Foundational Studies/History, Philosophy & Values
As a young professional, one of the most important competencies has been learning about foundational studies and the history, philosophy, and values in student affairs. Three months before graduating from Appalachian I was unsure of the direction my post-graduate life was leading me, and I took a leap to apply to the College Student Development program. I had been heavily involved in Greek Life as an undergrad and found that the relationships I formed with professionals during my three years in an organization developed around student affairs and the people leading the Engagement and Leadership offices. It was during the last few months of my time in Boone that I decided that pursuing this career path might be for me.
Since the majority of my student affairs experience was in Greek Life, I found this competency helpful in a variety of ways. Understanding best practices in typical student affairs functions with attention to designing, managing, and evaluating programs was incredibly useful in learning about different departments located within student affairs. Obviously, I knew that other functional areas existed but I enjoyed talking
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I personally find publications such as The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed are the most easy to digest and understand. However, as I make my way through the program I find myself seeking out research articles about areas that I am passionate about relating to students. I’ve recently started to find books that appear repeatedly in the articles I’m reading, and I have created a list of books to check out from the library. Reading old information and combining it with new articles and research has been a great asset in helping me understand where the profession has been and where we are