Why Is It Important To Pursue Our Work As Student Affairs Professionals

As we continue our work as student affairs professionals, it’s important that we all stay on the same page and keep working towards bettering our students. This why it’s a good thing that our student affairs organizations publish documents such as Principles of Good Practice to provide guidance and suggestions. As stated in this document, our principles of practice should be relative to the core values that have always been present in theories and research of the profession. These values include things such as “appreciation of individual differences; student responsibility; ethical and reflective performance” (ACPA, 2013). These values will ensure that our work as student affairs professionals continues to promote the development of the “whole person.”
Student affairs programs should engage students in active learning. Students need to be able to connect what they are learning in the classroom to real life experiences. Many students learn more by doing. This is why it is important to incorporate strategies like service learning, internships, and group
They encourage student affairs divisions to regularly assess their programs. It is important to know how well your programs are reaching students and their goals. If the programs are not creating successful development, then they need to be changed. Also, it’s important to remember that as new students enter college they will have different needs from previous students. Student affairs goals and missions should also be in line with the institutional missions and goals. The institution as a whole needs to be working towards the same thing. When that happens, departments and divisions can work together and create the optimal learning environment. This type of work is considered educational partnerships. Partnerships are important to reduce the impact of less funding and staff members to provide