Bridging The Academic-Social Divide: Academic And Student Affairs Collaboration

The academic-social divide was explored at a Mid-Western coeducational liberal arts college. Academic-Social divide are the barriers between academic and student affairs that prevent collaboration. Presently, this is one of the major foci today in higher education. This attention is imperative in reference to the quality and type of services we can offer students. Students feel torn between two worlds (Tinto, 1998). An evaluation was conducted for barriers that prevent collaboration between academic and student affairs. Barriers were then analyzed to develop initiatives for collaboration.

One of the major foci today in higher education is the relationship between academic and student affairs practitioners (Streit, 1993). The academic and social divide are the barriers between academic and student affairs that prevent collaboration. Attention to this division is imperative in reference to the quality and type of services we can offer students. Students feel torn between the two worlds (Tinto, 1998). Therefore, many institutions of higher education are making attempts to address this problem (Altizer, Glover, Seehafer, & Walch, 1996; Astin, 1996). Institutions have an opportunity to respond to this concern of disconnection by developing a holistic undergraduate experience. Scholars of higher education have suggested that by fostering this collaboration between academic and student affairs the quality of life for students on our campuses would be enhanced (Tinto, 1998; Chickering & Gamson, 1987). The academic-social divide exists for several reasons: (1) very little training in academic and student affairs collaboration is being offered in graduate or post-graduate work, (2) very little substantive literature is available, and (3) it is unclear how to achieve this goal of collaboration. In many cases the available personnel and/or resources on campus are not sufficient to deal with this situation. Hence, institutions are seeking qualified professionals to train their faculty and staff to address academic and student affairs collaboration (Brown, 1989). This training tends to be in the form of professional development seminars. In other cases, consultants may be asked to help develop and implement a collaborative initiative. This process entails conducting an evaluation for barriers that prevent collaboration between academic and student affairs. The barriers are then analyzed and initiatives developed which will result in collaboration.

Tenets of one such professional development training session which may be used as a model are discussed as a case study scenario. This professional development training session was facilitated at a Mid-Western coeducational liberal arts college (see methods section for more detail). In searching for information to foster academic and student affairs relations, Chickering and Gamson (1987) provide a list of good practices in undergraduate education which would seem to serve as a foundation for this collaboration. Their findings were aggregated into seven principles for excellence. They were: (1) encourage students-faculty contact; (2) encourage cooperation among students; (3) encourage active learning; (4) give prompt feedback; (5) emphasize time on task; (6) communicate high expectations; and (7) respect diverse talents and ways of learning. Later, Tinto (1996) contrasted the opposite view point and identified seven major causes of withdrawal from colleges and universities.

He found the following: (1) academic difficulty; (2) adjustment difficulties; (3) Goals--uncertain, narrow or new; (4) commitment weak and external; (5) financial inadequacies; (6) incongruence; and (7) isolation. In order to properly grasp the aforementioned findings, an understanding of how students learn information is necessary.

Ewell (1998) set out to determine what we know about learning. He found that learners are: not "receptacles" but generate their own learning; that learning is an individual activity; that all students can learn; that individuals shape their learning; that the learner must be ready to learn; that learning occurs as a result of problem solving; that learning must be exercised for growth; and that learning occurs best in an enjoyable environment (Ewell, 1998, pp. 11-14). Furthermore, Ewell's (1998) properties of successful change initiatives were utilized to tie together the seminar to address the relationship between academic and student affairs. Discussion of the aforementioned research was used to provide the reader with a short theoretical background to utilize while addressing the academic-social divide. The purpose of this inquiry is to examine several emergent themes from a professional development seminar conducted on this topic. In the examination process, the findings will be translated into initiatives to address each emergent theme.

Method

Participants

The participants in the case study were 12 faculty and student affairs professionals employed at a coeducational liberal arts college located in the Mid-Western region. The institution is an Evangelical Lutheran Church of America affiliated college offering two and four-year degrees. The institution has a total enrollment of approximately 1,400 students, the majority of whom are non-traditional aged undergraduates.