1. BACKGROUND
Faculty and staff collaboration is a key factor in establishing change that
supports student success within higher education (Bourassa & Kruger, 2001;
Dale & Drake, 2005; Kezar, 2003; Schroeder, 1999).
However, inquiry into collaborative spaces has been limited to classroom
and service provision, neglecting a critical third space: decision-making
venues. Traditionally, institutional decision-making structures are set up to
privilege faculty, and even students, over staff in the creation and revision of
academic policies (Birnbaum, 2003).
Consequently, despite significant inquiry into the experiences of faculty
and students in academic decision-making, scarce research has been
conducted regarding staff, who play an integral role in both implementing
policies and addressing their consequences on the student experience.
Florenthal and Tolstikov-Mast (2012) and Miller and Nadler (2009) assert
that while staff specialization and importance has grown, their conduits to
participation in decision-making have not.
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FINDINGS
The Influential Role of Student Affairs Professionals in
Academic Decision-Making
Marissa Funaro
MEd Post-Secondary Leadership, Faculty of Education
Simon Fraser University
INQUIRY TOPIC
IMPLICATIONS
SIGNIFICANCE
How do mid-level student affairs professionals describe their role in
academic decision-making processes?
METHODOLOGY
Scott (1980) affirms that even though mid-level staff function to link both
vertical and horizontal levels of the institution, which affords them the unique
perspective of both strategy and operation, they are seldom involved in
policy development. Nyoni (2012) and Austin (1983) also assert that these
individuals “have pertinent information, [yet] policy-makers often fail to enlist
their involvement in institutional decision-making” (p.28) even though the
very role of implementer is what makes staff - in particular those in mid-level
positions - key to the decision-making process.
Functions to bridge strategy and operation as possesses
the “bigger picture” through breadth and depth of
knowledge and role.
Provides expertise and advice not only to students and staff,
but faculty. Informs on overall programs and policies,
student experience and logistics.
Identifies and lobbies against barriers to student success
and advocates for policy and programmatic improvements.
Three implications arise from the fact that while the formal roles of the
participants are diverse, “the role that we take on [has] a lot of similarities.
There are differences of course, because every faculty is different [but] there’s
the core piece of our job I think is probably the same … we find ourselves
being the voice between … we work on behalf of the advisors, the students,
sometimes faculty” (Camille).
Research: Further inquiry is required as to whether or not similar roles are
also adopted by centralized student-affairs staff, as well as investigation into
the congruence of faculty and senior staff perceptions of the articulated role.
Theory: The informative and often persuasive and influential role staff play
in decision-making has implications on the concept of “shared
governance” (Harrington & Slann, 2011), specifically around theories of
power and leadership within such a construct.
Practice: This ‘role consistency’ provides the potential for greater
recognition of the important functions mid-level professionals play in
organizational decision-making. It also suggests that even though “we have
different perceptions, [it is] important in
Context
Situated at a large, public comprehensive research
university in Western Canada, the site contains 8
distinct Faculties. It produces typical governance
and organizational characteristics noted in the
literature (Cox and Strange, 2010).
Participants
Typical case sampling was used across all 8
Faculties, resulting in participants from each who
regularly interact with academic policies and
processes, as well as who have the potential
to engage in associated decision-
making processes.
Methods
The data comes from qualitative research situated
within a constructivist/interpretivist paradigm as the
emphasis of the study is on understanding
participant experiences (Mackenzie & Knipe, 2006).
Data Collection
One-on-one participant interviews, job
descriptions, and public institutional websites
generated data. A semi-structured interview
protocol was used to allow for in-depth responses,
emergent areas of interest, and to reduce
researcher bias (Boudah, 2010). Interviews
were 60-90 minutes.
Analysis
First, interview transcripts were deductively coded
based on initial case summaries and then, inductively
coded upon second review, as were job descriptions.
Cross-case analysis and traingulation revealed three
primary sub-categories within the overarching theme
of ‘role’ (Miles & Huberman, 1994).
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“We don’t have maybe the academic knowledge in terms
of the content, like I don’t know anything about [X] but I
know about learning and curriculum structure and about
how universities work and just in terms of that, having
more expertise, but … also [through] the expertise kind
of getting some of the respect and giving you the voice
… getting people to listen to you.”
– Nadene
“What often goes unacknowledged is that you have
really competent, dedicated, passionate people who are
primarily student advocates. I will become an advocate
for the student if the fight has to go someplace else and I
feel what they’re fighting for is correct.”
– Loren
Often what happens is we do the work at our level to
make the case for why something needs to be
examined more closely and perhaps change, and feed
that information to the higher level, who would often
then agree and then take the appropriate steps for
changes to be made.”
– Elena
“What you do is advising. We are not advising students
only, we are advising faculty, advising community partners,
it’s advising other administrators. It’s all about advising
and sharing information and understanding the true
purpose of problem, issue, concern, whatever. That is all
about advising.“
– Dale
“A lot of faculty or staff will contact me, saying, we’re
thinking of doing this, can we? And so I tell them about
some past experience, what the university is doing, maybe
some of the policies and procedures that are out there that
they’re unaware of ... It makes me feel good to know that I
get contacted for my opinion, but my opinion based on my
knowledge of university and faculty policies and
procedures.” – Camille
“I can help them develop the minor, that will be within the
university guidelines … you know, does it fit into our
program’s study and is it feasible for the student to do
these courses to complete those requirements, so, if that
all works, then I draft it all up for them. [S]o I’m there for
suggestions and for, you know, policy … [to] help them
along the process.”
– Gerry
decision-making in post-secondary
education that we do not divide ourselves
from faculty” (Dale) if collaboration is to
occur, as both groups bring important
perspectives.
“A job like mine has me sitting on multiple committees: at
the university level, at the faculty level and in some cases
the department level…I’m getting a lot of different
opportunities to hear issues, concerns, challenges and
opportunities really and on top of that, I’m working with
students. I’m well positioned to provide input on a lot of
different things, but also to understand the framework of
the university.” – Avery
“I would probably say that my role is more of a
translation kind of role in that, often I’m not the one
making the policy, I’m kind of the one saying, this is what
we need to think about in order for it to make sense to
students and for it be consistently applied across the
unit.”
– Jocelyn
“My role is basically the role between … making policies
and making decisions that will make [our] mission
statement and value statement active and live [so] that
students can understand. I can go from students and try
to suggest to the Associate Dean what might not work the
way that we anticipated or we had in mind or designed or
whatever. So, this is my major role in practical terms.”
– Dale
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