Student Affairs NOW

In this episode, we explore the power of grassroots voting initiatives on college campuses. Join host Heather Shea as she speaks with leaders from key organizations dedicated to mobilizing and empowering student voters. They share their stories, strategies for increasing voter registration and turnout, and practical advice for student affairs staff ahead of the national election. Tune in to discov...

In this conversation, we discuss the challenges, pride, and support for first-generation graduate students. Guests share their experiences, tips for others, recommendations and suggestions for faculty and staff working to support these students, and ways involvement and engagement with ACPA can help get that support and look to address systemic issues in higher education and society.

For over 4 decades, Harry LeGrande has been a student affairs senior leader innovating and breaking barriers through his no-nonsense and people-first approach philosophy. His career spans multiple institutions and holding senior executive positions at the University of California, California State University, and California Community College systems. His commitment to helping  underrepresented pro...

In this episode we are discussing serving minoritized students and the unique institutional types that focus on supporting minoritized students. Our hope is to focus on ways we can serve minoritized student populations at institutions that may not have been created with these populations in mind but are now playing an important role in providing access to higher education. By doing so, we hope to...

Join Stefaan Van Hooydonk, author of The Workplace Curiosity Manifesto, and Dr. Hilary Lichterman as they make a case for the curiosity of a key capacity of leadership within and beyond higher education. This conversation covers everything from children's books to neuroscience. They discuss three key aspects of curiosity and three key pathways for practicing curiosity.

In this episode, we’re discussing how to support students' mental health and well-being during education abroad programs. Join us for an insightful discussion with experts Vernon Wall and Drs. Shayna Perry and Matt Rader as we explore the unique challenges students face, best practices for support, and strategies for faculty and staff to enhance mental health resources during international program...

Join four game designers as they discuss the role of games and play in learning. Drs. Tricia Siefert,  Colleen Smith, Tracy Fullerton, and Andrew Peterson challenge the misalignment of education as only linear and structured and explore the paradox of play -  how games' mystery, rules, and openness can create space for creativity, connection, emotion, learning, and more.

The Racial Healing Project is a collaboration among Fernell Miller and Drs. Mollie Monahan Jen Self (Dr. J). In this conversation, they not only share but also model their approach, helping all of us bring our whole selves with authenticity in the context of systemic oppression related to race, gender, sexuality, gender identity, class, and more. They discuss education as caring for the whole pers...

Two years ago, when SCOTUS released the Dobbs decision, overturning Roe v. Wade, college students all over the U.S. mobilized to advocate for a variety of initiatives to address the concerns facing students in the wake of the decision. In this episode, we’ll meet five student activists from one campus and discuss their multi-pronged approach to supporting students’ sexual and reproductive health.

Dr. Gina Garcia discusses Hispanic Serving Institions (HSIs). The conversation ranges from the definitions of HSIs and moving from demographics to "servingness." She also shares what that servingness can look like on various campuses including compositional diversity of faculty, staff, and administration; curricular inclusion; connections to serving local communities; and policy development.

Black women working in higher education as administrators, faculty, and staff face daily harms and traumas that affect their emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health and well-being. Black women are often hazed, shamed, and unsupported in myriad ways that put their health and their future at risk. Even when colleges and universities highlight their commitment to equity, diversity, and incl...

This podcast features a panel sharing their personal experiences and perspectives on topics in and around work modalities. Listen to their stories and hear about challenges of international work visas, the importance of finding work modalities that work for you, and reimagining ways to incorporate travel into your work and discover the joys of working abroad.

Comedian, keynote speaker, recovering student affairs professional, and author of The Humor Habit, Paul Osincup talks about humor as a skill you can develop to help with your personal well-being and to be more effective as a leader. He offers insights on the neuroscience of humor, helpful strategies to be funny (without being icky), and lots of laughs.

Join three leadership scholars and practitioners as they discuss the International Leadership Association's General Principles for Leadership Programs. They focus on international contexts, colonization, culture, and critical perspectives. This conversation is relevant to leadership educators and leaders within and beyond higher education. How do we cultivate leadership informed by context and an...

Studies have pointed to the emerging increase of student affairs professionals leaving their roles and even opting to leave the field entirely. While there is a growing number of studies and testimonials why student affairs professionals are opting to leave their roles, there are also reasons why student affairs professionals choose to stay. In this episode, a panel of guests share their perspecti...

NASPA President Kevin Kruger joins us to look back and look forward on higher education trends, students, student affairs, and student affairs leadership. He shares the evolutions he has witnessed, the trends emerging, as well as his worries and hopes for what is ahead.

Three scholars join us to discuss undocumented students' experiences and the implications for higher education. They begin by offering the sociocultural contexts and move into a more expansive understanding of who undocumented students are and their complex experiences. They also share the humanity, joy, and contributions of these students from their research.

Drs. Karen Kurotsuchi Inkelas, Mimi Benjamin, and Jody E. Jessup-Anger discuss their new book, Living-Learning Communities in Practice which builds on their previous book Living-Learning Communities That Work. In this conversation, they discuss a revised model as well as new typologies and logics informed by practitioner input to help LLCs thrive in practice.

As ACPA celebrated its 100th anniversary as an association, this panel of four ACPA Presidents reviewed its history to inform its current context and its future. The conversation explores why ACPA's history matters, two themes of advancing our professional development and our with students on campuses, and bridging the past and the future.

For more than twenty years, Mia Nosanow worked as a therapist with college students. In her new book, The College Student’s Guide to Mental Health, she shares how college students can prioritize their mental health and thrive in college. In this conversation, she shares what she learned from students, sharing the heart of their experiences, the emerging themes, and the multiple ways to tend to the...

In this episode, we hear from scholar and educator Oiyan Poon. She talks about the inspiration and the journey of writing her book, Asian American is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family. This book is part love letter, part history lesson and academic research, and part memoir. Join us in this conversation where we discuss motherhood, solidarity, and hope for a better...

At ACPA's 100th Anniversary Celebration held in Chicago, the hosts of Student Affairs NOW reflected on their respective journeys working together in developing, producing, and hosting a podcast as a form of public scholarship. The team shared behind-the-scenes stories of what it's like working together, discussed the expected and unexpected learnings during the growth of the podcast, and shared th...

Join three student affairs professionals as they share different paths to professional engagement, learning, and relationship building. Yasas Vithanage joins Drs. Amanda Knerr and Kelvin Rutledge to reflect on various professional engagement opportunities, lessons on getting involved, and the power of relationships.

Two-year colleges, including community, technical, and junior colleges, are focused on access, affordability, and equity; workforce development and career preparation; and serving their community's needs with agility. In this episode, two former chairs of ACPA's Commission for Two-Year Colleges and a current two-year college president discuss the growing student and institutional needs with limite...

This episode offers a deep dive into the INSPIRES Index, providing listeners with valuable insights into fostering inclusive campus environments for students of diverse worldview identities. Panelists, which include researchers, faculty, and practitioners, examine the intersectionality of efforts to address religious, secular, and spiritual identities with broader diversity initiatives and explore...