Administratively Adrift

Overcoming Institutional Barriers for College Student Success

Scott A. Bass

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9781316514917
• eBook ISBN:
  9781009089197
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Educational Psychology

The multiple crises of 2020–21 have presented both challenges and opportunities for change in four-year residential colleges and universities. Evidence indicates that the historic structure of administrative and student services is increasingly mismatched to the needs of a diverse and stressed student body born in a digital age. Inspired by his leadership in a university-wide initiative that focused on how students' interactions with both academic and professional staff affect their success and well-being, Scott A. Bass presents fresh insights on the inner workings of traditional nonprofit four-year degree residential institutions. The book describes the influences of history, tradition, and internal and external pressures on the American university, highlighting its evolution to its staid and fragmented structure; it distills voices of students, faculty, and staff; and it explores how successful organizations outside of higher education deliver services, with potential applicability for the academy's ability to meet students where they are.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title
• Title page
• Copyright information
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Figures and Tables
• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Chapter 1 The Gap between the Student Experience and University Operations
• Chapter 2 Generation Z and the Traditional University
• Chapter 3 University Tradition and Conformity: Insights and Persistence
• Chapter 4 Faculty Influence and Influences on Faculty
• Chapter 5 The Evolution of the Student Affairs Profession and the Ethos of Specialization
• Chapter 6 Decision-Making, Governance, and the Distribution of Power: Implications for the Student Experience
• Chapter 7 Lost among the Silos: Students and Information Systems
• Chapter 8 Pinch Points and More: Insights from the Student's Perspective
• Chapter 9 Reinventing the Student Experience: A Case Study
• Chapter 10 Administratively Aligned: A Blueprint for a More Supportive and Holistic Learning Experience
• References
• Index