Preparing student affairs practitioners since the 1960s Student Affairs in Higher Education Program History
The CSU Student Affairs in Higher Education Program has been preparing higher education leaders since its founding in 1967. The program prepares well-rounded, competent, and equity-conscious student affairs practitioners who can effectively apply theory to practice related to student affairs administration, student learning and development, and organizational management. The program boasts over 1,000 alumni and has experienced several changes through its continuous evolution. The successful history of the SAHE program was built on the commitment of scholar-practitioners who have gone beyond the parameters of their practitioner and administrative roles to serve as instructors, advisors, and mentors for the graduate students in the program.
Our alumni include college and university presidents, senior student affairs officers, graduate preparation faculty and program directors, and student affairs professional association leaders across the United States and the world, as well as leaders in corporate businesses and nonprofit organizations. Our student and faculty diversity, across multiple aspects, is robust and rivals that of other graduate programs at CSU and across the field of student affairs. This compositional diversity is a mark of our commitment to equity and inclusive excellence. We also embrace the challenge this brings the program to make meaningful enactments of our espoused values in support of sustaining a diverse, inclusive, equitable, and just learning community of scholar-practitioners.
SAHE Program Achievements and Milestones
The Beginning
Originally named the College Student Personnel Administration Program, the first students graduated in spring 1968. Members of the class of 1987 were the first to earn their Master of Education degree in Professional Studies from the School of Education within the College of Applied Human Sciences (now the College of Health and Human Sciences). In 1990, a new curriculum was approved that included specific research courses and additional credit requirements. Consequently, the degree name changed from a Master of Education to a Master of Science. At the same time, the program name changed to Student Affairs in Higher Education. The program’s practitioner-based faculty would become a hallmark among programs in the field who mostly were led and administered by full-time faculty.
Continued Evolution
The program’s curriculum has changed over the years to address the changing needs of the student affairs profession. In 2004, the program adopted a competency-based curricular model. Faculty reviewed and revised the entire curriculum to comply with the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) guidelines for master’s level student affairs preparation programs and added a portfolio as the final project. The curriculum was aligned with the professional competencies to ensure that they effectively support the program’s intended outcomes. Students, faculty, and assistantship and practicum supervisors regularly assess student progress toward developing their professional competencies. Advisors work with their students to assess the culminating professional comprehensive paper using a set of rubrics. In 2017, the program faculty adopted the ACPA: College Student Educators International & NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Professional Competencies, and a lengthy mission, vision, values, and curriculum revision was completed in 2018. Another curriculum revision came about in 2022 to lessen credit hour requirements and help students engage in curriculum matching the needs for a modern-day professional.
A vibrant legacy illustrating the quality and commitment of the program’s students, faculty, and alumni is the peer-reviewed, Journal of Student Affairs. With over 30 years’ worth of publications, it is one of the few student-orchestrated student affairs journals at the Master’s level in the United States. Other examples of SAHE’s commitment to student learning and professional development have included student organizations such as, GO SAHE, the Student of Color Network, the Sexualities and Genders Alliance, and the Chi Sigma Alpha Honorary. These student organizations, initiated by student desire and interest, assisted in fostering an equitable and supportive environment in the program. Students affiliated with these groups serve as ambassadors among students, faculty, and alumni of the program.
Innovations in Online Education
The online SAHE Master’s program began in spring 2012. The online program is equivalent to the residential program in credit hours, course requirements, and culminating experience. All courses are taught asynchronously so students can engage the material each week as it fits their schedule. Students hail from numerous states and many countries around the world.
Currently, there are two online certificates offered through CSU Online. These certificates allow students to build skills and knowledge to advance in the field or to enter the student affairs profession. Lastly, we offer one free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): Exploring the Student Affairs in Higher Education Profession. This course provides general content as a service to the field to enhance practice and help broaden awareness of the student affairs profession.
Program Successes
An academic program’s quality and success are often measured by its job placement rates, alumni career trajectories, and student and faculty diversity. The SAHE program certainly can point to a number of these common metrics: The residential program has boasted a 100% placement rate for several successive years. Our alumni include college and university presidents, senior student affairs officers, as well as leaders in business and nonprofit organizations.
The diversity of our students and faculty is robust and contributes to the success of the program; the SAHE program is looked to aspirationally across campus and peer programs throughout the nation. This compositional diversity is a mark of our commitment to equity and inclusive excellence. We also embrace the challenge this brings the program to make meaningful enactments of our espoused values in support of sustaining a diverse, inclusive, equitable, and just learning community of scholar-practitioners.
The Program Today
In 2023 a task force was convened to assess the long term success outlook of the program. College of Health and Human Sciences Dean Lise Youngblade and Vice President for Student Affairs Blanche Hughes charged the task force to thoroughly examine the program’s status and provide well-informed recommendations for its future enhancement. One such recommendation was bringing the leadership of the SAHE program and the Higher Education Leadership Ph.D. specialization (also offered in the School of Education) under one structure. After an internal search process, Dr. Alex C. Lange was selected to take on academic leadership of the SAHE program. Additionally, Dr. Carmen Rivera continued to coordinate the co-curricular aspects of the SAHE program, including the assistantship process. This coordination maximizes the academic and student affairs components of the program.
Past Leaders
Over the years, the SAHE program has been fortunate to have strong and dynamic leadership, through the service of primarily practitioner program chairs. The following individuals have served as SAHE program chairs:
- Dr. Bob Hubble, Associate Dean of Students, 1967-1970
- Dr. James Kuder, Assistant Dean of Students, Associate Director of Student Relations, and Director of Student Relations, 1970-1984
- Dr. Rich Feller, Professor, School of Education, 1983-1990
- Dr. Grant Sherwood, Director of Housing and Food Service, Interim Vice President for Student Affairs, and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, 1990-2003
- Dr. Linda Ahuna-Hamill, Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs 2004-2006
- Dr. Linda Kuk, Associate Professor, School of Education, 2006- 2008
- Dr. David McKelfresh, Executive Director of Assessment and Research, 2008-2017
- Dr. Jody Donovan, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students, 2015-2017
- Dr. Jennifer Johnson, Assistant Director, SLiCE, 2017-2020
- Dr. D-L Stewart, Professor, School of Education, 2017-2020
- Dr. Carmen Rivera, Assistant Vice-President for Student Affairs, 2020-2023
- Dr. Alex C. Lange, Assistant Professor, 2024-present
50th Anniversary
The SAHE Program celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017. Read about the reunion on SOURCE. Read more about the program in this SOURCE article from 2021.