The Rise of Generation Alpha: From Middle School to Campus

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This discussion centers on the emerging Generation Alpha, highlighting their unique characteristics shaped by technology and their Millennial parents. Key insights include the importance of hands-on, career-focused learning as college expectations shift, emphasizing critical thinking and real-world application. Educators are urged to adapt to meet the needs of these students who value resilience and resourcefulness.

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Before You Begin: What Every New Student Affairs Graduate Student Should Know

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In this podcast episode, a panel of student affairs faculty shares insights for new graduate students in higher education. They provide practical advice on topics like mentorship, managing workload, and navigating challenges in the field. Emphasizing the importance of authenticity, community, and self-care, they aim to empower students as they embark on their careers in student affairs.

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Exploring Complexities in College Student Development

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What if college student development is more complex than our traditional theories suggest? In this episode, we talk with the authors of Exploring Complexities in College Student Development: Critical Lessons from Researching Students' Journeys about the lessons they've learned from years of research and hundreds of student stories. Together, we explore how students make meaning of their experiences, challenge long-held assumptions, and consider new ways educators can support student growth in today’s evolving higher education landscape.

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Education Abroad in a Changing Higher Ed Landscape

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Education abroad is not just “travel.” It is a high-impact learning experience shaped by the current realities of U.S. higher education: student mental health, belonging, political polarization, affordability, global awareness, career readiness, and the role of faculty and staff in helping students make meaning across difference. While co-leading an undergraduate education abroad program in Europe, Student Affairs NOW host Heather Shea connected with four students, a faculty co-leader, and a program assistant to discuss the importance of education abroad in a changing higher education landscape. Together, they reflect on identity, history, learning, and student development while exploring how education abroad can help students better understand themselves, others, and their place in an increasingly interconnected world.

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Hacking College: Why the Major Doesn’t Really Matter – And What Really Does

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What if everything you've been told about picking the right college major is wrong? In Hacking College, Ned Scott Laff and Scott Carlson argue that the obsession with choosing the "right" major has left generations of students with what they call "empty college degrees." Find out how students can stop jumping hurdles and start hacking the college game.

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Student Development Theory in Action: Inside the SDTiA Model

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In part two, authors Drs. Kristen Renn, Chayla Haynes Davison, Alex C. Lange, Cristobal Salinas Jr., and Rosemary Perez unpack the Student Development Theory in Action (SDTiA) model—the framework at the center of the book and a response to the need for more usable, practice-oriented theory. They explain how the model works, why it emphasizes developmental processes and context, and where educators have the most influence. This episode offers a clear, actionable way to connect theory to the real work of supporting students.

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Student Development Theory in Action: Why this Book, Why Now?

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Student development theory is often seen as the foundation of student affairs, but many educators struggle to apply it in everyday practice. In this first episode, authors Drs. Kristen Renn, Chayla Haynes Davison, Alex C. Lange, Cristobal Salinas Jr., and Rosemary Perez explore what we often get wrong about theory—and why this book is needed right now. We discuss the origins of College Student Development Theory in Action and how it’s designed to help educators, graduate students, and practitioners actually use theory in their work.

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Designing the Environment

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Although plenty of evidence is out there about the impact of the environment on learning, community, belonging, and well-being, designing spaces is often an afterthought. These leaders think about this regularly from very different perspectives. Join this conversation rich with perspectives, new ideas, and great insights.

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Radical Reimagining for Student Success in Higher Education

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Radical Reimagining for Student Success in Higher Education argues that the time for incremental reform in higher education has passed and that colleges must transform their cultures, structures, and leadership models to truly center student success. They center the question, “What would our institution look like if students really mattered?” Join the editors as they discuss reframing cultures, practical steps, scalability, and how to be "hard on problems, but easy on people."

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Understanding the Cost of Caring: Vicarious Trauma in Student Affairs

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Vicarious trauma is real, it’s widespread, and it’s not the same thing as “needing more self-care.” In this episode, Dr. Jill Bassett-Cameron joins Student Affairs NOW to explain what vicarious trauma is, how it shows up in our work, and why student affairs professionals must stop ignoring or minimizing it. Dr. Bassett-Cameron offers a timely and validating conversation about how we can name, manage, and reduce the trauma we absorb through service.

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