Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Collaborations in the Community College Setting

The focus of this article is to develop a framework for understanding the change process related to collaboration between academic and student affairs. A national survey of collaboration between student and academic affairs was conducted. Structural and cultural theories of change were used to examine the research questions. The findings indicate that combined models are best able to guide student and academic affairs collaboration. The study results suggest that universities and comprehensive institutions need to pay particular attention to structural strategies and obstacles.

ABSTRACTTo support the success of community college students, the role of student affairs professionals is critical. Therefore, adequate preparation of student affairs professionals who work in community college settings is paramount. However, literature focused on the intersection between the community college, student affairs, and graduate preparation is sparse, suggesting that too little is known about the preparation of student affairs professionals exiting graduate education and entering a community college setting. We frame this dearth of literature as an issue of social justice. The lack of focus on community colleges within student affairs preparation programs further reinforces a systemic cycle of oppression related to the perception that community colleges are not an integral part of the higher education landscape. We point to potential entry points for the exploration of this topic through systematic inquiry. The goals of this work are to bring awareness to the paucity of literature on this topic, ask scholars to join us in adding to what is known about this topic, and encourage readers to think critically about this topic.

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Recently Published Dissertations on Community and Junior Colleges

ABSTRACTThis study compared the effectiveness of courses taught in a five-week intensive hybrid format with courses taught in an 11-week traditional classroom format in order to explore options for expanding access to higher education in a community college setting. Course effectiveness was measured quantitatively with student academic performance indicators, such as grades, pass rates, pretest/posttest results, and student perceptions of academic rigor. The study is unique in that it investigated course effectiveness when intensive and hybrid instructional delivery methods were combined into one format. Additionally, the study compared matched pair courses with the same instructors and coursework who taught each course in both the five-week intensive hybrid format and the 11-week traditional format, which controlled for instructor influence on student learning. The historical rationale behind community colleges and contemporary initiatives to expand them have underscored the need to increase access by providing a range of options to higher education that meet the varying needs of students. The comparison found that the five-week hybrid course format was academically equivalent to the 11-week traditional format. The study indicates that course delivery combining hybrid and intensive instructional delivery can be academically effective and, therefore, has the potential to improve access in a community college setting.

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Unique opportunities exist on small campuses for all professionals to interact without boundaries. The traditional boundaries of classroom learning and student life cease to exist; student life professionals often function as teachers, and academic affairs professionals are encouraged to support students outside the classroom. This partnership creates many student‐focused learning situations that blur the lines between student affairs and academic affairs.

Community colleges face struggles in helping students meet their academic, career, and personal goals. Student affairs practitioners can be innovators by creating initiatives to engage students. Practitioners can act as a bridge between student and academic affairs. This article explores how a group of counselors redefined their roles by designing a first-year experience effort. A program implemented at Inver Hills Community College focused on student success is highlighted. Features, outcomes, and lessons learned are outlined.

A personal account of navigating the terrain of academic affairs. A full professor shares her journey as a Black female professor peppered with personal anecdotes moving through the often-tumultuous academic affairs division. She shares wisdom that helped her move through the rank of professorship while discovering her own strengths. She stood on a prophecy that was given to her that served as an affirmation for persisting through challenges and opportunities. She has used integrity as a core value to rest her spirituality on as a reservoir from which she drew. Her spiritual skills aided her in dealing with the complexities of being a faculty member in a community college setting. She reminds others in the profession to find a way to remain authentic and create a narrative in which they could live and grow.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — In a packed session sponsored by the American Association for Women in Community Colleges at the recent American Association of Community Colleges annual convention, a group of female leaders in higher education spoke to the challenges of cultivating female leadership within higher education. The panel consisted of Allatia Harris, vice chancellor for the San Jacinto College District; Marie Gnage, campus president at Florida State College at Jacksonville; Maria Harper‐Marinick, executive vice chancellor and provost at Maricopa Community Colleges; and Dawn DeWolf, vice president of academic and student affairs at Lane Community College.

ABSTRACTBelonging has become a central focus in higher education, shaping institutional policies, programs, and pedagogical practices. While traditionally associated with student affairs, academic affairs plays a critical yet often overlooked role in fostering belonging. This special issue examines how academic affairs—through curriculum design, pedagogy, advising, and institutional policies—can cultivate environments where all students, particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds, feel valued and supported. Contributions explore innovative strategies, evidence‐based practices, and policy implications that position belonging as an academic imperative. By bridging research, policy, and practice, this issue underscores the transformative potential of academic affairs in advancing student success and institutional equity.

In 2014, community colleges are overcrowded, underfunded, and serve a diverse population. Community colleges are looking for innovative ways to meet the growing demands of their nontraditional student body on a shrinking budget. Increasing their online offerings appeared to be a perfect solution. Unfortunately, research has shown that community college students do not fare well in online classes. However, the same research shows that community college students do as well in hybrid classes as they do in face-to-face classes. Hybrid classes are a mix of online and face-to-face instruction. Although hybrid classes are not as flexible as online courses and do utilize some campus facilities, they offer a promising alternative to traditional face-to-face classes. The following is a discussion of hybrid learning in the community college setting.

Biology and chemistry instructors at 50 institutions within th North Carolina Community College System were surveyed concerning the types of courses they teach, the diversity of students in their courses, their own academic preparation, how they would have altered their academic preparation for their current position, their preceived value of secondary school teaching in their current position, and additional comments about preparation for teaching in the community college. Personel officers at these institutions were surveyed on degrees they require for hiring biology and chemistry instructors, additional qualifications they seek in instructors, and whether they believe secondary school teaching experience to be of benefit for someone considering a community college teaching position. Major concerns in hiring an instructor are a stong academic preparation in the teaching field and a second major or minor in a related science field. An additional concern is the ability to address the special needs of the diverse student population found in the community college setting. The instructors suggest that programs in science education can help teachers improve their instructional techniques, and 7 6% of the instructors who have taught in secondary schools indicate that this experience had been beneficial in their community college teaching.

Change is a constant at many colleges and universities. But what does it take to lead change? Kate Smith, dean of academic foundations at Monroe Community College; and Kristen M. Fragnoli, provost and vice president of academic and student affairs at Finger Lakes Community College, shared strategies for building consensus for your vision and goals at a session at the American Conference of Academic Deans annual meeting.

As the number of campus sharing partnerships between twoyear and fouryear institutions increases, so will the need for academic and student affairs professionals to address some of the nuances that come with navigating these new environments. Such partnerships may create unique challenges for firstyear students. Thus, this qualitative study explored how 20 students participating in a partnership program navigated emotions associated with trying to persist. Findings identified themes of procrastination and isolationism, which have a major impact on socioacademic integration. The authors discuss strategies that academic and student affairs professionals can employ to help students resolve issues related to emotional dissonance.