New student affairs professional staff attrition: a narrative study

Ebonish Lamar

doi:10.17918/00001814

This narrative study examined the reasons contributing to new student affairs professional staff attrition of those formerly in live-in positions in residential life departments within higher education institutions across the country. Colleges and universities hire talented professionals to facilitate socialization and campus support experience for undergraduate and graduate student populations. Previous attrition research studies focus on the desire to leave and/or depart across multiple functional student affairs units. This research examined the short employment experiences of the newest live-in professionals within student affairs residential life departments. This research provides an in-depth look into the first five years of former student affairs professionals that led to their field departure. The overarching research question that guided this study was: Why are new student affairs professional staff in live-in positions exiting the field within the first five years of their career? Sub questions that further guided the investigation of this research include: 1) How do former live-in student affairs professionals narrate the factors contributing to their decisions to leave their positions? 2) How do former live-in student affairs professionals narrate their initial perceptions of a career in student affairs? 3) How do former live-in student affairs professionals narrate their experiences of the work environment that contributed to their departure from the field? This narrative study involved five participants and was conducted through semi-structured interviews and journaling. The conceptual framework that informed the current study included three streams of research, history, and practice: student affairs graduate programs, needs of student affairs professionals, and year one on the job. Four key findings emerged from this narrative study: Misrepresentation of student affairs, the reality of student affairs, work-life misalignment, and no future in student affairs. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the experiences of the newest professionals in student affairs residential life departments. The findings offer implications for student affairs residential life departments, student affairs graduate programs, and national associations.

New student affairs professional staff attrition: a narrative study

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New student affairs professional staff attrition: a narrative study

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