3569Phil

College is a critical time of growth and development and I strongly believe that student affairs practitioners play a significant and crucial role in fostering and nurturing students to grow. My personal philosophy of student affairs is related to the idea that you cannot just sow seeds and walk away. Rather, if you want the seed to sprout and flourish, you must nurture that seed. Like seeds, college students need an environment that fosters holistic growth. I believe it is the responsibility and mission of student affairs professionals to provide a fertile environment while challenging, supporting, and encouraging students to achieve their fullest potentials. My personal philosophy has stemmed from the knowledge I have gained from my Higher Education Administration coursework and from my personal experiences of working with college students. I think that it is a primary task for student affairs professionals to create an environment that promotes physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual growth for students. For student growth to take place, Alexander Astin declares that students need to be actively engaged in their campus environment (1984). Consistent with Astin’s Theory of Involvement, I feel that it is the responsibility of student affairs practitioners to create opportunities for involvement to occur. I think that involvement can be encouraged through the programs we create, events we plan, and services that we offer. When planning such programs, events, and services, student affairs practitioners should be mindful of the ultimate goal to support, nurture and challenge students as they develop. Recognizing that each and every student is different and that each student enters college with varied backgrounds and experiences, I find it necessary for administrators to be a helpful resource and educator. I feel that it is important for student affairs professionals to step away from the work on their desks and make a conscious effort to develop mentoring relationships with students. Not only are students our priority, but the relationships we create with students can have a profound impact on the decisions students make and the way they end up thinking about the world around them. For instance, challenging students to think outside of their own experiences is, in my opinion, one of the most important things that a student affairs practitioner can do. Additionally, practitioners must uphold sensitivity to students. Like the seeds that need attention, students need to be attended to in order to develop an acceptance of diversity and socialization. I believe that student affairs practitioners who have developed their own multicultural competence, inclusive of awareness of self, knowledge of diverse cultures and groups, and skills to openly discuss differences (Pope, Reynolds, & Mueller, 2004) are the most effective agents of change in students. If student affairs professionals do not have a strong sense of self or an acceptance of others then they lack the ability to help students develop their own multicultural competencies. When working with students, I am a firm believer in the transactional style of leadership. Although I recognize that not every student affairs practitioner will follow this style of leadership, I personally believe that it is most beneficial in terms of enhancing student development. The transactional style of leadership encourages collaboration, teamwork, community, and personal involvement in decision making (Bensimon, Neumann, & Birnbaum, 2000). When students are involved in group decision making, I feel that it not only enhances their interpersonal skills but it also develops their cognitive and critical thinking skills. In some situations I realize that the transactional approach may not always be appropriate but I do think that collaboration and negotiation are important for students to experience and witness. In the field of student affairs, I believe that all practitioners are called to reflect on their personal beliefs and biases, to work to develop their own multicultural competence and leadership skills, and to be mindful of the ultimate goal of the profession: to support, nurture, and challenge students during their development. Student affairs practitioners are like gardeners. They create a nurturing environment, provide support, and watch students as they grow into mature, accepting, and competent individuals.