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  • Becoming Socialized in Student Affairs Administration: A Guide for New Professionals and Their Supervisors
  • Ellen M. Broido
Ashley Tull, Joan B. Hirt, and Sue Saunders (Eds.). Becoming Socialized in Student Affairs Administration: A Guide for New Professionals and Their Supervisors. Sterling, VA: Stylus, 2009. 260 pp. Paper: $29.95. ISBN-13: 978-1579222765.

The focus on professional socialization and, in particular, its influence on the retention of new professionals, differentiates this book from the many texts targeted at new professionals in student affairs and their supervisors. This book has a strong empirical grounding, and chapter authors generally are the experts on the topics of their chapters, frequently having conducted research on the topic and drawing on their findings in framing their suggestions.

In Chapter 1, Denise Collins provides a framework for understanding new professionals’ socialization into the profession of student affairs by intersecting Thornton and Nardi’s (1975) four stages of professional socialization with Hirt and Creamer’s (1998) “four realms of professional practice” (p. 5). For each of these 16 areas, she describes the common tasks and challenges that new professionals face and aspects where supervisors in particular may wish to place extra attention or emphasis.

In Chapter 2, Vicki Rosser and Jan Minoru Janiver focus on contributors to job satisfaction and morale. The authors extend findings from their research into predictors of those factors for mid-level student affairs professionals to new professionals and how they might be used to reduce turnover. In some places, the extension makes sense; in others their conclusions seem either off base or impractical, particularly on larger campuses where there are greater levels of specialization.

In Chapter 3, Joan Hirt reviews cultures at eight different institutional types, providing a concise summary of her book-length treatment of the topic (2006). After reviewing key aspects of student affairs work at these institutional types, Hirt highlights aspects of the specific cultures of which new professionals should be aware when choosing their first positions.

In Chapter 4, Jerrid Freeman and Colette Taylor cover current and future trends in student demographics. In addition to detailing characteristics of millennial students, they describe various populations of nontraditional students and new trends on campus. They conclude with a list of strategies for maintaining accurate information about current and future students, including tapping the expertise of new professionals, listening to students, assessing the needs of students, and reading research on students.

In the fifth chapter, Linda Kuk and Michael Cuyjet address the role of graduate preparation programs in new professional socialization. After emphasizing the diversity of curricula in student affairs preparation programs, they call for common curriculum based on the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education’s standards for master’s level student affairs administration preparation programs. Surprisingly, the authors do not address the existing set of professional competencies developed by the American College Personnel Association in 2007 (Love et al.). The chapter concludes with a list of emerging issues, particularly campus safety and security, that will likely require additional competencies as the profession evolves.

In Chapter 6, Sue Saunders and Diane Cooper enumerate strategies to enhance new professionals’ initial entry into new jobs. They provide guidance for both the formal and extended phases of orientation, emphasizing early communication of performance expectations. They argue for ongoing, [End Page 593] interactive orientation and for addressing the organization’s culture as well as formal policies and procedures. Observing role models as they perform unfamiliar tasks, providing extensive feedback on early performance, structuring reflection on early experiences, creating learning goals and plans to meet them, and intentionally discussing one’s practice all aid new professionals’ success.

In the seventh chapter, Ashley Tull discusses the role of supervision and mentorship in new professionals’ socialization. With a thorough review of the literature on both topics, this chapter is a good reference for both supervisors and mentors, even though it does not provide extensive specific guidance.

Terrell Strayhorn describes his research on the role of professional peers in new professionals’ satisfaction with their jobs in the eighth chapter, presenting definitions and insights not addressed in previous chapters. He found strong correlations between new professionals’ frequency of peer interaction and their job satisfaction...

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