2010Phil

Philosophy of Student Affairs

 * When I started thinking about what my personal philosophy of student affairs was, I had no idea where to begin. I was thinking that I couldn't possibly have a philosophy yet because I'm not even a full-time professional in the field. However, once I started thinking about the kind of professional that I want to be, I started to develop my personal philosophy.  I have always followed the manta "advise, guide, do not decide". One of my former advisors always followed that method, and it is one that I came to adopt as well. I have always believed in empowering the students and letting them make the decisions that affect themselves and/or their organization. However, I am also skeptical as to what students should be empowered. I have found that not all students are ready to be fully empowered, and that is where the advising and guiding really come into play. I believe in helping students find their leadership potential and advising and guiding them until they reach a point where they can be fully empowered and do not need to rely on my guidance as much. I think that as a student affairs professional, one of my jobs is to help mold students into the best leaders they can be and to provide them with the tools and support they need to realize their potential.   I also believe that as a student affairs professional, it is important to be an ally to the students. I should be someone that students feel comfortable approaching with problems or issues, and someone that they know will be an advocate for them to other administrators. I would want them to know that I am here to help and serve them and that I am on their side. I would want them to feel comfortable around me and for them to know that I do all that I can to help them in any way they need. I would want to have a good working relationship with the students. Part of being an ally to students is being able to relate to them, or at least show them that you are interested in them as a person. By having conversations about other aspects of their life (ex. classes, work, other extracurricular activities they are involved in) students feel that you genuinely care and are more likely to open up. Creating this dialogue will help the relationship between me and the student be one of open communication. While having an open communication relationship with students is always a good thing, it must be done in a way that the student understands that I am an administrator and their superior, and not one of their fellow classmates.   For me, the most important part of this profession and the reason that I chose to have a career in this field is the students. Everything that I do and will do as an administrator is for the students. When I was an undergraduate student, the student affairs administrators had a large impact on me and really helped me grow into the person that I am today through their guidance, advice, and patience. Many of them acted as mentors to me. I feel that since I was greatly helped and influenced by student affairs administrators that I now want to return the favor and become a mentor myself. I do what I do for the students, and if at the end of the day, I have helped, encouraged or motivated a student in the way that I was helped encouraged and motivated, I will consider myself successful at my job.  ||