Professionalisation in
HE Student Affairs
Development Monthly | #35 September 2024 | HE Gems from the DM Archive
Andrew West, former Vice-Chair of the then AUA and former Chair of AMOSSHE (The Student Services Association) introduces a new publication focused on professionalisation in HE student affairs.
Developing professionalism in HE professional services is a well-known theme for AHEP members and for AHEP as an organisation. There has been a particular focus during recent years on the Association’s continuing professional development framework – relaunched during the last year as the AHEP Professional Framework (https://ahep.ac.uk/ahep-professional–framework).
Members working in HE student services may be interested in a new publication, Towards Professionalisation of Student Affairs across the Globe, which includes a chapter from me, in collaboration with a US colleague Gavin Henning, on the global implications of student affairs competencies and standards (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15360695/2023/2023/183).
In our piece we provide an overview of current and emerging professional competencies for student affairs professionals around the world, including reference to AHEP’s contributions to professional development over the years. We compare and contrast competencies from a range of countries and set out our reflections on implications for the student affairs profession globally, including matters such as ‘ownership’ of standards; official certification arrangements; currency and relevance; and flexibility in applying standards in practice.
The wider publication includes numerous varying global perspectives on student affairs as a profession, concluding with some reflections on the benefits and risks of professionalisation, noting the position of student affairs in a ‘third space’ at the intersection of educational provision/learning and teaching and student administration/management. Those working in HE student services in the UK will find much of interest here – including the opportunity to set their work in a broader international context and as part of a global community of professionals. The monograph has been published as part of Wiley’s New Directions for Student Services series (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15360695).
Launched in 1978, New Directions combines knowledge from up to date research with current thinking about student services practice. Recent issues have touched on themes including racial justice; trauma-informed practice in student affairs; and student services evaluation – all topics with congruence in a UK setting, and with views and perspectives to widen the debate. Plenty of food for thought in individual reflection, team development and to support enhancement of institutional practice.
Some of the publication’s contents are available on an open access basis; many AHEP members should be able to use an institutional subscription to view any material behind the log-in firewall.
Towards Professionalisation of Student Affairs across the Globe has also featured in an episode of the “Student Affairs Now” podcast (https://studentaffairsnow.com), a weekly North American web show, and online learning community aimed at those who work in, or alongside, the field of higher education and student affairs. You can view the episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e2Gpw2_94c&t=2658s.
It’s also possible to search the entire Student Affairs Now archive either by date of episode – or perhaps more helpfully by theme at https://studentaffairsnow.com/archives-by-topic. Recent releases cover topics such as campus sexual violence, AI in student affairs, and restorative justice. Another helpful source of learning and comparison with the UK context and to support improved professional practice in student affairs.