NASPA Report Explores the Future of Student Affairs

April 11, 2022

Share this

Title: The Compass Report:Charting the Future of Student Affairs

Source: NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

NASPA assembled a task force to consider several “change drivers,” including enrollment changes, the collegiate mental health crisis, affordability, and the global pandemic, all of which have impacted the roles and responsibilities of student affairs practitioners and the field as a whole. The task force collected data through focus groups and fielded a national survey of student affairs practitioners to inform findings, address current challenges, and shape recommendations for the future.

The task force identified four critical areas to the future of student affairs: student needs and expectations; social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion; professional preparation and development; and workforce satisfaction and retention.

Recommendations for implementing changes in these areas include:

Strengthen data capacity to highlight the impact of student support services: Leverage evidence on how student affairs services and programs impact student outcomes and use data on what students say is critical to their success when making decisions.

Operationalize student-centered commitments to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion: Establish accountability metrics to assess efforts to address systemic and individualized racism on campus and ensure alignment and shared understanding of goals related to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion across the institution.

Optimize technology to deliver high-quality student experiences: Take an inventory of existing technologies, streamline processes, and use inclusive and flexible design principles when implementing new technology strategies.

Systematically approach the need for greater staff care: Conduct staff capacity and workplace climate assessments to inform changes to organization structure and establish policies that enable flexible work arrangements for staff.

Align student affairs preparation and talent management with the evolving needs of the profession: Provide trainings to enhance capacity of staff and align graduate preparation programs with the emerging needs of students.

To read the full report, click here.

—Danielle Melidona


If you have any questions or comments about this blog post, please contact us.

Keep Reading

Affirming Racial Diversity: Student Affairs as a Change Agent

As we continue the discussion about race on college campuses, an important question is emerging: Are institutions of higher education the correct entities to task with addressing racial issues in the United States? Amelia Parnell of NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education looks at the role student affairs professionals can play in advocating for diversity on their campus.

June 29, 2016

Live Like a Student: UNI’s Financial Literacy Strategy Reduces Student Debt

The University of Northern Iowa has decreased student debt upon graduation by an average of $3,300 per borrower since 2010. President Mark Nook discusses the cornerstone of that success—Live Like a Student, the university’s counseling and financial literacy program.

January 3, 2018

Intercultural and International: Student Leadership Exchanges at VCUQatar

Valerie Jeremijenko, assistant dean for Student Affairs for Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUQatar), discusses developing women’s leadership programing in the Middle East.

November 13, 2017