Overwhelmed? Use The Resources Around You

As student affairs professionals, we are always busy. Some of us older members may remember a time when there were “down times” in our calendar year. We used those down times to regroup, retreat, and reinvent our practice. It was in these times that we thought most about the next year and did work that Covey would suggest is Important but not Urgent.

Times have changed. Now our lives have become so complex and busy that we work much more in the urgent than planning some of the most important things.

As a CSAO I am always looking for opportunities to use identified best practices from other institutions. Most of us have become masters at the CASE method—Copy and Steal Everything! We have such wonderful, accomplished, and smart colleagues who are doing great work around the nation. Just go to one NASPA National Conference and you have enough new ideas for a career.

This method leads us to asking, “What resources are available for us in our quest to create a more comprehensive professional development structure in our departments, divisions, and preparation programs?” The answer is that there are a tremendous amount of resources to help you.

You have probably heard about one of the most important of these: the ACPA-NASPA Professional Competencies for Student Affairs Educators. ACPA and NASPA have also just released the new Professional Competencies Rubrics, which build on the competencies. As practitioners seeking to develop others, these resources are a wonderful way to infuse proven competencies into our professional development schemes and programs.  Many are using the competencies as the guide to professional development of individuals, and as a guide to the creation of divisional programs and curriculum aids for preparation programs.

But there is more! The NASPA web site is a treasure trove of excellent resources for your practice. Continuing the theme of competencies, the Professional Standards Division Resource page contains examples of how student affairs professionals are using the competencies in employment practices, how they are assessing them, and how the competencies are driving employee hiring and onboarding.

Somewhat broader, but equally important are resources that are the cornerstone of our profession. These resources, including some of the seminal documents of student affairs and other critical resources for the profession, can be found on the About Student Affairs page of the NASPA website. 

The point? We almost never have to reinvent the wheel! We have a strong profession with colleagues that not only care about their own practice, but care about the profession and the success of ALL students. They have created the resources and programs that can help you in your time of overwhelmed need. Take advantage of the resources available to you so that you can contribute at an even greater pace.

Scot Lingrell
Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
University of West Georgia