Running Head: STUDENT SERVICES WEBSITE ANALYSIS

Student Services Website Analysis

Jessica Turpin
Post University

STUDENT SERVICES WEBSITE

Student Service Website Analysis

According to Ludeman, Osfield, Hidalgo, Oste, and Wang (2009) student affairs and
services workers aim to embody the beliefs, values, and principles of the university. One way to
learn what those values, beliefs, and principles are is to look at the mission and value statements.
Another way that will give you a better idea of which of those principles and values are actually
assigned importance is to look at the student affairs and services departments and see which of
them are being addressed. Depending on the type of university one is looking at there are bound
to be differences in the values and principles that will be demonstrated through the services
offered in their student services departments. The following paper will examine the differences
between the student services department at Roger Williams University, a private 4 year college,
and Michigan State University, a public 4 year college.
The first major difference that can be seen between the two different student services
departments is the presence of a culture and identity department at Michigan State University
and the absence of any such department at Roger Williams, the private university. One can draw
the conclusion that Michigan State University places significant value on culture and identity.
Another department that is present at the public university website but absent at Roger Williams
is career services and academics outside of the classroom. This indicates that MSU is strongly
invested in the student outside of their academic life on campus or in the classroom. Another
important difference is the presence of a Parent Resource Center on the website at MSU. This
emphasizes the importance the role of family can play in the success of the student and that
Michigan State recognizes that.
Roger Williams University is much smaller than Michigan State University and perhaps
this is the reason for the limited amount of services offered on their student services website.

STUDENT SERVICES WEBSITE

Among the services present on the website is the Bursars Office and Financial Aid. This is
interestingly enough not advertised on the website at Michigan State University. This may
indicate that these are important subjects to the university as they are a private, for-profit
University that operates as a business. Roger Williams also indicates the presence of a work
study program on their student services site. This is a feature also omitted from the Michigan
State site. Additionally RWU has a more comprehensive list of health and wellness programs on
their site than that of MSU. Theirs also includes a health hotline. This indicates that the health
and wellness of the student are clearly of great importance to the university.
The organizational structure of the student service center websites between both
universities also differ. The website for Roger Williams University is structured to include six
different headings under which all services are classified. The headings include Financial Aid,
My RWU (online student services), Bursar, Registrar, Health Wellness and Fitness, and Policies.
The Website for Michigan State University website includes only four headings under which all
services are classified. Their headings include Living, Learning, Leading, Culture & Identity,
Health, Wellness, Safety, and Office of the VP. The website at Roger Williams is easier to find
the services that are being sought after because of the broader range of subjects. It is very
unclear which heading one would find financial aid services under.
The primary focus of each site also differs greatly. While both sites are focused on
servicing the student, each has a different take on what is more important. The website at RWU
focuses heavily on health and wellness with detailed lists on various services provided by the
university including a fitness center, counseling center, and drug and alcohol task force. Every
aspect of student wellness is taken into account with the services provided. MSUs primary
focus is on student life outside the classroom. The heading is Beyond the Classroom and

STUDENT SERVICES WEBSITE

considers the students needs when not engaged in academic classes on campus. It includes
services such as student government, civic service and engagement, career services and student
organizations. It addresses the students social and community needs as well as provides studentparents with resources and support. These activities and groups indicate a large population of
commuter or off campus students and also addresses the fact that the new traditional student is
not the typical high school graduate but individuals at any age during any stage of their life.
Neither student services website seems to indicate a high volume of collaboration
between student services and academic departments with the exception of internships and work
study opportunities. Roger Williams has a link to their online student services but there is no
clear description of what those services are. MSU has no such link on their website. If changes
were to be made to either of these sites it would be the addition of more online services that are
thoroughly explained so students will have optimum access to all available resources. It would
also include a clearer picture of the collaboration between the student service department and the
various academic departments to give the student more direction as to who they should turn to
when encountering a problem or question.
According to Ludeman, Osfield, Hidalgo, Oste, and Wang student services is a growing
field of great academic importance that will require increasing preparation and training of its
workers. This indicates its growth as a professional field and not just a support field. With the
increase of online schooling and adults reentering the life of academia, the future will also bring
the need for the availability of more online student services such as tutoring, registration, and
even counseling. It is likely that the need for these services will be very similar regardless of the
type of institute delivering the classes (public v. private).

STUDENT SERVICES WEBSITE

Both Roger Williams University and Michigan State University have student services
websites that detail the various programs offered at their institutions of higher learning aimed at
assisting the student in various areas of their academic lives. Their focuses differ presumably
based on the level of importance assigned to the subject. Private university RWU focuses on
their health and wellness primarily whereas public MSUs focus falls on student life outside the
classroom. Both Universities are in need of more comprehensive online resources as far as
student services are concerned to keep up with the developing times and the presence of the
changing traditional student.

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References:

Ludeman,R., Osfield, K., Hidalgo, E., Oste, D., Wang, H. (2009). Student affairs and services in
higher education. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Orgnization. student
sevices in HE.pdf
Roger Williams University (2016). Student services. Retrieved from:
http://student.rwu.edu/cs/student-services
Michigan State Unversity (2016). Student affairs and services. Retrieved from:
http://studentaffairs.msu.edu/vp/index.html