March 1, 2008

Student Affairs Leader - March 1, 2008 - Full Issue PDF
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Addressing New Students’ Demands for Extensive Services
By Lee Burdette Williams
In our efforts to attract the strongest applicants to our campuses, we typically tout the various services available once they are enrolled. But sometimes, an honest conversation with prospective students and their parents about what services we don’t have is even more important in setting the stage for academic success. We need to be very careful in managing the expectations that they may have about the extent of the counseling and mental health services that we can provide.

News Capsules
Because so many campuses are putting crisis communications systems in place, we thought it would be a good idea to check in with Thomas Wagner, Edutech Report’s contributing editor, to get his perspective. He believes that the most difficult work in putting these systems into operation lies in developing the objectives, processes, and human dynamics that define what the information systems and communications technology need to do.

Serving Students with Children: Seven Elements of a Best-Practices Model
By Susan Warfield
Student parents are a frequently “invisible” and underserved population on campus—a population that also presents a unique package of academic challenges and assets. The Student Parent HELP Center (SPHC) at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (UM,TC) has been providing direct family and academic support services to low-income students with children for more than 20 years.

Q&A: How Can Student Affairs Work More Closely with Faculty
Q: I’ve heard a lot about the recent sustainability movement on campuses. I’ve heard phrases like “reducing the carbon footprint” and would like to catch up with this student movement. Can you provide some insights about this student-initiated campaign?