Running head: COMPETENCIES PAPER 1

Competencies Paper

Hayley R. Remmel

Western Illinois University

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When I started to look through each of the ACPA----College Student Educators

International, & NASPA----Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education competencies, I

asked myself if I understood anything in this document. Once I got started, I really started to

question my intelligence in student affairs. I told second-years in the program that I felt

incompetent, which my definition of competent is having the skills, ability, or knowledge in

something. I truly wanted to sit down with my supervisor and have her tell me what I needed to

work on to become more competent. I struggled with the choice of under ranking myself or over

ranking myself. I believe that my ranking system is an accurate ranking system of my

competency as you will read throughout this paper. Also you will see possible steps on how to

improve areas as well as the importance of some competency areas in the role of Graduate and

Professional Student Programs and Services (GPSPS) according to the Council for the

Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS).

Ranking System

In the process of placing myself on a competencies scale, I simply used a highlighter.

My scale is more of a pyramid broken down into different levels and not a spectrum. Level one

means that zero to four foundational outcomes were highlighted and I have little or no

knowledge of the competency. Level two means that five or more foundational outcomes were

highlighted and I have average knowledge of the competency. Level three means that four or

more were highlighted in intermediate outcomes and that I have above average knowledge in the

competency. Level four means that one to three advanced outcomes were highlighted and that I

have a lot of knowledge in the competency. Lastly, level five means that four or more advanced

outcomes were highlighted and I was at the top of the competency pyramid. Due to my pyramid
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style ranking system, I cannot move up the pyramid unless the previous level is achieved. This

ranking system will be seen throughout this paper.

Personal and Ethical Foundations

The first competency area to evaluate is the Personal and Ethical Foundations (PPF). To

be honest, I never really thought about anything in this area. Reading through the outcomes

though, I realized that I did know a few things when it came to my personal ethics. On my

pyramid I am starting at level two, which means there was room for improvement. One area in

this competency that I want to improve is my understanding of ethics in my personal life and

professional life. I believe taking Research Methods with Dr. Cody will help gain an

understanding of my personal ethics and also the ethics of possible associations that I may join.

Also I am starting to understand my personal and professional ethics while selecting sessions for

the Student Affairs 101 Conference. I have to make sure I am not showing favoritism in schools

or presenters that I know.

There was one foundational outcome that struck me the most, that I will use as part of

my student affairs philosophy it states, “articulate an understanding that wellness is a broad

concept comprised of emotional, physical, social, environmental, relational, spiritual, moral, and

intellectual” (ACPA----College Student Educators International, & NASPA----Student Affairs

Administrators in Higher Education, 2015, p. 16). Understanding my personal wellness, allows

me to start helping others understand their wellness in these areas. Also, because I understand

my wellness, I understand that my wellness can affect relationships in my personal life and

professional life.

Values, Philosophy, and History

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The second competency area to evaluate is the Values, Philosophy, and History (VPH).

This competency area “involves knowledge, skills, and dispositions that connect the history,

philosophy, and values of the student affairs profession to one’s current professional practice”

(ACPA----College Student Educators International, & NASPA----Student Affairs Administrators

in Higher Education, 2015, p. 18). I do not have much knowledge in history or philosophy when

it comes to student affairs. I only highlighted one area in the foundational outcomes. With that

said, I am at level one of the pyramid. The one area that I highlighted was “demonstrate

responsible campus citizenship and participation in the campus community” (ACPA----College

Student Educators International, & NASPA----Student Affairs Administrators in Higher

Education, 2015, p. 18). As an undergrad I participated in my campus community as a peer

mentor, a Zumba instructor, and participated in events across campus to show my support to

other student organizations and communities on campus.

I believe my VPH competency will evolve over the next two years in this program. The

largest way I see myself gaining knowledge is from my classes that I am and will take in the

future. Classes I see improving this competency area are Introduction to CSP Work, Student

Development Theory I and II. Currently we are learning in Introduction to CSP Work about the

starting philosophies that have emerged from the Student Personnel Point of View of 1937 and

1942. Also in this class we are starting to discuss the history of higher education. Then during

my second semester I will take History of Higher Ed which will also increase my competency

knowledge and allow movement on my pyramid.

Assessment, Evaluation, and Research

Reading the title of this competency area, I thought that I would be more competent then

I ranked myself. This competency “focuses on the ability to design, conduct, critique and use
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various AER methodologies” (ACPA----College Student Educators International, & NASPA----

Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, 2015, p. 20). I only highlighted one

foundational outcome which puts me at level one of my pyramid. Throughout my first semester

this competency will improve while in Dr. Cody’s Research Methods class. We have started

doing literature reviews in class which can allow me to highlight “effectively articulate, interpret

and apply results of AER reports and studies including professional literature” (ACPA----College

Student Educators International, & NASPA----Student Affairs Administrators in Higher

Education, 2015, p. 20). I also think this competency area will improve during my assistantship

with College Student Personnel Recruitment and Orientation (CSP R&O) office. Currently I am

planning the Student Affairs 101 Conference. I will be developing an assessment and evaluation

plan for the conference. Also I will be looking at the assessment and evaluation of CSP days and

how we can improve that event in the future.

Working in GPSPS assessment is a huge part of having a successful office. Assessment

is used to gather information of future, current, and past students that may include demographics,

satisfaction of programs and post-graduation career plans (Council for the Advancement of

Standards in Higher Education, 2015, p. 6). I believe this is important because the results that

come back are straight from the students and alumni. It allows us to assess how our area is doing

in the eyes of the students.

Law, Policy, and Governance

I am not competent in Law, Policy and Governance (LPG) competency area and am at the

very, very bottom of my pyramid. I would not even place myself on the pyramid. I highlighted

nothing in this area and while reading through the outcomes, it was like reading a foreign

language. I know it will improve by forth semester when I take Legal Issues in Higher Ed. Also
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being in Organizational and Administration in Higher Ed is already teaching me how to describe

different systems used to govern schools like two-year, four-year, vocational and etc. While in

this class we also look at organizational structures and will be describing the structures of a

university and how it is governance. I think that when I go on my summer internship, I will

learn about LPG at another institution. Right now during my assistantship, I do not want to say

that LPG is not important but, I feel it is not a main concern with what we are doing, at least to

my knowledge.

The CAS Standards go through and list out certain rules and standards that professionals

must follow in each functional area. For GPSPS, Law, Policy, and Governance is important

while working with graduate students. One standard that I believe is important is “GPSPS must

inform personnel about professional liability insurance options and refer them to external sources

if the institution does not provide coverage” (Council for the Advancement of Standards in

Higher Education, 2015, p. 5). I believe this is important because these students are also

employees of the university and insurance is important for health and to maintain wellness in

different aspects of life.

Organizational and Human Resources

To my surprise I feel pretty competent in this area. Hearing human resources, I always

envisioned a worker who dealt with employee benefits or hiring and firing employees.

Organization and Human Recourses (OHR) “recognizes that student affairs professionals bring

personal strengths and grow as managers through challenging themselves to build new skills in

the selection, supervision, motivation and formal evaluation of staff” (ACPA----College Student

Educators International, & NASPA----Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, 2015,

p. 24). Recently I sat down with my supervisor, Jill Bisbee and started designing my professional
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development plan. We went through my strengths and weaknesses and started to create action

steps for growth. One of my strengths that I highlighted in the foundational outcomes is

“develop and utilize appropriate meeting materials (e.g. facilitation skills, agenda,

notes/minutes)” (ACPA----College Student Educators International, & NASPA----Student Affairs

Administrators in Higher Education, 2015, p. 24). Each week I have a team meeting and create

an agenda for us to follow. A weakness I have is an understanding of technology, which will be

discussed later on.

I put myself at level four, which means there is still room for improvement. Looking

through the intermediate and advanced outcomes, one area that I feel is important in the field of

student affairs is fundraising. If I switch my assistantship or pick a practicum that deals with

alumni, Greek life, or programming I believe I would get that fundraising experience. Also I

believe this competency area can evolve more in my first professional position where I have

more power and authority.

Leadership

Throughout my different experiences, I have held different leadership positions on

campus. According to the ACPA-- College Student Educators International & NASPA-- Student

Affairs Administrators in Higher Education competency area, “the leadership competency area

addresses the knowledge skills and dispositions required of a leader, with or without positional

authority” (p. 27). I believe that I am a strong leader and can lead students with or without

authority. The outcomes for this competency area is broken into four different areas which are;

education, training, development, and engagement. In each area, I highlighted almost all of the

foundational outcomes. Knowing this I placed myself at a level four because I also highlighted a

lot in the intermediate level. I did highlight one in advanced outcome which is “embrace
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responsibility for unit and divisional decisions” (ACPA----College Student Educators

International, & NASPA----Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, 2015, p. 29). I

am responsible for Student Affairs 101 decisions that my team makes.

I think in my assistantship I will be able to improve the most in the training aspect in the

advanced outcomes. The training will come with CSP Days when I work with the cohort, the

faculty, and other committees to make CSP days successful. The advanced outcome that this

reflects with is “establish systems to provide opportunities for staff to engage in leadership

development such as committees, task forces, internships and cross-functional teams” (ACPA----

College Student Educators International, & NASPA----Student Affairs Administrators in Higher

Education, 2015 p. 29). I will establish different committees that the cohort can have the

opportunities to hold leadership positions. Being a part of this program will help me “display

congruence between one’s identity as a leader and one’s professional actions” (ACPA----College

Student Educators International, & NASPA----Student Affairs Administrators in Higher

Education, 2015, p. 29). I do not know how, but my gut just tells me it will.

Social Justice and Inclusion

Social Justice and Inclusion is a big topic that every student affairs professional should be

competent in. Students are taking steps to become more socially responsible citizens and address

issues such as oppression, privilege, and power. Reading through the foundational outcomes, I

saw a theme of reflection and advocating, which I could connect with reflection, but not advocating.

With that said I only highlighted three outcomes which means I am at level one. I have self-

reflected about my own prejudices and basis and its tough. I know I am a privilege white American

woman, which affects individuals who might not identify the same as me. Knowing this, I want

to advocate for students who are affected by oppression, privilege, and power.
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I think a great way for me to start advocating for others is when looking for a practicum.

Working in an area that I may not have any knowledge in or that I believe is oppressed on this

campus is a good start. This may include working in the Multicultural Cultural Center or the

LGBTQA Resource Center. I believe working on the foundational outcomes is a must to start

becoming competent.

Student Learning and Development

Just like the VPH competency, the Student Learning and Development (SLD)

competency will be improved more in future classes. SLD “address the concepts and principles

of student development and learning theory. This includes the ability to apply theory to improve

and inform student affairs and teaching practice.” (ACPA----College Student Educators

International, & NASPA----Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, 2015, p. 32). I

have no knowledge of any theories yet. With that said I have placed myself with LPG at the

outside of the pyramid.

Technology

As the years move on, technology has become an importance in any and all career fields.

In student affairs, we have the challenge of staying up to date because college students are some

of the first individuals to learn and adopt new technologies. Also it is important to know how to

“use digital tools, resources, and technologies for the advancement of student learning,

development and success as well as improved performance of student affairs professionals”

(ACPA----College Student Educators International, & NASPA----Student Affairs Administrators

in Higher Education, 2015, p. 33). Being raised in this generation of technology, I thought to be

very competent in this area. Going through the outcomes though, I placed myself at level two.
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One way my technology competency will be improved in my assistantship. One

foundational outcome that will be highlighted this year is “ensure that one’s educational work

with and service to students is inclusive to students participating in online and hybrid format

courses and programs” (ACPA----College Student Educators International, & NASPA----Student

Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, 2015, p. 33). One of my task this year is recruiting

students for our Higher Educational Leadership (HEL) track. We must design their Lunch &

Learns to make them inclusive to all members of the cohort. I also will be partaking in a video

editing three-week class. This class will maintain one of my outcomes that talks about marketing

and promoting programs. I truly believe this competency area will improve fast due to the

increasing growth in technology.

The use of technology is important when discussing GPSPS as it is a resource that

supports the mission and goals. GPSPS must use technology to “provide an avenue for students

and other constituents to communicate sensitive information in secure format” (Council for the

Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, 2015, p. 7). Students must be able to share

sensitive information to GPSPS professionals. This information could simply be their name or

more personal information like social security number. Along with that, GPSPS must back up

data to be safe.

Advising and Supporting

I never thought of myself as an advisor, besides when my friend wanted me to go through

her advising report with her. Going through each of the foundational outcomes, it resonated with

my degree in communications. The outcomes talked about noticing nonverbal communication,

my worldview on communication with others and active listening skills. Also the outcomes

resonated with my background in mentoring. I mentored students as a peer mentor which also
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involved managing conflict between groups. I did not highlight any in advanced outcome which

means room for climbing up the pyramid. Knowing this I placed myself at a level three.

I am starting to improve this competency in a few ways already this semester. I will be

advising the sorority Alpha Sigma Alpha as their membership education advisor. Also in my

assistantship when CSP Days come around, I will be advising students as they prepare to arrive

on campus for their interview. Looking at the advanced outcomes is a little intimidating because

it addresses mental health support and I have no experience in mental health support. My goal in

this competency is to expand on the foundational and intermediate outcomes.

Conclusion

Throughout this paper I examined each of the competencies defined by the ACPA and

NASPA as well as stated CAS standards that reflect important competencies for the functional

area of Graduate and Professional Student Programs and Services. My ranking system allows

much room for growth which I know I will receive in my two years here at Western Illinois

University as well as other experiences outside the university. My two competencies that have

the most room for growth are Law, Policy, and Governance and also Student Learning and

Development. I look forward to growing all competencies as well as the challenge that will

come with that growth.

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Reference

ACPA----College Student Educators International, & NASPA----Student Affairs Administrators

in Higher Education. (2015, August 7). Professional competency areas for student affairs

educators. Retrieved from

http://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/ACPA_NASPA_Professional_Competencies

_FINAL.pdf

Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. (2015). CAS professional

standards for higher education (9th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.