Coping with restructuring and fiscal constraint in student affairs: A critical review

Abstract

This study is designed to examine senior student affairs officer (SSAO) perceptions of restructuring and budgetary changes experienced by their institutions of higher education. A critical postmodern lens is applied to explore the meaning of SSAO discourse on the context for restructuring of their divisions, on strategies they have chosen to utilize and possible affect on students, staff and student affairs as a profession. This study utilizes two distinct sets of data to examine these issues. First, phone interviews were conducted with 30 senior student affairs officers from public research institutions to gain an in-depth understanding of their discourse surrounding and strategies utilized during restructuring and/or budget decline. Second, a NASPA (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators) survey with a return from 389 senior student affairs officers, designed in part from the phone interviews, was utilized to gain a broader perspective of restructuring in various types of institutions. Findings suggest that in response to general higher education restructuring (1) there are clear patterns of strategies utilized by senior student affairs officers; (2) that student affairs officers have responded in some ways that are likely to be beneficial to students and in some ways problematic; (3) that some student groups such as low-income, minority and female students may be disproportionately affected; and (4) that student affairs professional roles are changing to accommodate new responsibilities for fund-raising, increased revenue producing activities and reengineering of job responsibilities to continue serving student needs.