Over the course of my master’s program, I have greatly developed and strengthened my understanding of the 10 ACPA/NASPA competencies. At the start of the program, I had no clue what the academic landscape of higher education looked like, but now, I am feeling confident in it. Through my academic experience and my professional graduate assistantship, I have been able to practice and strengthen each of these competency areas.

As a graduate Hall Director, I have been given many opportunities that fit within the competency areas of Advising and Supporting (A/S), Leadership (LEAD), Organizational and Human Resources (OHR), Student Learning and Development (SLD), and Technology (TECH). I have had the opportunity to advise five different student groups (RHA, SoHL, Judicial Board, and the AMH Hall Council for two consecutive years) and hire/supervise five student employee groups (two AMH Resident Assistant Teams, two Front Desk Operations Teams, and one Summer Resident Assistant Team). When working with students, I would host 1:1 meetings to ensure the support I provided was individualized and grounded in proven theory. These meetings and student experiences allowed me to directly practice what I was learning in class. These experiences have developed my confidence and knowledge in supporting students in developing and strengthening their leadership skills.

Through these experiences, I have been able to lead different teams to success. A prime example of this was when I managed the spring-to-summer “flipping” operations of a 200-bed residence hall. In this role, I oversaw the move-out, cleaning, and maintenance requests of vacant rooms and facilitated the move-in of new residents within the span of two weeks. I created training materials for this operations task and used various videoing and presentation methods to convey the knowledge I gained through this experience to others. I will continue to strengthen my skills in the A/S, LEAD, and OHR competencies by being involved in student groups and taking on leadership roles/additional professional responsibilities within the housing department when able.

Growth is essential to the success of any role or person. When examining my academic and professional experiences, I plan to learn more in the competency areas of Assessment, Evaluation, and Research (AER) and Law, Policy, and Governance (LPG). Currently, in my role as a Hall Director, I have joined the UWEC Housing Department’s Assessment Committee in hopes of further developing my understanding in this area. In the area of Law, Policy, and Governance, I have access in my role to focus more on legal matters that impact both our students and the Housing Department. I plan to connect with my supervisors to become more directly involved in learning more. This could look like observing when the Central staff meet with the University Attorneys to discuss conduct code changes, or volunteering to take on additional Housing conduct cases from other staff members.  

This past year, I have explored how each of the ACPA/NASPA competencies plays a role in a prevalent issue currently impacting the world of higher education and attrition of sophomore students. My capstone project centers around why sophomore students depart an institution and ways to prevent attrition through targeted engagement practices. The project encouraged me to examine how the different competency areas impact a nationwide issue and ways to decrease sophomore student attrition. 

American College Personnel Association & National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. (2015). ACPA/NASPA professional competency areas for student affairs educators. 

American College Personnel Association & National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. (2016). ACPA/NASPA professional competencies rubrics.