I know I am currently taking a class about how to be a solid student affairs professional but I am having trouble staying on the professional’s side of the perspective rather than the student’s.  I keep looking at how the practices being discussed are going to affect.  I am sure it is in large part due to my position as a parent especially as my daughter’s continue to grow up and will soon be thinking seriously about “what they want to be when they grow up”! Crazy!

A quote on page 87 stood out to me: “A focus on student as the primary purpose of our work”.  That should be the slogan of every higher education institution across the country.  In my mind this is essentially what everything comes down to in education especially higher education.  As a parent it bothers me when people lose sight of this.  I feel for the professors who are too busy to help a student because they have research demands to meet or the admissions administrator who rushed through a future student’s application because she had a report to run for her boss before 4.  In this situation we have lost sight of our ultimate priority.  I want to distribute this book to everyone working at whatever institution my daughters chose.  I’m sure that would go over like a lead balloon but it would be nice if everyone in the education field had been formally exposed to what it means to be a good student affairs professional in any setting.

Just a little note about legal issues – my late wife was a lawyer and these are my second hand thoughts…if ever faced with a situation where a single doubt regarding the legality of an act or possible legal threats, always consult a lawyer or other legal professional.  For so many reasons this is a good practice, more often than not it will turn out to be a non-issue however the one time that something is actually illegal will make up for the thousand times that was not the case.

The section entitled “Student Development” on page 68 caught my eye.  Most of the references in this section are from the 1970’s…my glory years! J  It talked about the introduction of interventions to develop the student as a whole; I must have missed the interventions or they just thought I was a lost cause.  I have to admit that I am glad this is still a focus of higher education and that is now a mainstream practice.  This is a promising reassurance to parents of future college attendees.   It was also encouraging to see the emphasis put on the fact that student affairs professionals are expected to be at the forefront of student development.  Because of this expectation these professionals will continue to be educated to ensure they have the necessary skills to perform this task in an up to date manner.  That is a relief for parents!

So people say that time changes everything and after reading about the history of American Higher Education I am not completely sure that this is true!  It’s been 40 years since I last graduated from university and looking at today’s universities from the outside it appears everything has change.  However, after reading about the issues and challenges faced by the first universities, then comparing them to how similar they are to my experiences, I am starting to wonder if today’s universities are still facing the same issues.  If the trends hold true I am sure they are! 

            When I last attended university if there was one black kid in your class it was a big deal.  If there was someone from another country it felt like he must be the king of that country.  Apparently that is not the case these days.  By the sounds of it, by the time Bella gets to university she might be in the minority.  It’s crazy to think a Caucasian woman would be in that situation.  With the push for diversity and acceptance I think it could be a definite possibility though and it’s a trend I’m starting to see in her gymnastics class and junior high actives.  After reading Chapter 3 I can see the pressure put on student affairs professionals to create and maintain a high level of diversity in the student body.  This is supposed to integrate into the student culture and create a great environment.  This somewhat bothers me but perhaps that is only because I have daughters approaching typical undergraduate age.  I want them to receive the best higher education possible and I pray that the methods that are currently being pressured on to the student affairs profession are the best for ALL students.

Well I have successfully completed Day 1 of my grad program.  Only nine million four hundred thousand and thirty-two days left!!!  That may be a slight overreaction however; I have to admit I am slightly overwhelmed right now.  I need to take a deep breath and just take things one step at a time but that is going to be tough with all the things currently going on in my life.  My two girls are growing up too fast and I’m not sure why I took my mom’s advice that “Now is the perfect time to get your masters!”  I agree with her that it is a better financial decision to do it now before I am paying towards my daughters’ education but at the same time it seems crazy to be managing the responsibilities of being a single dad with the expectations of completing a master’s degree.  Glad my mom offered to help take care of the girls on Tuesday nights!  Ava has dance class and Bella likes to do her homework while watching her older sister so that should help Grandma out.  It’s days like this that I really miss Clara.  It’s been 10 years since we passed away but sometimes it feels like yesterday.  The girls were just 2 and 5 when she was taken from us so they have very few memories but hopefully I am raising them in a way their mother would be proud of.  Anyways, girls are finally in bed so it times to hit the books so I can get some reading done before I fall asleep at my desk!