Student Affairs NOW

Who gets to define student success right now? In this episode, we unpack how recent federal actions, state policy proposals, and accountability trends are reshaping higher education. From accreditation and DEI to academic freedom and ROI, we explore how power is shifting—and what student affairs professionals need to understand in this moment. The post Current Campus Context: Who Defines Student Success? Power & Policy in Higher Ed appeared first on Student Affairs NOW.

In this episode of Here’s the Story, Jonathan Manz shares a defining moment that challenged his sense of direction and purpose. Through an honest and thoughtful conversation, this episode explores how refusing failure can quietly reshape who we are becoming. The post Here’s the Story: “Failing at the Finish Line” appeared first on Student Affairs NOW.

Interim leadership can be complex for the individual and institution. In this discussion, you'll hear a variety of perspectives on interim roles from different personal, professional, and institutional perspectives. You'll gain a recommendations for leaders and institutions considering interim roles to navigate them as effectively as possible. The post The Interim Leader’s Playbook appeared first on Student Affairs NOW.

Although plenty of evidence is out there about the impact of the environment on learning, community, belonging, and well-being, designing spaces is often an afterthought. These leaders think about this regularly from very different perspectives. Join this conversation rich with perspectives, new ideas, and great insights. The post Designing the Environment appeared first on Student Affairs NOW.

Renee Delgado-Riley, equity-centered assessment leader; Jennifer Nalos, higher-education policy and assessment strategist; Cindy Cogswell, data-strategy and organizational learning expert; Gavin Henning, professor and standards leader. They discuss connecting assessment to change management. They cover frameworks for measuring change. They explore building trusting cultures, centering students and equity, and sustaining momentum for continuous improvement.

Dr. Felecia Commodore, higher-ed researcher focused on policy and access, and Dr. Crystal Garcia, student affairs scholar centered on civic engagement and equity, discuss scrutiny of student voting data, the SAVE Act and FERPA concerns, funding stability amid tighter federal oversight, and proposed graduate loan caps with risks for diversity and professional pipelines.

In this episode, a retired housing director reflects on a career spent shaping residential communities—and the people who led them. She speaks candidly about encouraging resident assistants to stay in the field, even as the role has grown more complex, more visible, and more demanding than when she first started. Rather than offering nostalgia, she offers perspective. She acknowledges the challenges today’s professionals face while affirming that the work still matters—and that the field still needs people willing to lead with empathy and steadiness. The post Here’s the Story: “Reflecting on the Pictures on the Wall” appeared first on Student Affairs NOW.

Sherry Taylor, clinical psychologist turned organizational consultant focused on resilient, equitable learning. Doug Haynes, emeritus professor and former EDI leader researching Black thriving and institutional change. Jude Burkamp, clinical psychologist and program co-chair integrating social justice into training. They explore why inclusive conversations matter, building trust and habits for dialogue, systems that support thriving, and urgency for embodied leadership.

This episode features a vice president for student affairs who came of age under legal segregation and invites us into a reflective journey shaped by classrooms divided by law, doors opened—or closed—by race, and a quiet resilience that learned how to endure, adapt, and lead. She carries those early lessons forward into the present moment, where the vocabulary has shifted and the statutes look different, but the terrain is still familiar. The names have changed. The debates sound new. Yet the enduring questions remain: who belongs? The post Here’s the Story: “Belonging” appeared first on Student Affairs NOW.

Dr. Angel Pérez’s The Hottest Seat on Campus is both a leadership manual and a call to action for higher education professionals navigating the volatile worlds of admissions and enrollment. In this conversation, we discuss the challenges and pressure as well as the rewards and joys of this role. He focuses on leadership capacities in politics, crisis, storytelling, and self-management, applicable to admissions leadership and beyond. The post The Hottest Seat on Campus: A Roadmap for Mastering Leadership in College Admissions appeared first on Student Affairs NOW.