Good practice in student affairs:

1. Engages students in active learning.
2. Helps students build coherent values and ethical standards
3. Sets high expectations for students and student affairs practitioners.
4. Uses systematic inquiry to improve student and institutional performance.
5. Provides leadership and efficient use of resources to help achieve the institution's mission and goals.
6. Forges educational partnerships.
7. Builds supportive and inclusive communities.

In 1986, in the wake of several reports critical of the state of undergraduate education, the Lilly Endowment and the Johnson Foundation sponsored an effort by higher education leaders to identify key practices of institutions of higher education (IHEs) perceived as particularly effective at educating undergraduates. From this discussion, Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson identified seven principles of effective undergraduate education: (1) student-faculty contact, (2) cooperation among students, (3) active learning, (4) prompt feedback, (5) time on task, (6) high expectations, and (7) respect for diverse talents and ways of learning. These principles described actions associated with high quality undergraduate experiences and, at the same time, helped broaden understanding of those experiences to include activities beyond college classrooms. Of equal importance, the principles established a concise statement of behaviors that practitioners, scholars, and the general public can understand and use.

Despite its long-standing commitment to enhancing the quality of students' education and lives, the student affairs profession lacks a comparable statement of principles of good practice. The American College Personnel Association (ACPA), the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International, and other organizations have built a strong foundation for such a statement. Since 1937, when the American Council on Education commissioned the first Student Personnel Point of View, our field has produced many documents about the work of student affairs. Two recent additions to this body of work are NASPA's (1987) "Perspective on Student Affairs," which identified shared assumptions and beliefs about student affairs work, and ACPA's (1994) "Student Learning Imperative," which described learning-oriented student affairs divisions.

Now we need a set of clear, concise principles that blend the most useful insights from our past with current research on effective undergraduate education; this document -- Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs -- is intended to meet that need. It should come as no surprise that some of the principles identified for good student affairs practice are similar to some of the Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. Although derived independently, the two sets of principles reflect a common commitment to the education of students. The differences reflect the primary audiences for each document and the scope and structure of learning activities.

In the next section, we describe historical, professional, and institutional contexts for the Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs.

To be meaningful and useful, principles of good practice for student affairs must draw on --rather than simply add to--the historical foundations of student affairs work. The 1937 and 1949 "Student Personnel Points of View," the 1987 NASPA "Perspectives" statement, ACPA's (1994) "Student Learning Imperative," and the 1995 NASPA document, "Reasonable Expectations," provided a framework for our deliberations. Although these documents span seven decades and examine student affairs work from different perspectives and for different purposes, they convey a common message about the assumptions and values of student affairs work and the importance of institutional context.

Student Affairs Assumptions and Values

Foundation documents in student affairs emphasize comprehensive education of students, including intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual, physical, moral, and academic, and students' vocational goals, needs, and interests. Student affairs practitioners assume that students are active agents in their own education, and, as such, must be actively involved in planning for, and implementing that education.

Throughout the foundation documents of student affairs, strong, clear, and consistent statements of professional values define good student affairs practice. These values include collaboration with students, faculty, academic administrators, and others; a commitment to student learning; appreciation and protection of individual differences; lifelong learning (including ongoing professional development); education for effective citizenship; student responsibility for learning and behavior; ongoing assessment of learning and performance (students' and our own); pluralism and multiculturalism; high expectations for ourselves and our students; active learning and teaching; ethical and reflective student affairs practice; and freedom of expression with civility. In each document, statements of values form the basis for commitments to foster democracy and international cooperation, to achieve the educational mission of our institutions, to facilitate the psychosocial, cognitive, and moral development of students, to set and maintain high expectations for teaching and learning, and to develop learning-oriented student affairs divisions.

The Importance of Context

The foundation documents of student affairs remind us that good practice must be considered within the contexts of our work setting and institutional mission. Societal concerns and needs, economic conditions, and external political agendas create challenges and shape parameters for student affairs work. These conditions emphasize the need for our practices to be informed by the best, most current research and writing about teaching and learning; about issues confronting our communities, students and their families; and about what is expected and needed from higher education.

Of equal importance to our work are our institutional contexts: institutional missions, norms, expectations, values, and student demographics influence how principles for good practice are applied. Colleges and universities expect those in student affairs to provide services, manage departmental resources, focus on institutional priorities, and perform these responsibilities effectively and efficiently. The principles provided in this document are intended, however, to focus on the overall purposes of student affairs across institutions, which then can be shaped to fit institutional needs and circumstances. The mission and climate of an individual college or university provides the framework within which each principle is applied.

1. Good practice in student affairs engages students in active learning.

Active learning invites students to (1) bring their life experiences into the learning process, (2) reflect on their own and others' perspectives as they acquire greater understanding and better-informed viewpoints, and (3) apply new understandings to their own lives. Good student affairs practice provides students with opportunities for experimentation, application, involvement, and reflection through a range of programs and functions focused on engaging students in various learning experiences, both in class and out of class. When applied correctly, active learning includes experiential learning, collective decision making on educational issues, field-based learning, peer instruction, and similar forms of engaging students in shared educational experiences that advance their knowledge, development, or critical thinking.

In active learning environments, desired educational outcomes shape institutional structures, systems, and organizations to advance the learning process. Environments where learning outcomes, and information about how to achieve those outcomes, are clearly stated and clearly relevant to students' needs and characteristics create climates of achievement that facilitate learning. Maturation, institutional climate, and complex interactions among social, intellectual, and academic experiences contribute to and interact with the learning environment.

2. Good practice in student affairs helps students build coherent values and ethical standards.

Strong, coherent values and ethical standards are the foundation of character for students, educators, and institutions. Good academic communities are committed to justice, honesty, equality, civility, freedom, dignity, and responsible citizenship. They challenge students to identify, examine, and develop meaningful values for a life of learning. Ethical standards specific to a particular academic discipline or profession and the heritage and mission of each institution contribute to this process. Knowledge of the psychosocial and cognitive development of students, and an understanding of the power and influences of the peer environment, are fundamental to building the systems and structures necessary to facilitate in students a strong and coherent system of ethics and values consistent with educated citizenship.

Good student affairs practice enriches learning by providing opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and student affairs educators to share, and act on, the values and commitments that define an academic community. Policies, institutional standards, and decisions should reflect an institutional commitment to the values that bind the campus community to its educational mission.

3. Good practice in student affairs sets high expectations for students and student affairs practitioners.

Enhanced student learning occurs when institutional expectations for student achievement are high and widely shared, meaningful information is communicated about how to meet those expectations, and feedback about progress toward fulfilling the expectations is clear. Expectations should encompass a range of student experiences and competencies, including academic performance, individual and community responsibility, responsible use of time, and successful strategies to further intellectual and psychosocial development. Similar expectations should be established for student affairs practitioners.

4. Good practice in student affairs uses systematic inquiry to improve student and institutional performance.

Good practice in student affairs uses high-quality information about students, their learning, their needs, and campus environments to design programs, activities, policies, and systemic change strategies to achieve stated learning goals. Rigorous assessment and evaluation of students, educators, and institutional learning environments furthers achievement of desired learning outcomes when assessment data are used to shape institutional -- and student affairs -- policies, programs, and practices. Knowledge of research about students and their learning, skill in using assessment methods to enhance institutional and student achievement, and the ability to critically analyze, understand, and use varied sources of information about students are important components of good student affairs practice.

5. Good practice in student affairs provides leadership and efficient use of resources to help achieve the institution's mission and goals.

Effective student affairs organizations use financial, material, and human resources responsibly to facilitate student learning and to perform administrative functions necessary for the operation of the institution. Careful stewardship of educational resources, planning, and attentive management and leadership demonstrate a commitment to responsible administration.

Human resources are the most important resource for student learning. Recruiting, hiring, evaluating, and educating student affairs practitioners to be competent and committed to fostering student learning exemplifies good student affairs practice. Student affairs practitioners who possess skills and knowledge about student development, learning theories, human development, leadership, communication, program design and implementation, and research are important contributors to their institution's educational mission.

6. Good practice in student affairs forges educational partnerships.

Collaborative decision-making and strong work relationships demonstrate a healthy institutional approach to learning by fostering inclusiveness, using multiple perspectives, and affirming shared educational values. Good student affairs practice initiates partnerships for learning with students, faculty, administrators, and other constituent groups inside and outside the institution, and develops structures that support the development and maintenance of collaboration. Partnerships designed to advance student learning, meet student needs, and further the achievement of similar institutional goals, offer good opportunities for collaboration. Each offers a broad view of common institutional goals and reminds all participants of the shared commitment to students and their learning.

7. Good practice in student affairs builds supportive and inclusive communities.

Student learning occurs best in safe and caring communities that value diversity, promote and expect social responsibility, recognize accomplishments, provide extensive opportunities for active learning, and foster a sense of belonging. Good student affairs practice cultivates supportive communities by creating links between and among students, faculty, and student affairs practitioners. Helping to knit the social, academic, interpersonal, and developmental experiences of students, faculty, and staff together forms a critical institutional role for student affairs.

The Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs extend our commitment to student learning and to our institutions. Grounded in seven decades of compelling research on college students and a wealth of practical experience, the Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs provide a framework to help us fulfill our commitment to learning and institutional effectiveness. At the same time, the principles are intended to guide the practice of student affairs, not limit or restrain it from other proven means to enrich the education of students; they are a means to achieving a common end, not an end in themselves.

In 1996 ACPA President Paul Oliaro and NASPA President Suzanne Gordon appointed a study group to draft Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs. Members of the study group included Gregory Blimling (co-chair, Appalachian State University), Elizabeth Whitt (co-chair, University of Illinois, Chicago), Marcia Baxter-Magolda (Miami University), Art Chickering (Vermont College, Norwich University), Johnetta Cross-Brazzell (Spelman College), Jon Dalton (Florida State University), Zelda Gamson (University of Massachusetts), George Kuh (Indiana University), Ernest Pascarella (University of Illinois-Chicago), Linda Reisser (Suffolk County Community College), Larry Roper (Oregon State University), and Charles Schroeder (University of Missouri-Columbia).