Journal of Student Affairs
at New York University
Volume VII | 2011
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
Letter From the Editor
3
Down to the Wire:
Online Education and the Student-Consumer Model
Benjamin S. Selznick
As pursuing postsecondary qualifications becomes an increasingly
necessary barrier for entry into the American workforce, educational
providers continue to seek new ways to respond to the increasing demand
for their services. This paper argues that one popular delivery solution,
online education, presents an opportunity for the field of higher education to
undergo self-evaluation as key stakeholders within the system wrestle with
a student-consumer model for service delivery. Philosophical and pragmatic
perspectives on both the student-consumer model and online education are
initially discussed. These conversations highlight what is perhaps a broader
tension existing within higher education today between student academic
and social development on one side and preparation for entry into the
workforce on the other. Criticisms of online education are discussed and
a more nuanced critique is offered by drawing distinctions between the
quality and value of educational qualifications obtained online.
12
Promoting Social Justice Advocacy through
Service-Learning in Higher Education
Erin Q. Schwartz
A core duty of institutions of higher education is to produce concerned and
active citizens who will fight for necessary societal change. Educators have
responded to the demand for higher education to address public issues and
concerns (Kezar & Rhoads, 2001) by integrating service-learning into their
courses as a forum for students to apply the knowledge they learn in practical
and meaningful ways. Service-learning is an innovative teaching pedagogy
that engages students in hands-on experiential learning and can serve as one
method to facilitate the goal of developing social justice advocates.
Through analyzing studies conducted on various facets of learning,
including developmental and social skills, academic achievement, and civic
engagement, educators will see that service-learning can directly impact
students’ commitment to social justice in ways that traditional learning
environments may not.
28
Stereotype Threat and Self-Perceptions:
The Impact on College Students
Aaron M. King
The importance of self-esteem and self-efficacy among college students
is substantial. The thoughts and behaviors leading to and emerging from
these self-perceptions are complex and necessitate further discussion. The
maintenance process itself can influence test and other task performances
both negatively (i.e., stereotype threat) and positively (i.e., stereotype lift),
impacting members of both agent and target groups in subtle yet profound
ways. This article will present examples of stereotype effects to illustrate
the critical and divided impact of self-perceptions, including both selfesteem and self-efficacy, on performance and development. Additionally,
limitations of the research and best practices for effectively working with
college student self-perceptions are presented.
40
Juniority: Cultivating the New Student Affairs
Professional
Michael J. Fried
The successful transition of new professionals from graduate preparation
programs into the workforce has been a concern of increasing scholarly
and practical interest. This article presents the current definition of “new
professionals” used in literature and describes how it has taken a deficitminded approach to new professionals. This paper offers an alternative
understanding of new professionals and suggests how their junior status
can and should be leveraged. The economic theory of absolute and comparative advantage allows the identification of specific ways in which new
professionals may be better suited for many aspects of practice than their
more senior colleagues. Further, relational demography, the examination
of how differences among group members impact individual and organizational outcomes, provides a new lens to understand the experiences of
new professionals joining existing student affairs organizations. This paper explores some of the general benefits that junior professionals bring to
their organizations, as well as the unique advantages they have in working
with traditional-aged college students. Professionals starting their first job
in student affairs, their supervisors and senior student affairs leaders may
benefit from a deeper understanding of how organizational tenure impacts
new hires, veteran employees, and the organization overall.
52
Guidelines for Authors