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  • Critical Issues for Student Affairs: Challenges and Opportunities
  • Joy Gaston Gayles (bio)
Arthur Sandeen and Margaret Barr. Critical Issues for Student Affairs: Challenges and Opportunities. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2006. 256 pp. Cloth: $36.00. ISBN: 0-7879-7657-1.

Arthur Sandeen and Margaret Barr raise nine important questions central to the future of the student affairs profession in their new book Critical Issues for Student Affairs: Challenges and Opportunities. Despite the growth and maturation of what is still considered a young profession, the authors indicate that a number of lingering questions have remained unresolved over the years and present what they feel are the most critical issues facing the student affairs field based on their experiences as senior-level administrators. The authors provide a unique perspective on this topic because of their lengthy careers as administrators and faculty. As retired professionals, I imagine that they have taken the opportunity to reflect upon their careers in ways that are not possible while in the trenches. The authors should be commended for taking time to share their perspectives with those of us still actively working as faculty, administrators, and graduate students.

The nine issues are the role of student affairs in helping students learn about diversity; the ability to attract and retain a diverse staff; the foundation of student affairs; the placement of student affairs in the organizational structure of the institution; the role of student affairs in assessment; the role of student affairs in non-traditional educational settings; the effects of funding on student affairs; the role of professional organizations; and the responsibility of student affairs for the life of students.

In discussing the nine issues, the authors are careful not to suggest that these are the only issues facing student affairs today, nor do they claim to know the answers to the questions they pose. Instead, the authors put forward these issues as opportunities for discussion and debate in the field, topics for research and assessment, and areas in which to improve current practice. Moreover, the questions are so complex that a "one size fits all answer" is simply not possible (p. x). The text is organized so that each chapter represents one issue in the form of a question. The authors do a great job of providing a historical and philosophical context for each issue, giving the reader a sense of relevant constructs and themes throughout the history of the field that influence each of the challenges presented. At the end of each chapter the authors offer "suggestions for action," or ideas for the profession to consider as starting places for resolving the issues discussed.

Space does not permit a full discussion of every issue presented in the text. All of the challenges discussed are vital to the future of student affairs and higher education, but I focus on a few that are especially important for this readership. Sandeen and Barr open with an overview of the major historical, philosophical, and theoretical foundations of the profession. They remind us that commitment to the development of the whole student and supporting the academic mission are at the heart of student affairs. Many theoretical perspectives and points of view have been advanced over the years. Instead of arguing over which perspective is correct, the authors redirect our focus to the common elements of these perspectives that unite the profession.

Another important issue to consider is where student affairs should be placed in the institution's organizational structure. This placement does not guarantee the success of a student affairs program alone. It may be nice to have a direct reporting line to the president, but what is most important is having access to institutional resources, advocating for students, being aware of the most important institutional issues, and sustaining collaborative relationships across campus.

The question of who should pay for college has been posed by various constituents in the higher education community in recent years. This issue is critically important as public distrust in higher education mounts, new technology emerges, and dependence on external sources of funding increases. The authors discuss how these factors affect student affairs and warn against the temptation to rely on student fees to ensure program...

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