Student Affairs NOW

Today on the podcast, we’re queuing up the next in a series of episodes for “careers in student affairs month.” We’re building on a recent episode, which answered the question “Is a Student Affairs Graduate Program Right for Me?” with some practical tips about the application process. Joining host Heather Shea are four coordinators of graduate programs in higher education and student affairs from...

Today we’re launching “careers in student affairs month” with a two part series designed to demystify the grad school selection and application process. Today’s episode begins the conversation with an overview on motivations and purpose of graduate education. Then we discuss factors to consider when selecting a graduate program. Whether you’re an undergraduate student considering grad school or a...

Join two innovative thinkers, Pavani Reddy and Dr. Brian Reed as they discuss applying john a. powell's framework of targeted universalism to student success. This approach focuses student success leaders on looking at the experience of particular groups and working with them to design policy changes and other systems changes. These leaders discuss a specific example of this application and broade...

Many folks committed to racial justice and decolonization need help putting it into practice. This conversation unpacks the 3x3 Possibilities Model to help do this work at the individual, group, and systems levels through learning, doing, and being. Guests discuss how this project came into being, discuss the model, and walk through examples.

Based on an immersive, interactive presentation experience at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE), today’s episode features co-presenters Krishanna Roberson and Marcus Moore as they talk with Heather Shea about the concept “How to Not” as a counter strategy for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. We explore this unconventional approach, learning about the work that inspired...

Whether you found yourself enchanted by the Barbie movie's magic or felt it missed the mark, there's no denying the film’s monumental success. As with any major pop culture phenomenon, Barbie is poised to be a prime topic of conversation among college students this fall. In today’s episode Drs. Alex Lange, Rachel Wagner, and Keith Edwards sit down with host Heather Shea to unpack the complexities...

On this episode, Dr. Amer Ahmed and Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington sit down with Heather Shea to explore practical and interactive techniques designed to effectively develop faculty competencies in the realms of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Often considered a challenging demographic to engage in meaningful DEI conversations, our panelists will discuss innovative methods to make these vital convers...

Dr. Glenn DeGuzman goes to Comic-Con International in San Diego to meet up with student affairs professionals who regularly attend the convention as presenters, volunteers, and participants. This special edition podcast focuses on how student affairs and higher ed professionals connect their geek/nerd identity with their professionals roles on campus. Podcast is great, but recommend viewing this e...

Dr. Glenn DeGuzman sits down with Affaf Waseem, Dr. Faran Saeed, and Dr. Noor Ali to examine the complex issues and future challenges facing muslim students on college campuses in the US.

Drs. Laila McCloud, Ericka Roland, Quortne Hutchings, and Ricardo Montelongo recently led the ACPA Faculty Racial Justice and Decolonization Institute. In this episode they reflect on the Institute experience and discuss love and wandering as pedagogy, freedom dreaming, ungrading, moving from docile bodies to critical spectators, and more.

Dr. Allison Vaillancourt is a higher ed leader, human resources expert, and a regular contributes thoughtful pieces to The Chronicle of Higher Education. In this conversation, she shares wisdom and insights on keeping things in perspective; organizing, structuring, and leading meetings; and reflecting on drains on our time, energy, and joy. This conversation is full of helpful invitations to refle...

Dr. Keith Edwards talks with Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, author of Trauma Stewardship and The Age of Overwhelm, about how to navigate the challenging experiences and systems that we experience directly and vicariously as an individual, as communities, and organizationally. This conversation discusses Buddhism and neuroscience, self-awareness and self-management, and community care and sustainability...

Join editors of the book Critical Whiteness Praxis in Higher Education, Drs. Zak Foste and Tenisha Tevis as they discuss theoretical and practical approaches to critical whiteness in higher education. They outline theoretical foundations of structural and systemic whiteness, including white normativity, ignorance, and innocence. They also discuss the effects on students, staff, and faculty in high...

In this podcast episode, we dive into the complexities of college student success with the author of Administratively Adrift: Overcoming Institutional Barriers for College Student Success Dr. Scott Bass and Dr. Sharon Alston, former co-chair of American University’s “Re-Inventing the Student Experience” or RiSE project. Exploring common barriers, effective strategies, and the roles of students, ad...

As resident and student staff needs have expanded, many housing and residence life leaders are rethinking the traditional resident assistant (RA) role. Drs. Paul Gordon Brown, Heather Kropf, and Glenn DeGuzman discuss shifting needs, explore possibilities, and share promising approaches and concerns. Join these three leaders, innovators, and changemakers for this exciting conversation.

Thanks to ACPA, we are able share our own Heather Shea’s presidential address as she assumed leadership of ACPA: College Student Educators International. Heather focuses on fostering critical hope for ourselves as student affairs educators and for students. You’ll also get to hear Kathy Adam Reister and me introducing Heather to the association membership.

What does it mean to lead with a moral imagination? In this heartful conversation with President Mary Dana Hinton of Hollins University, experience hope, joy, and a renewed faith in the future of higher education. President Hinton reflects on her life journey, and how her imagination of a brighter future in her childhood prepared her to be the higher education leader we all need right now. The pos...

In this episode, we delve into the realm of performance reviews in student affairs, exploring how these evaluations are conducted and how we might rethink this process. We discuss the influence of the recent Report on 21st Century Employment in Higher Education and other resources for shaping the approach to performance reviews, highlighting the specific recommendations implemented to foster a fai...

Labor acknowledgments are similar and different from land acknowledgments. In this conversation, three scholar-practitioners discuss the purpose, history, practice, and complexities around labor acknowledgments, including moving beyond just acknowledgments to commitments. They discuss anti-Blacknewss, capitalism, ascendants, history and contemporary labor, and the diaspora of Blackness. Guests off...

Small colleges offer a unique experience for students and for student affairs professionals. Editors of the book Small and Mighty, discuss the unique opportunities and challenges of student affairs at small colleges. They discuss direct student engagement, relationship and community building, resource challenges paired with increasing student needs, and the importance of place.

This episode features a conversation about a newly published book, Unmasking: Toward Authentic Masculinity, by Dr. Keith E. Edwards PHD. Unmasking is a process by which men first become conscious of the masks they wear to conform to external expectations and then practice exploring their identity as men and becoming intentional about aligning their actions with integrity. Written for men and those...

Three college presidents discuss their journeys through student affairs, transitioning to the presidency, and lessons learned. Join Drs. Lori White, Frank Shushok, and Rob Kelly as they share their journeys. They discuss their student affairs capacities, the critical role of mentorship and guides, authenticity as leadership, and finding the joys in leadership in service of others.

Critical hope helps educators navigate the both/and of criticality and possibility while avoiding the harms of deficit mindsets, toxic positivity, and cynicism. In this episode, leading scholars of critical hope, Jeffrey Duncan-Andrade and Kari Grain, discuss the what, why, and how of critical hope.

Rejecting outright the Student Affairs “Legend” title we ascribed to her, Susan Jones joins us to discuss her career as an award-winning professor, prolific author, and valued mentor to many in the profession. Listen in as she shares her hopes and fears for our future and the future of student affairs and higher education. BTW, we stand by our description of Dr. Susan R. Jones as a legend.

By definition, an ombudsperson is a neutral and impartial conflict resolution. They typically operate independently from the university and has no official or formal decision-making capabilities. Ombudspersons have been referred to as the “conscience of the university” -- working within campus communities to resolve conflict through identifying systemic issues and trends while focusing on fair tre...