender differences and commonalities of individuals in their climb to a SSAO position. Specifically, the study examined the role of family and personal life and the intersection with career. Employing qualitative methods in the form of semi-structured interviews, this study investigated the following research questions:

Rising to the Top: Career Progression of Women Senior-level Student Affairs Administrators

2014

Women account for over half of the populations of enrolled students and employed staff and administrators in higher education. In student affairs, women current accounts for over 60% of employees at the entry and mid-levels of administration, but less than half of all senior-level executive positions are filled by women. Furthermore, the majority of the women in senior-level student affairs administrative roles work at two-year institutions; doctoral granting research intensive universities have the lowest numbers of women student affairs professionals in seniorlevel positions. The career pathway to advance from entry-level to senior-level positions is unclear, and as a result, many women are remaining stagnant at the mid-level without a clear understanding of how to advance. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how women professionals entering the field of student affairs in public research universities can chart a career pathway from their entry point to senio...

Determining job satisfaction and motivation of student affairs professionals who transition into academic affairs

2018

I dedicate this dissertation to my mother, Clara, who is one of the strongest and most resilient people I have ever met. She taught me to work hard, be humble, overcome adversity, and to never stop being grateful. My mother never attended college, and likely does fully comprehend what a dissertation is, but her love, guidance, and support helped make this dissertation (and defense) possible. Ma, I love you and hope this makes you proud. I dedicate this dissertation to my best friend, Sonia, who is my rock, my morale compass, and a true example of taking life's lemons and making something resembling lemonade. You remind me to make the most out of every day and to live life to its fullest. I dedicate this dissertation to my sister Kassandra, brother Andre, uncle Balmir, and grandma Clara. Your love, support, and encouragement helped me complete this journey. "I'm done with school." I never expected that seven years later, I would complete a doctoral degree. This would not have been possible without the love, support, and

Competencies Needed for Entry-Level Student Affairs Work: Views from Mid-Level Professionals

College Student Affairs Journal

The ACPA/NASPA Professional Competencies for Student Affairs were designed to articulate skills needed for effective practice. However, since its first publication in 2010, little research has been done to understand whether these competencies align with the skills needed to be successful student affairs professionals. This qualitative study examined mid-level supervisors' perceptions of the skills needed for effective entry-level student affairs work and compared these responses to the ACPA/NASPA competencies. Mid-level manager's perceptions of skills aligned with stated competencies with some minor discrepancies noted. These findings have implications for practice, graduate preparation programs, potential revisions to the competencies and future research.

Career Development Issues Facing Women in Student Affairs Administration

As more women pursue professional careers, studies that examine the role of work in the development of women's identity are needed. To explore the developmental issues of women administrators in higher education, selected data were examined from a comprehensive study of 270 women in educational administration. Interviews related to career development issues were conducted with 25 women administrators in higher education in Indiana. Results from the 24 interviews which had been transcribed and rated revealed that, although no one career pattern could be identified among the women, careers played a very important role in their lives. The establishment and maintenance of careers were influenced by both internal and external factors. One striking characteristic of the women interviewed was their lack of clear career goals. An examination of differences related to age and to family status revealed that younger women and women who had never married were more likely to exhibit continuo...