Values, Philosophy, and History (VPH)
Understanding the history and foundation of Student Affairs informs practice and approaches professionals use in their responsibilities with students, staff, faculty, and administrators. As outlined in the VPH competency, student affairs practitioners should exhibit the skills, knowledge, and disposition to recognize and incorporate "current and future research, scholarship, and practice" (ACPA & NASPA, 2015) to intentionally guide the growth and maintenance of the field.
In this category, I have a much stronger awareness of the historic and current roles faculty, staff, and students take in the college setting, recognizing that different schools hold differences within each populace. By explaining the importance of the historic (and current) roles each group has on a college campus, I can make more informed choices in the policies I challenge, movements I support, and in the avenues in which I engage to complete job responsibilities or advocate for change.
After completing the Introduction to College and University Administration course in the first semester of my program, I had explored and explained aspects of the Student Personnel Point of View documents (1937, 1949) and how they officially shaped the past and continue to influence the direction practitioners take in their professional development and performance in the college setting. Below is an artifact from my online discussion post addressing the formal document(s) outlining the role and function of what has become known as student affairs.
As addressed in the sample discussion, student affairs existed prior to 1937. However, what guided practice at the time was not singularly outlined and presented in one document that was universally read, discussed, or agreed upon by the collective professional staff community.
Additional aspects of the VPH competency I incorporate into my work include translating my role and the roles of other practicitioners to students, articulation of the history of inclusion/exclusion of people with a variety of identities in college, the importance of current and historic research and documents that inform the field, engagement in service to the profession and professional associations, and partnering with faculty for teaching, research, and scholarship regarding the profession (adapted from ACPA & NASPA, 2015).
In my future position, I hope to expand my knowledge and continued connection between past practices and beliefs and how they influence current trends, as well as the historical perspective of other countries' student affairs practices.
Serving as a graduate intern, I led in the Region III delegates to the 'Meeting of the Regions' event at the ACUI annual conference
