Analysis and Action Plan

Jah Thomas

Loyola University Chicago

 As I transition from graduate student to student affairs professional, I believe

three aspects that I can use to practice in the field are my knowledge of assessment, the

skills to facilitate intergroup dialogue, and to engage in writing, research and

scholarship in the academy. The aforementioned competencies and skills are what I

believe are necessary in ushering the field forward.

Given my knowledge of assessment and putting the skills in to practice for

programs, I would like to assist with assessment projects in the future student affairs

divisions I will work. The value of assessment in a division not only provides

justification but highlights good work on behalf of the division. With a scarcity of

resources such as personnel, the field of higher education will need to employ data

literate professionals to provide evidence for their operations.

I highlighted the skills necessary in facilitate intergroup because the current and

future campuses of higher education will be made up of a diverse group of staff,

students, and faculty. These skills will be needed to have deliberate conversations about

difference and how to build communities from the perceived differences.

Lastly, I believe being able to do all things in the field in relation to writing,

scholarship, and research is helpful in adding new knowledge to the higher education

canon. As technology grows and politics change, the higher education landscape will

shift, and new issues and possible solutions will arise. I am an educator, who must

continue to contribute to the field in as many ways as possible. Through engaging with

the academy, I open the possibilities of being a scholar-practitioner.

My action plan for continued professional development in the field is start by

getting involved in professional organizations both on the national and regional levels.

In addition, I want to continue to lend my expertise to the institutions I work at by

providing trainings or collaborating with more experienced members of the community.

I want to teach courses to engage in aspects of the student affairs preparation programs.

Lastly, I will continue to read scholarship in the field and current events to stay abreast

with the institution that is higher education.