Preparing learners for the workplace is the primary mission that educational institutions perform. For the most part, these institutions have been faithful in their fulfilment of this mission. However, employers complain that upon exiting post-secondary education, students are not adequately prepared for the challenges of the workplace. In an effort to supply the job market with competent and qualified workers, the educational institutions have reviewed and revamped their practices and policies. While the delivery of curricular content remains the primary objective that the institutions pursue, they have expanded the range of services that they deliver. Today, most post-secondary educational institutions have established student affairs/services departments. The main mandate of these departments is to create an environment where students can experience holistic growth. Student affairs and services in post-secondary education has undergone tremendous transformation over the years.
Student affairs and services are a rather recent development. However, the roots of the extra-curricular services that colleges and universities deliver through student affairs programs can be traced back to the colonial era and in the early stages of the development of higher education in the United States. During the colonial era, the institutions adopted a philosophy referred to as loco parentis (Long, 2012) . Through this philosophy, the institutions played the role of parents. It was considered important for the institutions to offer parental guidance because the institutions felt that the students were too immature to be trusted to conduct themselves responsibly (Long, 2012). There are a number of challenges that hampered the full adoption of the loco parentis philosophy. Among these challenges is the fact that most institutions were understaffed and faculty overburdened. Staff were required to attend to the academic needs of the students while ensuring that the students behaved responsibly (Long, 2012). The loco parentis doctrine was accompanied with the enforcement of stringent guidelines that governed such issues as dressing and the conduct of students. Furthermore, in an effort to facilitate the moral development of students, the institutions charged instructors with the mandate of mentoring and counseling the students (Doyle, 2004). The loco parentis model provided ineffective and was soon replaced by models that placed focus on the welfare of learners instead of imposing pressure on students.
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The loco parentis model that American colleges and universities adopted was simply unsustainable as it relied too heavily on the cooperation and effort of instructors and other faculty. To address the shortcomings of this model, the US turned to such other countries as Germany for inspiration. The German model placed little focus on student wellbeing and challenged instructors to focus on research and academic pursuits (Long, 2004). Upon adopting the German framework, the US moved away from building morally upright citizens. Instead, it invested heavily in research. Since they spent most of their time conducting research and pursuing individual academic goals, instructors were no longer available to mentor and counsel students. Colleges and universities were compelled to hire professionals whose mission was to perform the jobs that the instructors carried out under the loco parentis dispensation (Long, 2004). Mothers, registrars and chaplains are among the professionals that the institutions recruited to guide students. The institutions also turned to administrators for help in the management of student affairs. Marianne Dascombe who served as the principal of Oberlin College is recognized as among the administrators whose efforts and dedication lay the foundation for student affairs and services (Hevel, 2016). The evolution of student affairs and services shows that colleges and universities in the US are responsive to changes in the scholarly landscape. They adopt policies that allow them to ensure that the needs of students are met.
The US had mostly abandoned the loco parentis model by the early 20th century. As noted above, the country adopted the framework that had been applied in Germany. In addition to challenging institutions to place professionals in charge of student affairs, this model also inspired learners to play a greater role in the management of their own affairs. In various US colleges and universities, students joined forces to establish associations through which the extracurricular needs of students were met (Long, 2012). Furthermore, the students created governance structures and procedures and created guidelines that they were expected to follow.
Today, the US leads the world in promoting gender equality in higher education. The country’s efforts have succeeded given that women are earning more college degrees than their male counterparts. The situation today contrasts sharply against the state of affairs in the early 20th century when women struggled to access higher education. However, the colleges and universities took measures to ensure that women received quality education. These institutions established co-education programs through which women were empowered. However, the student affairs initiatives that were established failed to adequately address the needs of female students (Jennifer, 2010). Essentially, these initiatives were designed for male students and did little to alleviate the hardships that women encountered. As more women joined post-secondary educational institutions, student affairs programs were expanded to cater to their needs.
For the most part, student affairs programs aimed to provide students with opportunities for extra-curricular engagement. As these programs underwent transformation, the range of services that were offered expanded. In the 20th century, these programs enabled institutions to attend to the health needs of students (Long, 2012). During this time, the institutions recruited physicians who mainly served as instructors. These physicians provided the institutions with the impetus to expand student affairs programs to include health services. As the colleges and universities welcomed physicians, student affairs began to assume a more rigid and formal structure. This structure followed the establishment of professional associations which brought together such professionals as deans who were mandated to manage student affairs programs (Long, 2012). The establishment of these associations indicates that student affairs initiatives were recognized as an integral component of higher education in the US.
In the 1960s, the US witnessed a number of political movements such as that which agitated for the civil rights of the African American community. These movements shaped student affairs and services in the country. Students became more active and pushed for greater independence. The courts intervened and declared that the loco parentis philosophy which had governed student affairs programs for decades as unlawful. It was ruled that all individuals who are at least 18 years old are adults with the authority to make their own decisions (Long, 2012). The court rulings introduced changes in the relationship between students and colleges. In previous years, students remained under the custody of college administration and were required to adhere to strict standards and rules. With the court rulings, the students gained a louder voice through which they engaged in political and social activism (Long, 2012). It is unfortunate that the empowerment of the students was accompanied with needless death and loss as the relationship between colleges and students became hostile and strained. For example, property damage, injury and deaths were reported at Kent University (Long, 201@). The chaos that defined student affairs in the 1960s prompted student organizations to become more involved in conflict resolution. It is evident that the state of student affairs in the 1960s mirrored the issues that the US was experiencing during this era.
The late 20th century and early 21st century introduced seismic changes which altered student affairs and services in the US. During this period, the demographic profile of American colleges and universities changed significantly. The number of students from such minority communities as African American and Hispanic increased significantly (Long, 2012). Furthermore, more women were being enrolled. In past years, student affairs initiatives involved programs and services that were designed for the white male student. These initiatives proved inadequate and incompatible with 21st century higher education. Colleges and institutions were forced to overhaul their student affairs programs. Focus was now placed on career advancement, advising students and challenging them to build their communities. The adoption of digital technologies in higher education also redefined student affairs. Today, most student affairs programs incorporate modern technologies (Cabellon & Payne-Kirchmeier, 2016). Today, higher education has become globalized as the US welcomes students from different parts of the world. The globalization of post-secondary education has reshaped student affairs. Institutions are investing huge amounts and effort to attend to the diverse and unique needs of students from different social, economic and national backgrounds. It is worth noting that the student affairs programs have particularly evolved to address the needs of female students from minority communities. However, much still needs to be done since many minority female students lament that their needs are not being adequately met (Santovec, 2014). It is also important to ensure that the composition of the bodies tasked with addressing student needs reflects the cultural, ethnic and racial diversity of American colleges and universities.
In conclusion, higher education in the US has undergone significant changes. The management of student affairs has particularly evolved. During the colonial times, student affairs and services focused on instilling discipline. Using the loco parentis model, institutions assigned themselves the role of parent. In the years and decades that followed, the institutions abandoned this model. Professionals were hired to care for students. Students also became more empowered and demanded greater autonomy. As the number of minorities in colleges and universities increased, student affairs programs responded by expanding the range of services offered. Today, these programs are robust and designed to ensure that no student is abandoned or neglected. American post-secondary educational institutions should continue to refine their student affairs programs.
References
Cabellon, E. T., & Payne-Kirchmeier, J. (2016). A historical perspective on student affairs Professionals’ use of digital technology. New Directions for Student Services, 155, 11-27.
Hevel, M. S. (2016). Toward a history of student affairs: a synthesis of research, 1996-2015. Journal of College Student Development, 57 (7), 844-862.
Doyle, J. A. (2004). Where have we come from and where are we going? A review of the past Student affairs philosophies and an analysis of the current student learning philosophy. The College of Student Affairs Journal, 24 (1), 66-83.
Jennifer, D. (2010). How women impacted the historical development of student affairs. College Student Affairs Journal, 28 (2), 235-250.
Long, D. (2012). The foundations of student affairs: a guide to the profession . Illinois State University. Retrieved July 4, 2018 from https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1028&context=fpml
Santovec, M. L. (2014). Recruiting more women of color to student affairs. Women in Higher Education, 19 (3), 22-3.
