Student Affairs Professional Analysis

1044 Words3 Pages

Introduction As student affairs professionals, in-training, it is important that we evaluate and reflect helping styles as well as the effects we have on students as a result of that helping. With all of the difficulties students face, in this and future generations, the methods and philosophies of helping have never been more important. Any training for student affairs professionals has to consider mental health, student experience, and the relationship with the student as well as adjusting their philosophy of helping, “formed from perceptions and beliefs about how … things should be and why they should be that way,” and applying professional methods to their natural ideas (Galloway Burke, M., Duba Sauerheber, J., Hughey, J. W., & Laves, …show more content…

As far as how this integrates into helping students, I focus on the following questions: what do they value? How do I fit into their lives and how can I help improve their experiences? Why do they want to attend college? What do they hope to accomplish in finishing a degree? Does what they are saying correlate with their degree, courses, or extracurriculars? The survey results highlighted the cognitive-behavior scores which, to me, indicates that as a helper, I must know why people behave the way they do and I then use that information to parse together predictions about that person and how they react in certain situations. As a student affairs professional, knowing why students do the things they do is important in determining how I can assist …show more content…

It is an important piece of the functionality of a college and shape the different activities, degree programs, and coursework students can choose from. Student affairs exists on the college campus because students exist on the college campus.
While students do not always see it as a positive part of their development, student affairs supports the student from the start to completion of their degree or certification. Students need encouragement, guidance, and support through resources during their college careers. Student affairs is the center of determining all the needs for students on campus and fulfilling those needs.
Student affairs works toward supporting student development and assisting students in finding their purpose on campus. Supporting students with purpose is where helping philosophies and methods become important. Helping students must have a purpose toward the development of the student and their success or student affairs professionals would not exist on the college campus. When student success is down in any way, shape, or form, student affairs creates new ways to improve, change, and increase development for students in beneficial, meaningful, and intentional ways.
Role of the

Open Document