ABSTRACT
In the earliest days of student affairs work, the Student Personnel Point of View (American Council on Education, 1937) emphasized educating “the whole person” so that individuals can reach their full potential as the essential purpose of the student affairs profession (Roberts, 2012). The higher education landscape has changed dramatically in the 75 years that have followed. Students are increasingly diverse in terms of age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identities, career goals, personal philosophies, political preferences, and reliance on technologies unimagined among students of previous generations. New roles have emerged for administrators in higher education, such as work with graduate students, engagement with alumni in mutually beneficial ways, and providing risk management guidance. Higher education institutions have also changed. We see new approaches not envisioned just a few years ago happening with increasing speed, such as massive online learning initiatives, new academic majors related to technology, appealing building amenities, branding strategies to attract donors, and substantial efforts to contribute to the economic development of communities and states.
