PRACTICES

Student affairs divisions should seek to have relevant, current, and appropriate policies, protocols, and processes that foster a safe, diverse, and welcoming community for all students. Student affairs policies and procedures should aspire to be mission sensitive and accessible, and designed to inform, support, and protect students as well as guide practitioners.

Student affairs leaders should seek to possess a thorough understanding of their institution’s budget and resource allocations. Divisions of student affairs should pursue current and appropriate methods of funding programs, services, and operations while also identifying potential new sources of funding internally and externally (e.g., government and state funding and grants, foundations, non-profits and public-private partnerships.)

Divisions of student affairs should aspire to align and partner with academic affairs and strengthen a culture of continued student enrollment, academic progress, and student success. Working collaboratively with academic affairs, student affairs divisions should seek to support institutional practices that foster academic progress as well as limit those practices that inhibit learning, early attrition, and degree completion.

Student affairs divisions should seek to dedicate appropriate attention, and adhere, to compliance requirements with laws, regulations, and policies that relate to their respective responsibilities and that pose legal obligations, limitations, risks, and liabilities for students and the institution as a whole.

Student affairs divisions should aspire to have adequate and current technology to support the achievement of their mission and goals as well as to facilitate student learning and development, and digital literacy.

Student affairs divisions should strive to cultivate, strengthen, and sustain an inclusive and equitable community for all campus members, especially students. Student affairs should seek ways to ensure access, voice, acknowledgment, opportunity, and participation at all levels of students’ experiences.

Student affairs divisions should work to promote efforts to convey to all enrolled students that they are important and valued. The institution should pursue systems and adequate opportunities for students to have a sense of safety, belonging, and campus pride. Student affairs leadership should seek to have external involvement (e.g., city, town, county, local area) supporting the institution and its students.

Student affairs divisions should strive to regularly assess programs and services, and use the respective data as the basis for decision-making in regard to the effectiveness, impact, and quality of work. Student affairs divisions should seek to demonstrate that they are using evidence-based information and knowledge to design and implement initiatives that result in improved student learning, as well as to allocate and repurpose resources.

Student affairs divisions should strive to be responsive to contemporary students and current trends in higher education, understand current student affairs trends and services, engage in student success initiatives, and focus on the completion efforts of the institution.