What is Higher Education?

When speaking with colleagues from various program areas across campus (and within Peabody Hall), and we introduce ourselves as being part of the Higher Education Program, we often receive the following question: “What is higher education?” Oddly enough, even among higher education scholars there is no singular agreed-upon definition of our academic field. Briefly, we will offer a couple of perspectives.

Broadly speaking, higher education represents the study of post-secondary educational institutions. This includes scholarship on institutional structures, organizational cultures, and administrative functions. A great deal of scholarly work is focused on stakeholders within institutions of higher learning, from students to faculty to presidents to parents.

The perspective shared above leaves many areas out. For example, a great deal of scholarship is undertaken in which higher education scholars explore the entire educational pipeline, from Pre-K to graduate school. This type of work often falls within a higher education policy bucket. The large policy bucket is also filled with policy issues, including curriculum issues, access, and financial aid.

There is no simple answer to “What is higher education?” Our field is one that is incredibly diverse, and in many ways, highly interdisciplinary. Our scholarly explorations of post-secondary education often involve inquiry that is as unique as each institution that we study. Feel free to stop us some time and ask us “What is higher education?” Just be prepared with some time blocked on your calendar.

Spring 2011 Newsletter

The latest issue of the newsletter is here!

Spring 2011

Bourke named to Editorial Board of Student Affairs Journal

Brian Bourke, assistant professor in the LSU College of Education Department of Educational Theory, Policy and Practice, or ETPP, has been named to the Editorial Board of the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice.

The Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, or JSARP, is a national, peer-reviewed journal housed in the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, or NASPA.

Practice makes perfect for Job Searches

Second year students in the Higher Education & Student Affairs Master’s program took part in the Tiger Placement Exchange, a mock job placement center. The Tiger Placement Exchange is a collaborative effort between the Division of Student Life and Enrollment Services and the Higher Education Program within the College of Education that is aimed at providing master’s students in their 2nd year practice with interviewing in a placement exchange setting. As a mock placement exchange, the Tiger Placement Exchange recreates and simulates the placement exchange experience from pre-registration, searching job postings, and scheduling interviews with employers to the experience of interviewing with employers. Much like a placement exchange, the Tiger Placement Exchange is setup where candidates are interviewed in a room where other interviews are taking place simultaneously. This distracting environment mimics what students experience in regional and national placement centers.

Doctoral students have strong presence at academic conferences

Higher Education doctoral students continue to shine as they present their work at academic conferences. Our budding scholars have presented original academic papers at a wide range of academic gatherings during this academic year. Both Curriculum Camp and Bergamo were venues where Higher Education doctoral students presented works examining curricular issues within post-secondary settings. Several students are slated to present at the annual conferences of the American Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies (AAACS) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Each paper presented demonstrates that the Higher Education program is made up of exceptional scholars.

Master’s students represent LSU in Case Study Competition

Ola Okubanjo and Mallory Prevost, both 1st year Master of Arts students in the Higher Education Program recently earned 1st Place in a case study competitions held at the Southern Association of College Student Affairs Annual Conference in November 2010 . Thirteen teams competed, representing several of LSU’s peer institutions, including the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, Florida State University, and Clemson University. Each team was presented was a case scenario of an issue within student affairs practice and given a set amount of time to prepare a response, after which each team presented the response to a panel of judges.

Students present at national meetings of professional associations

Students in the Higher Education program presented at two national student affairs conferences: the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). Sessions included reports on assessment results and perspectives on best practices. These efforts continue to highlight the great work in which our students are engaged as scholar-practitioners.

Fall 2010 Update

Fall 2010 Newsletter

Introducing the Higher Education Program Newsletter

In our courses, we often talk about how so many academic programs and student service areas are doing tremendous things to help students learn and grow through their collegiate experiences. But, all of this great work is often a well-kept secret. We often do not take the time to spread the word of our accomplishments. To that end, as a way of “practicing what we preach” in our courses, we are launching the Higher Education Program Newsletter. In the Newsletter, you will find stories about the efforts and accomplishments of members of the Higher Education Program at LSU.

We hope that you will find the items shared in the Newsletter informative and useful. If you have any questions, comments about the Newsletter, or suggestions for its improvement, please contact Brian Bourke, Assistant Professor of Higher Education at bbourke@lsu.edu.

Mitchell named Senior Editor of Student Affairs Journal

Roland Mitchell, assistant professor in the LSU College of Education Department of Educational Theory, Policy and Practice, or ETPP, has been named senior editor of the College Student Affairs Journal.

The College Student Affairs Journal, or CSAJ, is a national, peer-reviewed journal housed in the Southern Association for College Student Affairs, or SACSA.

- from LSU Media Relations

Higher Education faculty lend expertise to LSU’s Black Male Leadership Initiative

Equity, Diversity & Community Outreach and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, along with the Core Planning Team, are proud to announce the LSU Black Male Leadership Initiative. The purpose of the LSU Black Male Leadership Initiative (BMLI) is to help improve retention, graduation, and participation rates for black male students through mentoring, leadership development, and academic support opportunities, while connecting these students with faculty, staff and the campus community. Dr. Brian Bourke and Dr. Roland Mitchell serve as members of the Core Planning Team.

Master’s students earn prestigious summer internships

Higher Education & Student Affairs master’s students have been busy this semester searching and interviewing for summer internship opportunities. Among these internships are highly competitive internship opportunities at colleges and universities coordinated through two professional organizations, ACUHO-I (Association of College and University Housing Officers - International) and NODA (National Orientation Directors Association). Three students will be interning with institutions participating in the ACUHO-I internship program, while four others will complete internships through NODA.

Master’s students compete at regional and national conferences

Members of the Master of Arts program in Higher Education and Student Affairs recently participated in case study competitions held at regional and national conferences. At the 2010 NASPA (National Association of Personnel Administrators) Annual Conference held in Chicago, Teresia Greer and Whitnee Boyd (both 1st year MA students) competed in the conferences graduate student case study competition, and earned 1st place, competing against teams from ten other higher education programs. A week later at the 2010 Southern Regional Orientation Workshop (SROW), Celinda Miranda and Desmond Robinson earned 2nd place honors in the conference’s graduate student case study competition.

Relationships strengthened with area institutions

New relationships have been forged and existing relationships strengthened between the Higher Education program and institutions of higher learning beyond the gates of LSU. Partnerships are being forged with Baton Rouge Community College, Southern University (Baton Rouge), and University of New Orleans to serve as placement sites for experiential learning in the Higher Education Program.

Choosing a thesis/dissertation topic

Many students find the process of choosing a topic to be one of the most difficult parts of writing a thesis or dissertation (or a topic for an article or book). In this post, Dr. Bourke shares some thoughts on navigating the process.

Who is the audience?
Our field (higher education and student affairs) offers many potential areas for study. But first, I suggest the writer consider the target audience, and it's not as simple as the graduate student's committee. Who do you hope reads your work? If you intend to work in administrative posts, a topic that speaks to issues relating most directly to practice in the field may be most fitting (something concrete, tangible). If you see yourself in a faculty role, you might consider a topic that addresses an issue of social significance (something semi-abstract, intangible). It is common for thesis and dissertation topics in this field to hit both sides of the line drawn above.

Choosing from Multiple Ideas
If you have some topics in mind, and can't choose between them, or can't get one to a point that you think is narrow enough, I have some suggestions. Make yourself a table/grid. On the left side, put the following (one in each box of the column):
1. What do I want to know?
2. What areas of literature would I need to consult?
3. What has been addressed about the specific topic already?
4. What would a study on this contribute to higher education?
5. What sources of data would be needed to answer #1?

Along the top, write your topic ideas.

If answers to #3 are lengthy, you may need to narrow the topic and answer to #1.
If answering #4 for a particular topic really gets you fired up or excited, that's your topic.

When you think you've selected a topic, you have to answer the following very honestly: Can I stay energized about this topic for the next 2 years to complete the dissertation (1 year for MA thesis), and for 3 years after graduating? I say 3 years after, because it becomes a topic of conversation whenever you meet someone and they discover you've recently completed your opus.

Keep Things Specific in Your Literature Review
It is very easy to let a topic grow. Even if the topic seems narrowly tailored, the task of reviewing the literature can easily get out of hand. It will rarely be useful to review everything ever written on a particular topic. It would also be foolish to attempt to do so. While you will probably consult literature that seems a bit afield, keep your searches specific to your topic. For example, if a part of your literature review examines the growth of residence halls in the mid 20th Century, you don't need to spend your time digging through the university archives for letters students wrote about their dorms at the end of the 19th Century. And while I'm on the topic of keeping literature review searches specific, remember that publishing a book does not make an individual an authority on a topic. Literature reviews should be approached with skepticism, unless you're citing something I've written.

Gearing Up for 2009-2010

Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Bourke have both had busy and productive summers. It is hard to imagine that today is the midpoint of Summer Session B. We'll be welcoming new graduate students to LSU before we know it. As always, we strive to improve the program each year. 2008-2009 was a great academic year. A number of doctoral students successfully defended general exams, our first 2 master's students graduated, and our first full MA cohort grabbed the tiger by the tail. We are certain that 2009-2010 will be another year filled with tremendous strides and accomplishments. The incoming master's cohort is bringing with them a diversity of interests and experiences, and are coming to Baton Rouge from institutions literally from coast to coast (the Pacific, the Atlantic, and most importantly, the Gulf Coast). The incoming doctoral cohort is equally diverse and representative of a wide range of institutions.

We are excited to see how students will choose to shape their experiences in the coming year. While we wait for students to join us for fall classes, we are starting to set the stage to welcome students to and back to campus, and to do what we can to facilitate their growth and learning during their time with us.

Here's to a great year!

Geaux Tigers!

Master of Arts Hooding & Doctor of Philosophy Commemoration Ceremony

We will hood Spring 2009 Master of Arts in Higher Education & Student Affairs graduates and commemorate Spring 2009 Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration graduates.

This event will be held in the Lecture Hall of Hill Memorial Library at 3 PM on Thursday May 14.

Summer 2009 Internships

Congratulations to Higher Education & Student Affairs Master of Arts students who have landed internships for the summer. We can't wait to hear all about your experiences!

Jared Avery - Multicultural Affairs, Tulane University (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Jeff Darby - Student Support Services, Langston University (Langston, Oklahoma)

Ryann Denham - Orientation, The Richard Stockon College of New Jersey (Ponoma, New Jersey)

Cammie Jones - Athletics - St. Edward's University (Austin, Texas)

Chris Landry - Orientation, Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama)

Nadia Maston - Orientation, University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas)

Alicia Myrick - Career Servies, Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

Summer Prejean - Residence Life, Georgia Southern University (Statesboro, Georgia)