2015 Most Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs

The Most Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs national survey was first commissioned by the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and Diverse: Issues In Higher Education in 2011. The national survey is administered by the Center for Higher Education Enterprise (CHEE) at The Ohio State University, which is directed by professor Terrell Strayhorn. Among other things, Strayhorn served as ACPA director of research and scholarship from 2009 to 2012.

The purpose of this commissioned study was to examine the extent to which diversity and inclusion permeates aspects (e.g., administrative structures, commitments, work environments, staffing practices) of various divisions of student affairs (or equivalent) at participating ACPA member institutions across the globe.

Other Years

2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2014

Institution	Senior Student Affairs Officer	Location	Level	Control	Classification	Enrollment
California State University Channel Islands	Dr. Wm. Gregory Sawyer	Camarillo, CA	4-year	public	Master’s	3,862
California State University, Fresno	Dr. Frank Lamas	Fresno, CA	4-year	public	Master’s	21,500
Florida State University	Dr. Mary B. Coburn	Tallahassee, FL	4-year	public	Research	39,785
Indiana University Southeast	Jason L. Meriwether	New Albany, IN	4-year	public	Master’s	6,840
McKendree University	Dr. Joni J. Bastian	Lebanon, IL	4-year	private	Master’s	3,284
The Ohio State University	Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston	Columbus, OH	4-year	public	Research	55,014
Saint Louis University	Dr. Kent Porterfield	St. Louis, MO	4-year	private	Research	16,317
Shepherd University	Dr. Thomas C. Segar	Shepherdstown, WV	4-year	public	Master’s	4,256
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	Dr. Narbeth R. Emmanuel	Edwardsville, IL	4-year	public	Master’s	13,940
The Stony Brook University	Dr. Peter M. Baigent	Stony Brook, NY	4-year	public	Research	24,681
Sweet Briar College	Cheryl Steele	Sweet Briar, VA	4-year	private	Bachelor’s	756
The University of Alabama	Dr. Steven Hood	Tuscaloosa, AL	4-year	public	Research	28,699
The University of Maine at Machias	Dr. Melvin D. Adams III	Machias, ME	4-year	public	Bachelor’s	964
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County	Dr. Nancy Young	Baltimore, MD	4-year	public	Research	12,870
The University of Vermont	Dr. Annie Stevens	Burlington, VT	4-year	public	Research	13,391
University of West Georgia	Dr. Scot A. Lingrell	Carrollton, GA	4-year	public	Master’s	11,500
Youngstown State University	Jack Fahey	Youngstown, OH	4-year	public	Master’s	14,644

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION ENTERPRISE

The Center for Higher Education Enterprise (CHEE) is an interdisciplinary research and policy center that promotes the important role postsecondary education plays in global society, especially the vital roles and responsibilities of public higher education. CHEE is committed to improving student success by conducting distinctive research, policy analysis and outreach that will help make higher education more accessible, affordable, engaged and all-around excellent.

CHEE’s mission is to become the country’s preeminent higher education research and policy center, solving issues of national significance. In terms of vision, CHEE exists to advance the higher education enterprise through the creation and dissemination of distinctive research that informs policy, strengthens communities and enables student success. For more, go to: http://chee.osu.edu.

PROJECT TEAM BIOGRAPHIES

Dr. Terrell Lamont Strayhorn (principal investigator) is a professor of higher education at The Ohio State University, where he also serves as director of CHEE. Author of eight books, more than 100 journal articles and book chapters, more than 150 papers at international and national conferences and more than 200 keynotes, Strayhorn was named one of the top scholars in his field by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education in 2011.

Dr. Derrick L. Tillman-Kelly (project coordinator) is special assistant to the director of CHEE and a doctoral candidated in the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) graduate program at The Ohio State University. Author of several journal articles and book chapters, his research interests center on administrative issues, social identity and sexuality, and presidential derailment.

In addition to the principal investigator and project coordinator, the project benefited from the contributions of other CHEE staff who helped contact administrators, craft institutional profiles and elicit quotations. These include (in alphabetical order): Trevion Henderson, Royel Johnson, Dr. Joey Kitchen, Tiger Litam, Katy Nash, Amber Samimi, Sondra Shook and Christopher Travers.

STAFF PROFILE

Institution	# Full Time Staff	50% Female	30% Ethnic Minority	5% LGBT Staff	5% Staff with Disabilities	Average Salary Senior	Average Salary Mid-Level	Average Salary Entry-Level
California State University Channel Islands	67	YES	YES	N/R	N/R	$117,000	$77,000	$45,000
California State University, Fresno	250	N/R	NO	N/R	N/R	$130,000	$80,000	$40,000
Florida State University	575	YES	YES	N/R	N/R	$111,253	$70,843	$32,938
Indiana University Southeast	46	NO	NO	N/R	NO	$61,854	$48,000	$33,000
McKendree University	27	YES	NO	YES	NO	$50,000	$37,000	$30,000
The Ohio State University	1,101	NO	YES	N/R	N/R	$112,371	$65,254	$43,000
Saint Louis University	157	YES	NO	N/R	N/R	$85,000	$60,000	$35,000
Shepherd University	67	YES	YES	NO	YES	$70,000	$50,000	$30,000
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	250	YES	YES	NO	NO	$100,000	$55,000	$35,000
The Stony Brook University	318	N/R	NO	N/R	N/R	$113,000	$77,000	$40,000
Sweet Briar College	13	YES	NO	N/R	N/R	$55,380	$41,438	$29,332
The University of Alabama	212	YES	NO	N/R	N/R	$100,000	$60,000	$35,000
The University of Maine at Machias	13	YES	NO	YES	N/R	$70,000	$37,500	$25,500
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County	206	N/R	NO	N/R	N/R	$107,127	$66,706	$47,369
The University of Vermont	182	YES	YES	YES	YES	$95,000	$55,000	$35,000
University of West Georgia	174	YES	YES	N/R	NO	$90,000	$45,000	$33,000
Youngstown State University	65	YES	NO	N/R	N/R	$100,000	$70,000	$38,000

DIVERSITY BENEFITS

Institution	Cargiving Leave For All	Childcare Services	Continuing Ed	Ed Leave	Elder Care Services	Flexible Work Schedule	Mentoring	Stress Reduction Program
California State University Channel Islands	YES	NO	YES	YES	NO	YES	NO	NO
California State University, Fresno	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	YES	YES	YES
Florida State University	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	YES	YES	YES
Indiana University Southeast	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO	YES	YES	YES
McKendree University	YES	NO	YES	YES	NO	NO	YES	NO
The Ohio State University	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	YES
Saint Louis University	YES	NO	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Shepherd University	YES	NO	YES	NO	NO	YES	NO	YES
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
The Stony Brook University	YES	YES	YES	NO	NO	YES	YES	YES
Sweet Briar College	YES	NO	YES	NO	NO	YES	NO	YES
The University of Alabama	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	YES	NO
The University of Maine at Machias	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	YES	NO	YES
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County	YES	NO	YES	NO	NO	YES	NO	YES
The University of Vermont	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	YES
University of West Georgia	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	YES	YES	YES
Youngstown State University	YES	YES	NO	YES	YES	YES	NO	YES

THE MOST PROMISING PLACES TO WORK IN STUDENT AFFAIRS: INSTITUTIONAL PROFILES

California State University, Fresno

Founded in 1911, Fresno State is committed to embracing the diversity inherent in its university community to enable student success, produce transformative scholarly research and creative works, and develop institutional, community and intellectual leaders. Vice President Frank Lamas leads the Division of Student Affairs, comprised of 250 full-time staff members across various departments including admissions and records, career services, the Central Valley Cultural Heritage Institute, educational talent search, and student involvement, to name a few. In learning of Fresno State’s selection, Lamas pointed to the dedicated staff within the division. He shared, "It is a real honor for us to be selected as one the most promising places to work in Student Affairs across the country. We have great colleagues within the division committed to student success and dedicated to serve the needs of our students, division, university and community."

Indiana University Southeast

Founded in 1941, Indiana University Southeast is the regional campus of Indiana University and serves southern Indiana and the Greater Louisville metropolitan area. The university seeks to foster a nurturing environment, holistic learning, integrity and connectedness amongst its university community. Vice Chancellor Jason Meriwether leads the Division of Enrollment Management & Student Affairs, comprised of 46 full-time and 21 part-time staff members across various departments including admissions, the Adult Student Center, the Center for Mentoring, orientation, and career services, to name a few. When informed of their selection, Meriwether shared, "This recognition is a tribute to the work of a phenomenal IU Southeast Student Affairs team that embraces diversity in spirit and practice as the intersection of our unique individual identities and our collective vision of student learning and engagement. Diversity is where the magic happens — the enrichment of the campus experience through creative encounters with varied ideas, histories, journeys and dreams."

The Ohio State University

Founded in 1870, The Ohio State University is Ohio’s flagship and land-grant university with campuses across the state. Ohio State’s Columbus campus, home to more than 58,000 students, is one of America’s largest and most comprehensive. Seeking to solve problems of worldwide significance, Ohio State is guided by four core goals: teaching and learning; research and innovation; outreach and engagement; and resource stewardship. Vice President Javaune Adams-Gaston, affectionately known as "Dr. J," leads the Office of Student Life, comprised of 1,101 full-time staff and 5,549 part-time staff members across a host of departments including Buckeye Careers, the Center for the Study of Student Life, housing and residence life, the Ohio Union, the Student Advocacy Center, and the Younkin Success Center, to name a few. When informed about Ohio State’s inclusion on this year’s list, Adams-Gaston shared, "In the Office of Student Life at The Ohio State University, our vision is to create an extraordinary experience for every student at our institution … and we know this starts with providing an exceptional and supportive environment for our extraordinary staff . I could not be more proud that we have been included among such distinguished company on the list of Most Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs."

Saint Louis University

Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is a Catholic Jesuit institution that values academic excellence, life-changing research, compassionate health care, and a strong commitment to faith and service. Vice President Porterfield leads the Division of Student Development, comprised of 157 full-time and 35 part-time staff members across a host of departments, including Billiken Athletics, campus ministry, the Center for Service and Community Engagement, the Cross Cultural Center, and the Student Success Center, to name a few. Porterfield was delighted to learn that Saint Louis University is among this year’s awardees. He shared, "Collectively, we are working hard to be a high achieving, diverse, and inclusive student affairs division. We strive to be exemplars in student affairs practice. We are proud that our commitment to excellence and our efforts to make Saint Louis University a great place to work in student affairs is being recognized."

Youngstown State University

Founded in 1908, Youngstown State University is an urban research university that emphasizes a creative, integrated approach to education, scholarship and service. Vice President Jack Fahey leads the Division of Student Affairs, comprised of 65 fulltime and seven part-time staff members across various departments, including the Center for Student Progress, career services, counseling and consultation services, orientation services, and veteran affairs, to name a few. A second-time member of the Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs cohort, Youngstown State has used its recognition to continually refine its services. Fahey shared, "Receiving the PPWSA designation in 2014 propelled us to elevate our service to our students, our community, and each other. This attention has stimulated increased intentionality and urgency in our practice: Are we living up to this recognition? Do our practices perpetuate the high standard with which we have been equated? It is an honor to be so publicly acknowledged; one we want to continue to earn from year to year. … At Youngstown State we’re energized to be selected again!"

MOST PROMISING PLACES TO WORK IN STUDENT AFFAIRS ADVISORY BOARD

Tracy Cameron, Ph.D.

Assistant Dean of Intercultural Education
Director Harambee House
Advisor to Student of African Descent
Wellesley College

Stan Carpenter, Ph.D.

Dean
College of Education
Texas State University

Kristen A. Renn, Ph.D.

Professor of Higher, Adult, & Lifelong Education
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies/Director for Student Success Initiatives
Michigan State University

Joan B. Hirt, Ph.D.

Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
School of Education
College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Sue Saunders, Ph.D.

Program Coordinator, Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration
Extension Professor, Department of Educational Leadership Neag School of Education
University of Connecticut