Higher Education Today: The need for Change

            Entering into the field of Student Affairs I possessed the desire to help guide students along their college journey. I oftentimes talked to others about how I would excel and be of better assistance to my students than my undergraduate college advisors were to me. Upon entering the field and learning more about Student Affairs in our CSL 490 class I realized that a lot of work must be done in order to foster growth and development in students. The role that I wanted to play and the shoes that I wanted to fill were perhaps much bigger than I initial imagined. I understand much better today that in order to be successful in student affairs and provide great support to students one must not only talk but also avidly act.

             According to Keeling & Hersh (2011) “Talk of change is not Change” (p. 149). In fact change does not happen unless we make change happen. Although so simple this quote speaks to me. The power and bluntness of its simple words brings to me a sense of awareness. It helps me to better see that student affairs professionals must be active in seeking to better their college community and students. Throughout our CSL class we have continuously discussed the past and present structure and operation of higher education communities. One of the major points that I have gained as I reflect on our Pinterest board is that higher Education is in need of a desperate change. The remaining of my blog will highlight key themes that I have noticed on our board. Each theme symbolizes factors that we must improve in order to better support our students.

The first theme that I noticed in reviewing our board is that college institutions must work with the entire student. So often in higher education we place such a great focus on teaching and neglect the overall growth and development of our students. Such a singular focus is placed on teaching that many higher education institutions fail to notice whether or not their students are actually learning and retaining valuable information. Although classroom learning is of great importance in college we must realize that it is not the only purpose of college. Classroom education is only a part of the college experience. Therefore, we must increase efforts to guarantee that our students are learning not only in the classroom but also experiencing learning outside of the classroom. We must also be sure to acknowledge each of our students as individuals with very different needs and requirements. As student affairs professionals we must be willing to work with our students and make sure they are gaining all they need physically, mentally and educationally.

The Second theme that I came across is that as Student Affairs professionals we must network and also be willing to undergo continuous education and training. In an effort to improve our schools we must be willing to work with other student affairs professionals, academic professionals and also network with professionals from other colleges and communities. This will not only help us develop solid alliances and networks for ourselves but will also create valuable resources for our students. Networking with other professionals will help us stay atop of the latest trends and procedure in higher education. This will allow us to grow professionally and also better prepare us to assist students with ever changing societal demands.

Perhaps one of the most important themes that I came across in reviewing our board is that colleges must assess the work that they are doing with students. Too often colleges fail to analyze whether their initiatives are effective in truly educating and preparing students. Time and time again students exit college not prepared to face the “real world”. Colleges and universities must increase efforts to create more assessment plans in higher education. We must study and evaluate teaching styles, programs, departments and even faculty/staff to guarantee that college students are getting the most out of their education and that they are ready and well prepare to contribute to society.

  Reviewing our Pinterest board has sparked a lot of thoughts in my head. It has opened my mind to various aspects of student affairs that I had never pondered before. Although there are many things that can be debated one thing is certain, there is a need for change in higher education. As student affairs professionals it is our job to advocate and fight for this change.