Running Head: WHERE DO I WANT TO BE?

Where Do I Want to Be?: An Examination of Professional Competencies in Student Affairs and

Lifelong Learning

Noah Montague

Miami University
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Introspection and the true nature of the idea of looking internally in an effort to better

oneself is not a task that comes easily, nor is it one that many people wish to do. However, it is

in that introspective work in which we are able to look at ourselves and determine where it is that

we want to go, what we wish to achieve and how far we wish to leap. Without it, we remain

stuck at any one developmental point rather than progressing and gaining knowledge. Though

this is true for all fields, professions and personal situations; the salience of introspective

thinking as it pertains to the field of Student Affairs as well as the ACPA and NASPA’s

Professional Competencies (2015) is something I think of a great deal in the areas of my own

growth and experience. Looking back to what I have previously written on the matter, what I

have done since then, and consciously looking to my future and what I wish to achieve, I have

begun to form a kind of action plan to guide my own development. Thus, in looking

introspectively in these areas that ACPA and NASPA (2015) highlight, I was able to identify

some areas at the foundational level and beyond that I felt I have not reached and begin to

develop plans in order to continue to grow, learn, and develop both in personal and professional

spheres throughout the remainder of my time at Miami and beyond.

Though mentioned in previous writing, I feel that the ease in which one can discount their

own development and location in terms of the Professional Competencies (ACPA/NASPA,

2015) is something worth noting. Conversely, as per the previous assignment in which I

discussed where I my comfort levels lie in these very same prowesses, I acknowledge that I still

have work to do in order to grow and rise to higher areas. In looking at the work that I have to

and wish to achieve, however, I find it important to emphasize that the work that one does in

Professional competencies is something that is continuous and any idea of “completion” is not
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something that should be considered. This concept of continuity exists throughout the goals that

I wish to achieve in the competencies, namely in that of the area in which I previously said I had

the most comfort: that of Personal and Ethical Foundations. This competency, which focuses on

ethics and a commitment to one’s own wellness and growth (ACPA/NASPA, 2015), is one that I

feel comfortable in but also one that I acknowledge more needs to be done, despite my previous

assertion of being in the intermediate level and my understanding of a shorter term goal of

graduate school to reach each competency’s foundational level. For this particular competency,

though I initially stated that I felt as though I was in the intermediate level, there is more that I

feel I need to do to move up in this area, namely in developing and maintaining plans to keep up

with competing priorities between one’s personal and professional life (ACPA/NASPA, 2015).

This section of the competency is something that I feel is a tangible thing for me to continue to

work towards in terms of my own growth through the competencies. In the remainder of my

time here in graduate school, then, I will continue to form these plans and better balance my

personal and professional lives, something that has proven difficult through the nature of my

assistantship being in Residence Life. I hope to achieve this level of competency through

continuing to set and build upon boundaries and making sure that I set aside time for work and

myself, which is something that I can then measure and make sure I am doing throughout the

remainder of my time at Miami and after.

To delve further into the competencies and the ways in which I plan to feel comfortable

within its foundations, I look to that of Values, Philosophy, and History. Though I am drawn to

all of the specific examples offered under this area’s foundational level, one of said descriptions

can be seen to speak volumes in terms of what I wish to achieve. It reads, “Articulate the
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changing nature of the global student affairs profession and communicate the need to provide a

contextual understanding of higher education” (ACPA/NASPA, 2015, p.18). In other words, one

can see this area of the competency to be referring to one’s ability to speak to the ever changing

nature of the field and understand the history behind it. This excerpt, then, can be seen in utmost

importance to the competency as a whole in that it both highlights historical context and the

future to come. Both are things that I need to keep in mind as I continue to grow through my

graduate career and after. In that this competency focuses on the importance of the foundations

and history of the profession and how they contribute to its future, one can look at reading and

learning about that history as an achievable action plan to develop within the competency

(ACPA/NASPA, 2015). Though it may seem simple, educating oneself is the first step towards

action; for one cannot act if they do not know the entire story behind reality: the foundations

behind why things are as they are. Though I spoke on moving towards action in my previous

piece, I also need to acknowledge this history, which is where these two years come into play;

growing through educating myself.

Continuing with this idea of education and growth, reading and learning is an action plan

that I will continue throughout the remainder of my graduate career. In looking further into the

competencies, one can see just how this plan of education as well as action is one that will assist

me on my journey to action, most notably in the areas of three of the competencies:

Organizational and Human Resources; Assessment, Evaluation and Research; and Law, Policy

and Governance. It is notable that in my previous writing on the competencies, I commented

upon my lack of interest in law and struggle to find interest in assessment and research. In that

these three competencies can be seen to connect to these ideas, one can see an inherent lack of
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comfortability that I hold to these three competencies (ACPA/NASPA, 2015). In these three

competencies, I see educating myself as a very attainable option to better grow within said

prowesses. In striving to educate myself on the laws that govern higher education, not only

would I be making myself more comfortable in the foundations of the Law, Policy and

Governance competency, but also the previously mentioned Values, Philosophy and History in

that one needs to understand the history behind the laws to understand them and Social Justice

and Inclusion in that knowing the laws will better enable me to support and advocate for those

that may not be included in them (ACPA/NASPA, 2015). This is also measurable in that I can

test my knowledge and incorporate it into practice.

Perhaps a clearer and more visible goal that I wish to build upon and grow throughout my

time in graduate school to become more comfortable in different areas of the ACPA and NASPA

competencies (2015) can be related to the idea of Leadership as discussed within these same

competencies. In my previous writing on the matter, I commented upon the reality that listening

and active listening are often contested as valid leadership tactics, a notion that I wholeheartedly

disagree with. Thus, though in the intermediate level, breaking down the concepts of leader and

leadership, the socialization of the terms and what it truly means to lead are concepts that hold a

great importance to me (ACPA/NASPA, 2015). This idea of listening can also be seen to

connect to the competency area of Advising and Supporting. In that active listening is often used

as a problem solving tool, I hope to continue to learn how to assist the students in my building in

problem solving. I feel that a great deal of this learning will come from working in the field,

building the rapport necessary with students, and then growing in the competency through the

action of offering advice. Though not particularly measurable outside of tracking the amount of
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student one on ones that I have throughout my time at Miami, I feel that it is an achievable goal

nonetheless in that through active listening, I can better learn how to help residents in their

problem solving.

To look back to the vein of leadership, though, a more visible goal that I wish to set is to

build a greater sense of teamwork in my building’s Community Leadership Team. At the start of

the year, I had the students interested in being a part of the group complete an exercise meant to

show them about different kinds of leaders, those being: the passive leader, diplomatic leader,

and dictator. The activity itself taught the students the type of leader they best function with and

the type of leader that they wish to be. Though the activity was successful as were events put on

by the team itself, I wish to continue to foster a greater sense of teamwork and teambuilding in

the coming semester, which I hope to do with a continuation of activities like the one mentioned

above.

Continuing past the idea of educating oneself without discounting the importance of it to

become more comfortable within the competencies, I am drawn back to Social Justice and

Inclusion. In my previous writing, I discussed Social Justice and Inclusion as a competency that

for me, is also centered in a question of ethics as well as the more literal importance of

identifying and creating dialogue around systemic barriers of oppression (ACPA/NASPA, 2015).

It is this competency that connects most with introspection, in that part of the foundational area

is about looking to oneself critically to identify one’s one predjudices and biases

(ACPA/NASPA, 2015). During my remaining time at Miami, I wish to continue in my learning

and dialogue around these issues both in classes and with students as to better help me to learn

and grow within the competency. An end goal, as I previously mentioned for this particular
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competency, is action, though I feel learning exactly how and when to act is an acceptable goal,

not discounting the ease at which systems in place make it for a white identifying person not to

act. This goal of learning how and when to act comes through several experiences, namely in

leading discussions on diversity, equity and inclusion and having conversations about lack of

inclusion with my Resident Assistants as well as residents. My goal over the next year and a

half, then, though perhaps vague, is to ask and act as needed, to have difficult conversations, and

to continue to move out of passivity and into action. Through asking, talking, and reading about

Social Justice, I feel that I will become more competent and comfortable as I continue my

growth; in that I have come to know that action can be the little things, too.

Another goal that I plan to set and follow relates to the ACPA and NASPA core

competency area of Student Learning and Development (2015). This section of the

competencies, focussing on the concepts of student development and applying theory to practice

in another area that I feel both comfortable and uncomfortable in (ACPA/NASPA, 2015). For

action steps to better achieve the foundational level of this competency, I plan to move further

into assessment of learning outcomes, something that I hope to do at Community Leadership

Team events as well as my building’s all hall events. In assessing learning outcomes at these

events via offering quick surveys or something to that nature at the end of the events, I can better

assess how students felt about what happened in the building and utilize that information to

guide future programming (ACPA/NASPA, 2015). This plan would continue throughout the

remainder of programming for the year, and would help form guidance for future programming.

Lastly, the competency of Technology, like the rest is one in which I see continued

growth in and throughout my time both at Miami and in the larger professional world. In my
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graduate career, though, it is important for me to continue to set these goals to help facilitate

growth in and throughout my time here. For Technology, which focuses on using technological

tools to both aid in student and professional development (ACPA/NASPA, 2015). Perhaps the

most easily measurable plan is that of better understanding the Maxient system. As a system that

submits and tracks student documentations, it is important that I am able to use and understand it.

Though I have a grasp on the system as of now, I also acknowledge that I have much to learn on

submitting incident reports to be reviewed. This is a goal of mine in this area: to learn how to

submit reports more easily; which I will learn from my supervisor. In doing this, not only will I

be more professionally sound in this competency, but also be better able to assist students.

In looking over these competencies and looking introspectively at myself, I feel as though

I was able to learn a great deal about where I stand in each of the aforementioned prowesses as

well as what I wish to do to continue in my own development. Though some of my plans were

vaguer than others, the nature of these competencies as being centered in concepts of lifelong

learning allow for greater emphasis on change and how this change and growth connect in both

one’s professional and personal lives. The plans that I have set here will continue to aid me in

my goal to feel fully comfortable in the foundational level of said competencies and continue to

help me to grow even further. These competencies offer a guiding base for what one should

strive to achieve in this field and promote the idea of being a well rounded professional as well

as a well rounded person, allowing and pushing oneself to focus on action rather than passivity.

In that all of my goals are focussed in promoting the idea of action, I hope to continue on this

path of growth that I have set out for myself in an added hope that I will be able to help my

students grow as well.

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References

Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Professionals. (2015). ​American College

Personnel Association & National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.