Educational Policy and Leadership Studies

Student Development Merges with Higher Education

The Graduate Programs in Student Affairs are leaving their longtime home in the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation & Student Development to join forces with the Higher Education program in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies. Faculty and students say the new program, Higher Education & Student Affairs, reflects the interconnectedness of the two fields of study.

Associate Professor Debora Liddell, affiliated with the Student Development Program since 1993, said the move makes sense to keep up with her changing profession.

“We’ve matured as a field,” she said. “It’s less about counseling and more about student success and good practices in higher education.”

Professor Christopher Morphew, EPLS Department chair, said he was surprised the programs weren’t already combined when his wife, Tanya Kooi (MA ’96), earned her master’s in Student Development in the 1990s.

“Whether you’re getting your education to be a student affairs professional or a higher education administrator, you need to understand what’s going on in the other field,” he said. “Students’ experiences will now be more comprehensive, more reflective of what the profession demands of them.”

Professor Ernest T. Pascarella, longtime leader in Higher Education, said he’s pleased with the combined program and the new opportunities it provides.

“It’s better for our students, it’s better for our faculty, and I think it’s bringing together two good programs to make one super program,” he said.

The first incoming class for the merged master’s program will begin in the fall. The merger resulted in a newly designed curriculum. Michael Schluckebier, a third-year doctoral student in Student Affairs Administration and Research, said he’s pleased with the changes the merger brings.

“The move to Higher Education suits our overall profession a little better. It provides a wide variety of opportunities and strengthens the program,” he said. “It combines the best of both worlds.”