Toward a History of Student Affairs: A Synthesis of Research, 1996–2015

This article offers a synthesis of over 40 journal articles, book chapters, and books related to the history of student affairs published since 1996. Within this literature, scholars have explored the roles and responsibilities of early student affairs administrators (“positions and practice”), demonstrated efforts to establish a distinct field (“professionalizing”), and revealed how early student affairs administrators encountered sexism, racism, and homophobia (“problems”). This synthesis also reveals opportunities for future research into the history of student affairs.