If you have spent any time as an undergraduate on a college campus, one department you are bound to have had several runnings with is that of Student Affairs. Student affairs is typically an integral aspect of students’ university life, often featuring in all forms of campus and academic activities.

However, amidst the hustle and bustle of the typical college setting, students and faculty members alike barely stop to wonder what student affairs really is.

What is Student Affairs?

The department of Student Affairs, also called student services or student support, is a section of the college administration that seeks to provide support form students in all areas of the campus life. Hence this department works to promote academic success as well as their professional and personal development of college students.

On university and college campuses, the student affairs division provides services to students that enrich the quality of their student life while supporting the educational mission of the higher institution.

Services rendered by the student affairs department may include academic advising, academic support services, admissions management, career services, community service, counseling, drug and alcohol educational programs, health center management, housing and residence, financial aid, recreational activities, wellness programs, student discipline, and lots more.

Student Affairs departments vary greatly across colleges in the US, and the size, organization, and divisions of the departments may differ depending on the type, size, or location of the school.

History of Student Affairs

Since the development of the first institutions of higher education, schools have had to deal with the management of the student lives of its tutees, ensuring the informal existence of student affairs in one form or the other.

However, it was not until the late 19th century did the organizational structure that birthed the modern-day student affairs department begin to form.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, undergraduate enrollment expanded, and the student population that now included women began to snowball. Consequently, universities began creating dean of women, dean of men, and the dean of personnel workers to deal with the expanding roles in finance, faculty recruitment, and to serve as surrogate parental figures to the students, and helping to guarantee student well being.

These offices were the first official student affairs practitioners.

In the first half of the 20th century, professional organizations rose to represent the needs and values of student affairs practitioners, giving the department more credence inciting a wave of new developmental and psychological theories in the field.

Today, student affairs is now a fully formed department in most colleges that deals with all the academic, physical, mental, and emotional needs of their undergraduates.

The Role of Student Affairs

The significant roles of student affairs departments include:

Fostering Community: acting as a buffer between the students and the school management, fostering a community where civility, care, and compassion reigns supreme. A properly functioning student department should significantly enhance the experience of both students and faculty members

Creating an Inclusive Environment: another crucial role of this department is the cultivation of inclusive communities that champion cultural understanding and encourages the full engagement of all students.

Stimulating Learning: the primary purpose of an institution of higher education is the impartation of knowledge, and the student affairs department helps it achieve this goal. Student affairs create a supportive campus environment that facilitates learning both inside and outside the classroom.

Maintaining Integrity: Another role of student affairs is ensuring that both staff members and students uphold the institution’s integrity by subscribing to the highest standards of ethics in their conduct.

Promoting Tradition: fostering the university’s traditions, history, and institutional pride all fall under the domain of student affairs as well.

Student Affairs Functional Units

The constitution of a Student Affairs department can vary widely across colleges, and the size, organization, and divisions of the department may differ depending on the type, size, or location of the school.

However, most institutions of higher education in the country have student affairs departments that have some combination of the following functional units. At smaller institutions, many of these units may overlap or combine into one office.

Academic Services

This unit typically handles all of the academic-related services that students need including advice and management of course selection, management of tutoring and skill acquisition, assessment of academic departments and research on improvement, and management of HEOP(higher education opportunity programs)

Admissions and Related Services

This unit typically handles everything pertaining to onboarding new students and managing their initial settlement into campus life. Everything from the first contact with high school leavers, to providing admissions information, managing the submissions and screening of applications, and handling orientation and settling in programs for new and transfer students often falls under the jurisdiction of this unit.

This division may also include the bursary, registry, and financial aid section.

Campus life

The campus life manages the day to day of the campus, often including issues like campus safety, campus conduct, commuting, and off-campus affairs, greek affairs, leadership activities, student unions, and community service.

Residence

Housing programs, hall management, and sometimes dining and food services go here.

Sports and recreation

This division handles the management of all of the sports-related activities like athletics, relaxation, and fitness. They typically manage all fitness centers as well as health and wellness programs.

Counseling and Career Development

Career services cover all of the aspects of students life that aims at developing their career potentials including the provision of career counseling and the management of job fairs, resume workshops, interview placement, mock interviews, and internships with employers.

The counseling section handles mental, social, and emotional health issues.

Other smaller sections that can fall under one of the divisions mentioned above or stand-alone at larger institutions include:

• Health services
• Diversity and inclusion
• International student services
• Alumni services
• Development (fundraising)
• religious services
• Veterans affairs

Careers in Student Affairs

While there is no single accepted path to becoming a student affairs practitioner due to the abundance of diverse roles, on most campuses, the majority of available positions require at least a Master’s degree in some area of leadership or educational departments.

However, some higher-level administrative roles may require a doctorate in a field related to the position.