Towards Professionalization of Student Affairs Across the Globe, 2023, 

by Lisa Bardill Moscaritolo and Birgit Schreiber

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Bardill Moscaritolo, L., Schreiber, B. (2023)

Eds. New Directions for Student Services: Towards professionalization of Student Affairs across the globe. Wiley Publishers. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15360695/2023/2023/183 

With this New Direction in Student Services issue, Lisa Bardill Moscaritolo and Birgit Schreiber contribute to our overall global knowledge in the domain of professionalization of Student Affairs and Services, deepen theory and embolden practice, support a socially just approach, advance the profession and strengthen the impact across the globe. The focus of this issue of Wiley’s New Directions in Student Services is on the various ways this domain is professionalizing, its roots, trajectories, and current opportunities as well as concerns and critiques, with a view to the future. A group of formidable authors contribute to make this monograph a truly global and relevant book. 

This monograph is organized in three parts. The first section includes a review of the current status of global models by Ian Jamieson (UK), Evandro Coggo Cristofoletti (Brazil), Ibrahim Oanda (Senegal), and Taina Saarinen (Finland) who illuminate the kinds of models and approaches to professionalisation across the world. Trends in professionalisation are discussed by Brett Perozzi (USA) and Robert Shea (Canada); and Andrew West (UK) and Gavin Henning (USA) discuss the prevailing standards and competencies against which Student Affairs professionalisation programmes are assessed and evaluated. This section shapes a comprehensive and textured view on the current models and practices, of how the profession is developed, trained, capacitated and professionalised across the world. 

Part two contains the diverse voices and narratives of 26 authors from 15 countries who are leaders in their regions and their disciplines and who are key role players in local and international capacity building and professionalization programs. The narratives are geographically organised into perspectives from Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Oceania, North America, the Caribbean and the South American regions. These describe and discuss locally embedded and regionally relevant professionalisation programs and initiatives and raise their significance and challenges in advancing Student Affairs and Services in their unique contexts. 

Part three, raises unique critiques and points towards future issues we are likely to anticipate in the professionalization of the domain. A case study by Wildschut and Luescher highlights how the professionalization in the Global South, in this case South Africa, draws on social justice discourse. In the final article Schreiber, Roberts and Leask raise key issues and alert to risks around embracing hegemonic discourses, and discuss the banality of importing professionalization models into context - where instead local and indigenous voices have relevance.  

The richness of this monograph is underscored by the diversity of authors, who reflect from multiple positions and highlight the fluidity and growth of this field across the globe. 

This New Directions for Student Services is a must read for all faculty, leaders, managers and students who seek to not only professionalize themselves, their programmes and students, but also seek to do this for a globalized world, for a more impactful and socially just Student Affairs and Services across our world. 

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