1908Phil

Throughout my time in Kent State University’s Higher Education Administration & Student Personnel program, I have experienced various situations that have helped to shape my personal philosophy of student affairs. My philosophy of student affairs is one that blends helping students navigate through the challenge maze of college while also helping them to develop mentally outside of the classroom. In addition, I believe that it is my responsibility as a student affairs practitioner to not just give students the help they need, but to also challenge them to be proactive and to take responsibility for their own individual success. Working with a large number of students on a day-to-day basis can be difficult, as each has their own needs that have to be met. Every college student brings with them their own unique experiences that have helped to shape them into the person that they are. I believe that as a student affairs practitioner, it is important for me to take the time to listen and learn about the individuals that I am working with in order to come up with a solution that best suites their needs and not assume that I know what works best for all students. As a student affairs practitioner, I hope to inspire the students that I work with to become transformational leaders. According to the text //Rethinking the “L” Word in Higher Education: The Revolution of Research on Leadership// by Kezar et al (2006), transformational leadership is “typically defined as a power and influence theory in which the leaders acts in mutual ways with the followers, appeals to their higher needs, and inspires and motivates followers to move toward a particular purpose.” I want to inspire my students to always search for opportunities to evaluate situations and develop solutions to improve the ways things are done. Working as a student affairs practitioner in not a typical 9-5 job, but instead it is a profession that requires a commitment to go above and beyond to help students. I believe that having a willingness and the compassion to take a few extra steps above what is required will convey the message to the students that I am genuinely concerned about their success and well being. Obtaining a student’s trust and respect will not come easy, however I believe that once trust has been established, students will be more willing to look to me for help in the future. My main goal for my career in student affairs is that I hope that my work will help students to realize their full potential not just academically, but to also be the best person that they can and make valuable contributions as a citizen. The best advice that I received in regards to my career in student affairs is to never forget that the students are the reason for my work. In my career I will always keep the best interest of my students as my top priority and allow what is best for them to drive the decisions that I will make.