Student Affairs NOW

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.

Dr. Stacey Pearson-Wharton discusses not only the harms of racism but also the ways those who experience racism can heal from the interpersonal, organizational, and systemic experiences. Dr. Stacey offers suggestions for finding stability and safety, soothing, mourning the loss, cultivating counternarratives, and finding power and control toward thriving. The post Healing from the Wounds of Racism appeared first on Student Affairs NOW.

One year into a new federal administration, the January 2026 installment of Current Campus Context examines what has actually changed for colleges and universities—and what has quietly reshaped campus life beneath the headlines. Heather Shea is joined by Dr. Brendan Cantwell and Dr. Crystal Garcia to explore federal power and institutional response, heightened ICE presence and campus climate, and how bluster, austerity, and silence are redefining institutional priorities. Together, they reflect on what these shifts mean for student affairs professionals navigating uncertainty, care, and purpose in 2026. The post Current Campus Context: One Year In—What Changed, What Didn’t appeared first on Student Affairs NOW.

Jillian Kinsey, Associate Director at Indiana University, Glenn Davis, Vice President at Bowling Green State University, and Tim Dale, Associate Dean at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, engage in a lively discussion about reimagining student success in higher education. They argue for radical transformations in campus culture, structure, and collaboration. Key topics include using data to inform decisions, the importance of scaling successful practices, and lessons learned from the pandemic that emphasize student-first policies.

In this episode of Student Affairs NOW, host Heather Shea is joined by a powerful group of scholar-practitioners to explore mentoring and community-driven solutions in higher education. Recorded as an extension of a compelling panel from the ACPA–ASHE Presidential Symposium, the conversation examines mentoring as both a deeply personal act of care and a collective strategy for sustaining individuals, strengthening communities, and driving institutional change. Together, the panel reflects on how identity and positionality shape mentoring relationships, how culturally responsive practices foster more inclusive and affirming connections, and how community partnerships and collective approaches can expand the impact of mentorship beyond one-to-one models. This episode invites listeners to consider how mentoring rooted in care, justice, and joy can be transformative—for people, programs, and the field of student affairs. The post Rethinking Mentoring: From Personal Care to Collective Change appeared first on Student Affairs NOW.

Transformative Coaching for Faculty and Staff in Higher Education argues that a coaching approach can be a deeply human, ethical, and relational practice that can re-energize the people who make higher education work. In this conversation, we discuss what coaching is and isn't, what this approach can look like across higher education, and especially within student affairs work in these times. The post Transformative Coaching for Faculty and Staff in Higher Education appeared first on Student Affairs NOW.

From Monday through Friday, 9–5, we see the forward-facing journey of leaders—the wins, the awards, the praise. What we don’t often talk about is the journey beneath the surface: the real life, the day-to-day internal dialogue, and the quiet battles no one applauds. This is a conversation about resilience without romanticizing it—about strength alongside exhaustion, and the gap between how leadership looks and how it actually feels. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re the only one holding it together while carrying so much, this episode is for you.  The post Here’s the Story: “Holding on to Possibility” appeared first on Student Affairs NOW.

In this discussion, Dr. Michael Stebleton, a higher education professor at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, hosts students Hannah, Tyler, and Claudia. They dive into the real purpose of higher education, debating whether it should focus more on skills or personal development. The group explores vital topics like the importance of diversity, reimagining university structures, and addressing mental health and financial pressures. They also tackle the impact of AI on academic integrity and share their hopes for the future—linking education with community service and career aspirations.

Late nights, second phones, and responding to crisis after crisis can add up over time, even for the greatest heroes. Much like Captain America and Rupert Giles, higher education professionals are rethinking their career paths, roles on campus, and pivoting to focus on self-care while still finding ways to impact students. Moderated by Dr. Glenn DeGuzman (UC Berkeley), and featuring Dr. Martha Enciso (University of Redlands), Dr. Sofia B. Pertuz (Mainstream Insight, LLC), Dr. Emily Sandoval (University of Southern California), and Brian MacDonald (UCLA). The post Hanging up the Cape (for now) appeared first on Student Affairs NOW.