The Rise of Generation Alpha: From Middle School to Campus

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Higher education is just beginning to understand Gen Z, but Generation Alpha is already moving through the K-12 pipeline. What will happen when these platform-native students and their collaborative Millennial parents arrive on campus?
To understand what’s coming, host Dr. Glenn DeGuzman talks with three experts tracking these students in real-time. From the middle school classroom with Jay Mehta, to experiential high school learning with Scott Burke, to macro-generational workforce trends with Dr. Meghan Grace, this episode is your ultimate primer. Tune in to discover how Gen Alpha’s communication styles, academic stamina, and distinct “superpowers” will reshape everything from admissions to residential life to the classroom.

Here’s the Story: “Teaching Everyone But Yourself”

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What began as a frightening classroom emergency quickly became a story about community in action. As an instructor lost consciousness, students calmly responded, sought help, and cared for both their instructor and each other, demonstrating that compassion and leadership often emerge in the moments we least expect. The experience also became a powerful reminder that those who spend their days caring for students must extend that same care to themselves—because supporting others begins with ensuring we are well enough to do so.

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

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What do you wish every new student affairs graduate student knew before they began their program? In this episode, a large panel of student affairs faculty and graduate educators shares practical advice for making the most of graduate school—from assistantships, mentorship, and relationships to navigating failure, balance, and the changing landscape of higher education. Whether you’re starting graduate school, considering a career in student affairs, or mentoring future professionals, this conversation offers encouragement, perspective, and lessons learned along the way.

The HSI Movement

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Hispanic-Serving Institutions enroll more than 4 million students, yet “serving” has largely meant enrolling. Dr. Gina Ann Garcia and grassroots leader Amber Gonzalez join us to explore what it actually takes to move an institution toward genuine servingness, drawing on Garcia’s new book, The HSI Movement.

A Conversation with Dr. Julie J. Park: Race, Class, Affirmative Action: College Admissions in a New Era

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Drawing from her book Race, Class, and Affirmative Action: College Admissions in a New Era, Dr. Park joins us for a timely and thoughtful conversation about the questions that continue to sit at the heart of higher education: Who has access to opportunity? How do race and class influence educational pathways?

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.

Racial Exhaustion

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In this episode of Student Affairs Now, Dr. Ralina L. Joseph discusses her book, “Racial Exhaustion,” focusing on fatigue surrounding racism and DEI efforts. She emphasizes strategies like radical listening, discomfort, and reparative dialogue for navigating racial conversations in higher education. The episode highlights the emotional toll on students, staff, and faculty while advocating for a renewed commitment to equity and inclusion.

Rural College Students: Place, Identity, Systems, and Institutional Responsibility

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Rural students are on every college campus and yet they remain largely invisible in our equity conversations, our institutional design, and our student affairs practice. Elise Cain, Jarvis Marlow-McCowin, and Ty McNamee have each dedicated their work to understanding what it actually means to come from a rural place, to carry that identity into a college environment, and to navigate the intersections within higher education.

Creating Cultures of Care, Courage, & Connection

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At a time when many campuses are navigating fatigue, uncertainty, and change, creating cultures rooted in care and connection has never been more important. In this episode, Heather Shea speaks with Dr. Patty Perillo and Earl Cabellon about the power of courageous leadership, centering justice, authentic belonging, and intentional culture-building to help staff (and the institutions in which they work) thrive.

The Charge for Change: Build Safer Campuses Now with Research-Informed Hazing Prevention

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These contributors discuss the charge for change, a report from the Piazza Center on moving beyond compliance for hazing prevention. They discuss moving beyond policies and legal compliance to changing culture and shifting the conditions that make change possible. They offer insights and suggestions for campus leaders to implement now.