SSAOs' Perspectives on the Value Early-Career Professionals Add to Student Affairs Organizations

Scholarly literature and collegial conversations about early-career professionals' preparation for and contributions to the student affairs field are often framed from a deficit lens (Ardoin et al., 2019; Kuk et al., 2007; Dickerson et al., 2011), noting how early-career professionals need support in establishing their professional identity and fostering a work-related quality of life (Lushbaugh, 2020; Marshall et al., 2016). Using Rendón's (1994) validation theory, this qualitative study provides an asset-based perspective by highlighting the value 19 senior student affairs officers' (SSAOs) believed early-career professionals added to their organizations. Specifically, SSAOs noticed and named dispositions, cognition, and application as valuable attributes of early-career professionals. Recommendations for how student affairs divisions can support early-career professionals through validation and decrease attrition are offered.