Interrogating the "Ideal" New Professional in Student Affairs

• In Event: The Impact of Ideal Worker Norms on Student Affairs Professionals

Abstract

Objectives
This paper explores factors that influence new professionals’ intentions to stay in student affairs through the lens of ideal worker norms. Our data suggest that the ideal worker in student affairs is a white woman new professional with no child caregiver responsibilities. This finding is in contrast to the traditional norms of the ideal worker as a white, childless, cisgender man. Such a contrast to the traditional ideal worker underscores the need for the field to reconsider work norms and work to address the lack of diversity in the field.
Perspectives
Although Acker’s (1990) ideal worker is considered devoid of gender, familial attachment, and otherwise disembodied, our study interrogated ways in which those specific characteristics of new professionals influenced intentions to stay or leave the field of student affairs. The study framed relational and affective variables of influence such as support for growth and advancement, and satisfaction alongside race/ethnicity, gender, child caregiver status, and partner status.
Methods
This study drew on quantitative data focused on factors influencing a new professional’s intentions to stay or remain in the field of student affairs. Our final sample included 191 participants who identified as new professionals in student affairs (with 0 to 5 years of experience). Methods of analysis included chi square tests to determine significant relationships between identity-based variables and factors of influence to depart or stay in student affairs.
Results
The influences of race, along with child caregiver status, advancement, advocacy for growth, support for growth, and support for advancement, all held statistically significant relationships for White participants on their intention to stay in student affairs. Similarly, the influences of gender along with advancement, advocacy for growth, support for growth, support for advancement, and satisfaction with input, all held statistically significant relationships for new professionals who identified as women, on their reported intention to stay in student affairs. These findings suggest that the conditions of the workplace shape new professionals’ intention to stay. Of note, 45% of participants named a specific and intended departure date.
Significance
As others have noted, new professionals have historically departed student affairs at a rate of 50% to 60% within their first five years (Harned & Murphy, 1998; Lorden, 1998; Saunders, Cooper, Winston, & Chernow, 2000; Tull, 2006). High levels of attrition in student affairs are influenced by burnout and the devaluing of identity and humanity (Marshall, Gardner, Hughes, & Lowery, 2016; Silver & Jackman, 2014). Our study calls attention to specific factors influencing burnout and the devaluing of identity, most specifically, the disembodied nature of the new professional in student affairs. Given that roughly half of new professionals in student affairs have a departure date in mind, choosing not to respond to the reported intention to leave is a disservice to new professionals and the field as a whole. We offer recommendations for how those interacting with new professionals can offer more directed support and engagement to combat high rates of attrition.

Authors

• Melanie Lee, University of Utah

• Megan Karbley, University of North Carolina - Greensboro