Student Development Philosophy Sean Kelly EDU 654 Student development in Higher Education Instructor: Dr. Judith Marged June 8, 2014

Student Development Philosophy Training Presentation Student Development is a concept that holds vital importance to the success of any post-secondary institution; whether it is on a major university campus or the junior or community college level, the role of the Academic Advisor is absolutely critical to the academic success of the student body. While the advisor’s capacity is mainly to help the student with projects such as scheduling courses, registration and other elements associated with life on and off campus; the student development liaison will help the learner “make meaning in the context of career counseling” (Evans et al, 2010, p. 93). In other words, the student will need help in finding the best way they learn and process information concerning possible career advice and other components vital to the college student.

Department Mission The goal of the Student Development Department is to help students navigate their way through the various paths in their academic careers. This can be accomplished in a number of ways when the counselor is open to the concept of honest, open communication between the students and themselves; additionally, the counselor will want to maintain a similar relationship with the administration of the college and with their peers and colleagues.

Displaying Empathy The counselor should uphold an image of empathy and genuineness; as noted by Goodman et al (2006), this can be accomplished by the counselor’s use of “nonverbal attentiveness, verbal attentiveness, paraphrasing and reflecting client messages” (p. 180). In other words, by making the student aware that you as the counselor are aware of the issues they as the student are facing, the task of helping the students will become easier. The student should always know that they are in an environment that they can feel safe and secure enough to share their issues with the counselor in order to maintain focus on the task of completing their post-secondary education.

Philosophies for Student Development The main philosophy covered in this presentation is that of helping the student develop their critical thinking skills and work within a culturally diverse classroom situation. By doing this, the student will be able to face their post-graduate worlds with a greater confidence in their own abilities as taught to them by their professors and reinforced with the help of student development counselors. It is diversity in the classroom that provides the foundation of education as we all learn from the new and unique experiences of those around us, student and professor alike.

Personalism Finally, it is the personalism of the counselor that “reflects the creation of a safe environment where risk taking is encouraged” (Evans et al, 2010, p. 91). All students have the desire to know that their learning environment is a place of safety where their ideas can be shared without fear of reprisal and with the confidence that they will be heard and understood. It is through this encouragement that the future of our college graduates will shine and continue to bring the next generation of students to the post-secondary world.

ANOTATED REFERENCES FOR REQUIRED READINGS References Guthrie, K., Osteen, L. (2013), J-B ASHE Higher Education Report Series (AEHE): Cultivating Leader Identity and Capacity in Students from Diverse Backgrounds: AEHE 39:4. John Wiley & Sons. Somerset:, NJ. Retrieved from: library.ashford.edu/lib/ashford/docDetail.action?docID= &p00=j- b%20ashe%20higher%20education%20report%20series%20%28aehe%29%3A%20cultivating%20leader%20identity%20capacity%20stu dents%20diverse%20backgrounds%3A%20aehe%2039%3A4http://site.ebrary.com.proxy- library.ashford.edu/lib/ashford/docDetail.action?docID= &p00=j- b%20ashe%20higher%20education%20report%20series%20%28aehe%29%3A%20cultivating%20leader%20identity%20capacity%20stu dents%20diverse%20backgrounds%3A%20aehe%2039%3A4 The quote from this text reinforces the sentiment expressed by Jones et al as well as giving intellectual weight to the argument of the individual needs of the students. Jones, S., Abes, E. (2013) Identity Development of College Students: Advancing Frameworks for Multiple Dimensions of Identity. John Wiley & Sons, Somerset, NJ. Retrieved from: library.ashford.edu/lib/ashford/docDetail.action?docID= &p00=identity%20development%20college%20students%3A%20adva ncing%20frameworks%20multiple%20dimensions%20identityhttp://site.ebrary.com.proxy- library.ashford.edu/lib/ashford/docDetail.action?docID= &p00=identity%20development%20college%20students%3A%20adva ncing%20frameworks%20multiple%20dimensions%20identity The note from this book provides evidence that no two students are the same, nor are the needs of the individual student. Korostelina, K. (2007). Social Identity and Conflict. Palgrave Macmillan Gordonsville, VA. Retrieved from: library.ashford.edu/lib/ashford/docDetail.action?docID= &p00=social%20identity%20conflict. library.ashford.edu/lib/ashford/docDetail.action?docID= &p00=social%20identity%20conflict These particular pages hold a great deal insight on the identification of conflict, and how to find potential solutions that benefit everyone.

TENETS OF STUDENT DEVELOPMENT Embracing Diversity. Displaying Empathy. Display Personalism. Avoid assumptions. Create a safe and productive learning environment. Help develop critical thinking skills. Help develop social skills within the classroom. Have an open door policy for communication. Be friendly, but not their “friends”. Help the students develop their sense of community within the school. Help the learners prepare for life outside of school. Help the student develop their innate love of learning. Many of the tenets listed here are discussed in further detail in my PowerPoint presentation; the main tenet discussed here can be traced to understanding and embracing diversity. The observation has been made that without a deeper understanding of diversity in the classroom and in the college setting “we are likely to face increasing conflict, a two-tier society, and economic stagnation” (Evans et al, 2010, p. 71). It is within the classroom that tomorrow’s leaders are educated, thus, the importance of the diverse class is vital to the academic success of the entire class.

TIMELINE OF STUDENT DEVELOPMENT TRAINING The 50 minute training session will be divided into 3 separate sections wherein the trainees will participate in the following: 1.The first 10 minutes of the session will begin with the brief multiple choice quiz to help determine the knowledge base of the staff; e.g. what do they know coming into the position. 2.The next 20 minutes will consist of the restricted response essay to help the trainees to develop their critical thinking skills while preparing for the rigors of post-secondary professional life. 3.The final 20 minutes will consist of the trainees participating in a series of role-playing scenarios to address the issues of conflict and the potential resolutions therein.

TRAINING SYLLABUS FOR STUDENT DEVELOPMENT Learning Objectives— Student Development staff will demonstrate ability to help students identify and fulfill their social identity needs. Pre-Requisite Reading— Identity Development of College Students: Advancing Frameworks for Multiple Dimensions of Identity. By Susan Jones and Elisa Abes. Assignment—Staff will develop critical thinking skills by creating a one page essay covering the various social aspects that may be needed by the students. Staff will demonstrate ability to define parameters for student social identities, thereby being able to readily identify and address needs. J-B ASHE Higher Education Report Series (AEHE): Cultivating Leader Identity and Capacity in Students from Diverse Backgrounds: AEHE 39:4. By Guthrie, Jones & Osteen. Staff will be given a multiple choice assessment to determine knowledge of material and ability to analyze the needs of the students. Staff will help students identify areas of conflict and how to handle conflict resolution both with and without help from the student development staff. S ocial Identity and Conflict. By Karina V. Korostelina. Staff will present conflict resolution role- playing scenarios based on reading and discussion. Course Description—This course is designed to train Student Development staff in the task of helping students navigate the sometimes overwhelming social identity progress of the students. The staff will be able to help the student body identify and prevent any conflicts that may arise due to miscommunication within the structure of the classroom and also help the students make the transition into the post-secondary world with as little struggle as possible.

References Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A. (2010). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Goodman, J., Schlossberg, N., & Anderson, M. L. (2006). Counseling adults in transition: Linking practice with theory (3rd ed.). New York: Springer. Retrieved from ebrary database.