Student Affairs Partnering with Academic Affairs

Student Affairs Partnering with Academic Affairs

The Student Affairs Partnering With Academic Affairs (SAPAA) Knowledge Community provides a forum for interaction among student affairs professionals serving in an academic unit within their institutions and/or those who are interested in the collaboration between student and academic affairs and how this collaboration can continue and thrive in the future. It also promotes the presentation of programs and workshops at regional and national conferences on issues related to the connection between student affairs and academic affairs. In doing so the SAPAA Knowledge Community serves to enhance the professional development of the person working in this area as well as to provide an opportunity for others to become aware of, and more familiar with, these issues. Finally, the SAPAA Knowledge Community encourages research and scholarly publication in the area of collaboration between academic and student affairs as well as promising practices at institutions.

Message from the Chairs

Welcome to the NASPA Student Affairs Partnering with Academic Affairs (SAPAA) Knowledge Community. The SAPAA KC is an amazing opportunity for interaction for those who are interested in collaborations between student and academic affairs. Through the work of this talented group, we hope to foster partnerships and networks to foster lifelong learning and leadership and involvement opportunities that meet the needs and interests of SAPAA members, connect with NASPA KCs on potential collaborative efforts, engage academic affairs in SAPAA work, generate and disseminate scholarship related to effective student and academic affairs partnerships, and recognize best practices in innovative partnerships between student and academic affairs. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on this important initiative.

About

Welcome to SAPAA!

SAPAA boasts an incredible and diverse representation of engaged and committed members.  We are excited to work with individuals who make collaborations a priority in their professional lives and in their mentoring and engagement with students.  We look forward to hearing about your interests and learning how we can make this KC even more responsive to your needs as professionals fostering effective partnerships between academic affairs and student affairs.

In the coming year, we welcome you to professional development and networking opportunities that exemplify the power of partnerships. SAPAA initiatives range from networking possibilities through our signature Working Groups on academic advising, and living-learning communities to committee efforts on scholarship, communications, social media, member support, and technology.  We are making a concerted effort this year to engage beyond the KC – and this includes working with graduate students and new professionals, collaborating professionally across and beyond NASPA, and recognizing individual and institutional emerging innovations through our Promising Practices Awards.  Finally, our members contribute time and energy to engage at important NASPA gatherings, and we hope that you will propose for all NASPA meetings.

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Get Involved

The SAPAA KC is run and supported entirely by the dedication and hard work of our volunteers. We offer numerous opportunities to be involved. You can take on a leadership role or join one of our committees or working groups. 

CURRENT POSITION OPENINGS

Log into Volunteer Central to submit interest for the positions listed below:

Leadership Team:

Regional Representatives:

 

SAPAA KC COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS:

 

Awards and Recognition Committee: The SAPAA KC Awards and Recognition Committee keeps the SAPAA KC members aware of all of the good work and best practices around partnerships between student affairs and academic affairs. This committee provides spotlights in our newsletter and coordinates the selection and recognition including the Promising Practices Award.

Communications Committee: The SAPAA KC Communications Committee is the communication hub for the knowledge community. This committee works on publicizing events for the larger committee, keeps our blogs updated, designs Synergy publications and provides technological assistance with our virtual professional development events. There are opportunities to work specifically with our social media accounts, technology, and designing publications.

Membership Engagement Committee: The SAPAA KC Membership Engagement Committee keeps the SAPAA KC members connected to each other both regionally and nationally. They welcome new members and help them connect and engage with committees and working groups. As a member of the committee, you have the opportunity to be a liaison for conferences outside of the NASPA Annual Conference.

Research & Scholarship Committee: The SAPAA KC Research and Scholarship Committee keeps the community abreast of current research and scholarship around partnerships between student affairs and academic affairs. This committee hosts one webinar that is open to the NASPA community each academic year, recruits and selects submissions for the Synergy newsletter, and writes the KC article for the annual NASPA KC publication.

Academic Advising Working Group: The SAPAA KC Academic Advising Working Group is a dedicated space for academic advisors across the country to connect with each other, share best practices, seek out support, and stay current on academic advising trends, and become empowered to enact change at our institutions. This WG is open to anyone who is interested in academic advising or aligns their daily work on campus with academic advising.

 

Enrollment Management Working Group: The SAPAA KC Enrollment Management Working Group is a dedicated space for people engaged in Enrollment Management across the country to connect with each other, share best practices, seek out support, and stay current on enrollment management trends, and become empowered to enact change at our institutions. This WG is open to anyone who is interested in enrollment management or aligns their daily work on campus with enrollment management.

Living Learning Communities Working Group: The SAPAA KC Living Learning Communities (LLC) Working Group is for professionals looking to learn, willing to share, and looking to receive support from others working with LLCs. The LLC Working Group strives to promote the growth and sustainability of LLCs by fostering an understanding of development strategies, best practices, collaborative partnerships, and assessment processes. The group serves as a catalyst to help practitioners integrate educational components into the residential experience.

 

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Awards

 SAPAA Knowledge Community Awards

To nominate someone for an award, please fill out a nomination form by going through NASPA’s awards portal. Please note that you will be asked to submit a nomination letter along with the nominee’s current resume or CV.

Quick guide to the portal:

  • Log in to the page by using your NASPA username and password.

  • Select “Student Affairs Partnering wiith Academic Affairs" under knowledge communities.

  • The following page will already have your contact information. This is where you’ll input the award category and individua/program you are nominating. It will also ask for the nominee’s region information.

  • As you continue, the system now allows to locate members by “NASPA Member Lookup Tool”. Once on this page, click “add nominee” and type the nominees name on the “nominee look up” box. Once their information is there, click “add” to continue.

  • You only need one nomination letter to submit the form. You can add up to three additional supportive documents (not required). This is where you can submit the nominee’s cover letter/CV.

Important note: the new portal allows to save the form as you go, which means you do not have to complete it at once (although we recommend you do).

Nominations are due Friday, October 9, 2024

Promising Practices in Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Collaboration

In the first Learning Reconsidered publication, it states: "Learning Reconsidered is an argument for the integrated use of all of higher education's resources in the education and preparation of the whole student. It is also an introduction to new ways of understanding and supporting learning and development as intertwined, inseparable elements of the student experience. It advocates for transformative education – a holistic process of learning that places the student at the center of the learning experience."

As Learning Reconsidered relates, we as higher education professionals are challenged to find ways to bridge between the academic and co-curricular aspects of a student's experience.

The SAPAA KC recognizes that there are many great examples of promising practices that exist in academia. In this spirit, we ask you to nominate programs and services that contribute to collaboration or integration of student and academic affairs in a college or university setting. Without question, we can all benefit from learning about successful educational endeavors in these collaborations from our colleagues.

Award recipient programs will be highlighted in the Awards booklet at the NASPA Annual Conference in March and listed on the SAPAA website.

Student Affairs Partnering with Academic Affairs Dr. Christopher A. Lewis Distinguished Service

The Christopher Lewis, Student Affairs Partnering with Academic Affairs (SAPAA) Award, named for the SAPAA Founder, is awarded to a SAPAA member who is committed to the mission, vision, and goals of SAPAA. The Christopher A. Lewis award recipient will be someone who works tirelessly to bridge the gap between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs through service to NASPA and SAPAA on both a regional and national level. The recipient of this award will also have a record of extraordinary service and commitment to SAPAA initiatives and programs and will be someone who embodies the character, commitment, and selflessness of the SAPAA founder for which the award is named.

Events

One of the best resources available to you is the wide range of professional development opportunities. This list contains both our “Hosted Events,” workshops and webinars that we plan and manage, and some “Related Events,” hosted by the NASPA Central Office or other NASPA Constituent Groups. To see a full listing of NASPA events, please see the Events page.

 

Leadership Team

Resources

Find the Professional Competencies here and the Professional Competency Rubrics here.

Looking for additional resources pertaining to Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Partnerships? Download the Student Affairs/Academic Affairs Partnerships Literature References below.

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You can find the most recent additions of the Student Affairs Partnering in Academic Affairs KC newsletter, Synergy, below.

Download the Synergy Newsletter Article Submission Guidelines (PDF).

Synergy Newsletter November 2020

Synergy Newsletter April 2020

Synergy Newsletter April 2018

Synergy Newsletter October 2017

Synergy Newsletter December 2016

Synergy Newsletter February 2016