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The Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel program at Kent State University requires students to not only know the theory behind student affairs, but to also translate and implement that knowledge in practical experiences. This marriage of theory and practice is what makes Kent State’s program invaluable to future student affairs professionals. From day one, Kent State challenges its students to think like an administrative professional and engages them in discussions on the realistic issues facing higher education and its administration. As a student I have appreciated these aspects of this program, as well as its focus on the constant professional development of its students.  One important theme of Kent’s program, expressed through curriculum requirements and by every professor in every class, is the need for practical experience and professional development. Kent State strives to find every full-time students a graduate assistantship in order to provide them significant professional experience and an arena where they can develop professional competencies and skills. The faculty search for assistantship possibilities not only on Kent’s campus, but at the surrounding colleges and universities. Their success is evident in the large percentage of students who have graduate assistantships and in the variety of assistantships available. In addition to assistantships, Kent State’s program requires students to complete to practicum experiences in two different functional areas; this aims to provide students with depth and breadth in the field of student affairs. Furthermore, the faculty is constantly informing and encouraging students to engage in professional development opportunities beyond the classroom and beyond Kent State. Within my cohort, students are members of numerous regional, functional or national professional development organizations; have been part of the executive board or committees for these organizations; have held positions on campus committees; completed summer internships at institutions across the U.S.; attended and/or presented at local, regional and national conferences; been a part of regional or national professional organization committees; and much more. I don’t believe so many of us would have taken the time and effort to seek out these opportunities if it weren’t for the faculty and program’s encouragement and emphasis on practical experiences in this field.  The plan of study is also a highlight of the Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel program. I appreciate the core of required courses that serve as the groundwork of the program. This way we all have a solid foundation and learn the basic concepts of student affairs. These courses, like Higher Education Law, Business Administration, Leadership, and Multiculturalism & Diversity, are subjects we will use no matter what functional or administrative area we end up in. The program is then completed through a set of electives that can be tailored to each student’s special interests. The variety of elective courses at Kent is impressive and covers subject matter from Coordinating Greek Life to Community Colleges to Athletics Administration to Intercultural Communication. I believe Kent’s program is impressive because the electives offer something for everyone and allows students to focus on specialized areas or explore areas with which they have had little experience.  One final overarching theme of Kent State’s program is engaging students in thinking as an administrator and discussing current challenges in higher education. Part of each course is spent discussing how the material relates to current and possible issues in colleges and universities. We are expected to know what is happening in the world of higher education, so we can speak intelligently about what we would do to resolve problems if we were the administrators facing these issues. This theme culminates in the Case Studies capstone. This course is designed to, again, connect theory to practice, allow students to practice decision-making and problem-solving skills, and prepare them for dealing with on-the-job, real-life situations.  When I entered this program I truly did not know what to expect. My research into higher education graduate programs had been limited and because of personal circumstances, I only applied to Kent State University since it was close to home. As I continued in the program and heard from others in my program and interacted with graduate students from other student affairs programs, I began to realize how lucky I was that Kent’s program is what it is. I would not have been happy in a program that only focused on theory and did not provide students with a practical outlet for exploring career paths, practicing professional skills, and engaging in professional experiences. The curriculum structure, with its balance of required courses and electives, also turned out to be very important to me. I would have felt constricted in a program that didn’t allow me to tailor my degree to my interests and professional goals. With the case studies course and overarching focus on knowing how to approach administrative challenges, this program equips its students with the tools to make intelligent decisions and to be efficient problem-solvers. The combination of these programmatic components gives Kent’s students a marketable edge in this competitive field, and I am grateful to Kent State’s Higher education program for preparing me to become a confident and successful professional. 
 * KSU Higher Education Administration Programmatic Overview **
 * Practical Experience & Professional Development **
 * Curriculum Structure **
 * Current Issues in Higher Education **
 * Reflection**