Running head: STUDENT AFFAIRS PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy of Student Affairs, Part II

Kathleen Camire
Western Michigan University

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Philosophy of Student Affairs

College is a unique time in students lives. For many, they are out on their own for the first
time, maybe even sharing a room with someone they dont even know. While they are used to
structured school days and school bells, they are embarking on a new kind of education that is in
their own hands like never before. While students attend college primarily to further their
education, those four (or five, or six) years contain so much more than just academic education.
Young adults transform and develop into who they are going to be during those years. I have
chosen to work within student affairs primarily due to the passion I have for supporting students
and witnessing their growth as individuals throughout their time in higher education.
With that transformation in mind, I believe that student affairs is a unique and necessary
component of a complete education. It gives students the opportunities to make choices about
their lives beyond simply what classes they are going to take; in my experience, involvement
outside of classes (no matter whether it be a campus job, student group, or even in a student
success service) often facilitates the connection between coursework and its application outside of
the classroom. The theorists agree; research based on Astins (1996) Theory of Involvement
indicates that students involvement in out-of-class activities has a positive correlation to their
persistence, retention, and overall academic success (Kuh & Pike, 2005). In my interactions with
students, I strive to challenge them to develop integral skills in leadership, self-awareness, and
teamwork through their interactions with student affairs. These are all skills that will serve them
well in their lives beyond college. As a student affairs professional, it is my duty to find that
balance of challenging students to learn and grow, and supporting them when they struggle in
doing so. It is my goal to support students in their journeys more deeply themselves in addition to
forming a connection with a university that will always be a part of them. Theres a reason why

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many college alumni remain diehard fans of their alma mater for years after graduation, attending
sports events, homecoming, or just visiting campus from time to time. I believe that it is due to the
bond formed with oneself at that institution, the growth into interests, ideas, and beliefs. Most of
those things do not happen in a classroom; they happen in areas related to student affairs.
The college setting has more opportunities for choice than a secondary setting on most
every level: courses, meal times, class times, free time, extra activities and so on. It is my belief
that these choices allow a new kind of growth to occur: a growth of self. The world has become a
bigger, faster place in the last fifty or so years, and with it the field of student affairs has grown to
meet those changes. There is much more required of a college graduate to be successful than ever
before; the days when academics were all that mattered are a thing of the past. So too, student
affairs has become a vital piece of fostering the growth of those college students. I believe that
the opportunities I was able to take advantage of during my own undergraduate career truly helped
to foster the beliefs that are still important to me to this day, and I strive to support students as they
learn to think critically about the world around them and form their own beliefs.
I am particularly passionate about working with students in transition. That may mean
traditional first-year students, or students transferring from another school. It could be
nontraditional students who have made the decision to enter back into the realm of education after
many years in the workforce. Transition can mean many things, and it can be an area of struggle
for students. My passion for supporting students aligns along the area of transition because I feel
that transitions, whether they are seamless or difficult, create a unique space for growth and
transformation. There is an old adage about how we cannot grow without pain; quite literally,
when young children are physically growing, they often experience growing pains. This is also
metaphorically true of personal growth and transformation. When something is easy, it does not

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foster development. These concepts are particularly interesting to me, and are the reason why I
identify so passionately with Schlossbergs (1995, as cited in Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, &
Renn, 2010) Transition Theory. We all experience transition in our lives, whether is be anticipated
or not. Even those transitions that are anticipated can still have a powerful impact on us that we
did not necessarily expect. It is important that students have supports during times of transition,
and it is my intention to be intentional about creating and sustaining those supports for students
throughout my time in student affairs.
Support during transition is essential to the success of any student, but it is often especially
so for students from traditionally underrepresented or marginalized groups. My experience
working with students with disabilities has made it clear to me how imperative it is that student
affairs professionals create access and a climate conducive to success for students from
underrepresented groups. There are many unwritten rules and pieces of assumed common
knowledge that those who hold privilege expect all students to be well-versed in as they step onto
our campuses. This is, of course, not reality. For this reason, and many others, diversity and
inclusion as an intentionally enacted value (not simply espoused with little follow through) are
very important to me. My experiences working as part of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion
have given me a renewed commitment to serving and supporting those students who may not have
the privilege that many sometimes take for granted.
The NASPA/ACPA Professional Competencies (2010) focus on advising and helping
students and being aware of their unique needs as they develop, but the competencies also note the
importance of leadership and collaboration. I strive to be a leader in most everything I do, and I
will continue to do so every day as I interact with students, colleagues, and the community. This is
a skill on which I feel I can continuously improve; it is ingrained in my personality to always want

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to get better and to do better. To do so, especially in student affairs, it is essential to be a strong
collaborator. As we are continually tasked with doing more with less, it will be a hallmark of my
practice to reach out across campus, build solid relationships with key stakeholders, and work as a
team to create intentional and substantive change across campus.
It is my position that the most meaningful learning takes place when there are relationships
involved. I was fortunate to have fantastic instructors, a caring and involved advisor, and a closeknit cohort of fellow students to lean on and learn from during my undergraduate experience, and I
recognize the role those supports played in my growth and success; I strive to make relationships a
keystone of my work in student affairs. In my work, I hope that I can guide students to embrace all
the opportunities that higher education can make possible. If I can improve the college experience,
and therefore help foster growth and understanding of self, for students, then I will know that I
have fulfilled my purpose.

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References

American College Personnel Association & National Association of Student Personnel

Administrators. (2010). Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners.
Washington, DC: Authors. Retrieved from
https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/Professional_Competencies.pdf
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F., Patton, L.D., & Renn, K.A. (2010). Student development in
college: Theory, research, and practice. 2nd Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kuh,G.D.,&Pike,G.R.(2005).AtypologyofstudentengagementforAmericancollegesand
universities.ResearchinHigherEducation,46(2),185209.