Summer Read Recommendations from NASPA Leaders

With the wind up to the school year just around the corner, we asked some of our NASPA leaders to share their recommendations for the best books to dive into to help prolong your summer vacation - or at least make the most of it! Everybody loves a good Clancy or Grisham, but these trending student affairs and higher ed reads will arm you with new insights to take back to campus. Happy reading!

Senior Leadership Teams:  What it takes to make them great

Authors:  Ruth Wageman, Debra A. Nunes, James A. Burruss, and J. Richard Hackman

"The book is part of the Leadership for the Common Good series, which was developed in partnership with the Harvard Business School Press and the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Our senior leadership team read this book prior to a full-day retreat where we discussed our role as senior leaders, both as individuals leading a division and as members of a team leading the institution. The book provided a great context for our discussion, and I highly recommend it as a common read for those senior leadership teams looking to examine the ways in which they function and their overall effectiveness."

Pauline Dobrowski
Knowledge Communities Director

Beginning Your Journey:  A Guide for New Professionals in Student Affairs

Editors: Marilyn J. Amey and Lori M. Reesor

"My favorite book for new professionals is Beginning Your Journey:  A Guide for New Professionals in Student Affairs. I give a copy to my new staff and I also teach in the grad program here at BSU and I use it in the practicum seminar. I think it’s a very realistic view of the first couple of years in the field."

Beth Moriarty
Region I Director

In Defense of a Liberal Education

Author: Fareed Zakaria

"I am reading In Defense of a Liberal Education by Fareed Zakaria. In a time when performance standards and workforce development are looming large on the radar, Zakaria reminds us of the value of learning and learning how to learn—imperative lessons for student affairs educators to remember and help to impart on our students and their families. Holistic education occurs in the classroom, but student affairs plays an important role in developing the whole person and completing the full education one can receive in the higher education experience."

Shana Warkentine Meyer 
Professional Standards Division Director

Contested Issues in Student Affairs:  Diverse Perspectives and Respectful Dialogue

Editors: Peter M. Magolda and Marcia B. Baxter Magolda

"I'll use this for my final project to teach students controversy with civility, and how to address the hot button issues they'll encounter. I have also used this with great success to frame RD and RA training."

Kathy Woughter 
Region II Director

EMOTIONAL INtelligence

Author: Daniel Goleman

"Emotional Intelligence to me is the key factor that separates those who are amazing in higher education from those who just work there. Great personally and for working with others more effectively."

Jerrid Freeman 
Region IV-W Director

KC Book Reviews

For more in-depth analysis of recent higher education publications, check out these fresh Knowledge Community reviewed titles: 

Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America

Mixed Race Students in College: The Ecology of Race, Identity, and Community on Campus 

JCC Special Collection

If you are in the market for a quick and impactful read, NASPA’s Journal of College and Character recently released a special collection of articles focusing on the practical wisdom of senior student affairs and higher education leaders. The authors reflect on their leadership journeys and share practical wisdom gleaned from the values, experiences, and insights of a lifetime of work in higher education.