1803Phil

Student affairs is an exciting line of work. It is unpredictable, fun, energizing and one of the few fields, I think, in which a youthful perspective and personal growth is rewarded. To be successful in student affairs, one has to accept that an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. day will not be enough. Even after the office door is locked and the lights are out, there is still work to do and discoveries to be made. It might be intimidating, but because student affairs allows room for creativity and personal development I truly feel it is a career path in which one could live and breathe it everyday and still emerge a happy individual, balanced and energized and able to face life’s tasks.

That is my philosophical “benefits package” of student affairs, but holistically, my philosophy can be expanded to this: student affairs is about it is about having a vested concern in the development of an individual and in the progress of humanity. What I love most about it is that I have the opportunity to be immersed in a career that is always changing because the people within are always moving in, on, up, and out. I love that I bond with students, but that there are always new people walking in the door. I get to see student development in progress; in the first year and a half of my graduate assistantship in a civic engagement office, I watched shy first-year students develop into articulate and reflective adults as they frequently entered and exited the office. I had to collaborate with student leaders on community service activities and was sometimes taken aback by their initiative and organizational ability. After some time, I noticed that my whole concept of what it meant to be age 18 – 21 completely changed. But I think to actually witness student development, we have to deliberately look for it. My assistantship could easily become another customer service job, where I smile and am friendly and no more. But I possess a much greater motivation to connect with students, often for no other reason than because I genuinely like them and are interested in what they have to say. I feel that way about my co-workers too. I like the type of individual that student affairs tends to draw; loud and quiet, but always quirky and most of all, flexible. The common thread between my co-workers and I is the desire to always be learning more, to be questioning, discussing and willing to change. I sometimes forget it is not so common for water-cooler discussion to center around themes of social justice or the development of millennial students while NPR plays on the radio. Student affairs professionals should be always keep their eyes and ears open toward current events across any field, because we work with such an expansive target audience. There is something on the news every day that directly affects an individual with whom we might work, supervise or advise. As a professional in this field, I feel I have an obligation to remain current.

Student affairs would not exist without faith and optimism in human progress. There are so many unique challenges professionals face on a daily basis, but if there were not a foundational belief that what we were doing made a difference, there would be no point. We are not here to provide what I call a “cruise-ship” of activities for students so that they continue to spend tuition; I know some of my peers may feel differently, but to me student affairs is not about customer service. One of my favorite professors in the Kent State HIED program said, “There is no way to afford giving students everything they want.” How true and if that were the case, how boring. I think our task is much greater than selling a smile. We are constantly trying to determine what students need developmentally, socially and academically to achieve their fullest potential after college. I think that is the true reward of student affairs and one I hope to see frequently as I advance my career.

I know student affairs can be like any profession in that it is difficult and frustrating – it is full of intangible objectives and there is no bottom line to gauge success. It is impossible to know the needs of every student, of every co-worker, of every department so that we work together harmoniously. But I think student affairs is so unique in the way that demands honesty and change from its professionals as well as students. I feel very lucky to get to work in a field where I am encouraged and rewarded with progress in myself and in others.