Battling Burnout in Student Affairs

by Morganne Grutsch

Working in student affairs will never be fully encompassed by one theory or philosophy of practice. Viewing student development as a holistic process for student success is, at its core, a practice of combining a multitude of theory and disciplines. In comparison to other disciplines, Student Affairs is a fairly novel concept, really only theorized and shared in the last 200 years, still evolving and gaining the respect of its cousin disciplines in academia. Because of this, those working in student affairs are asked to tackle and unpredictable, complex student situations. They care for students in ways outside their training, while managing their regular workload with often very limited budgets and resources. The intricate work developed in Student Affairs has been empirically shown to have great impact on student success, but due to the lack of status and reputation and often financial support, those actually putting in the work are experiencing burnout at greater rates.

Reflecting on my own time as a college student, there were times I relied on Student Affairs professionals to help me navigate through complicated situations far outside the scope of their role on campus. As I have become a Student Affairs professional, myself, I recognize we are using more critical thinking and analyzing elements of from different disciplines of education, social work, psychology and development as we seek to serve students.

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When it comes to young adults and their educational success, research continues to show that mental health is having a greater impact than previously considered. More secondary schools are adding in supports for mental health and advocating for the awareness and assistance needed to ensure student transitions. As these trends shift into higher education we discover the similar level of need for collegiate students, but further lack of resources for the staff doing this level of work. So how do those in student affairs react when thrown in to student mental health crisis situations?

According to Higher Education Today the best methods come from following NASPA’s Basic Counseling Skills for Higher Education Professionals and institutional policy for follow up with the student. These mandatory reporting methods we recognize to be imperative to the student success. But where does this leave the staff member after making the report? More and more burnout is is experienced as higher education staff and faculty are asked to juggle more responsibilities within the institution, often without any additional benefit beyond intrinsic motivation of seeing student needs met.

Now, don’t confuse my critique, I will always advocate for the student and do what I believe is necessary to provide for their holistic development needs. However, as someone invested in my own mental health, how can I continue to proved this increased level of care for my student case loads, when I am continually stretched thinner and thinner with the duties I must complete. In the research from Queen’s University, they seek to explore how student affairs professionals are viewing the ways their institutions are promoting well being and what the individuals are enacting in order to support themselves through times of increased work and feelings of burn out.

Unsurprisingly, the results shown that many institutions aren’t placing any importance of the staff wellbeing despite increased initiatives for the student. Those institutions that were implementing policy devoted to the prevention of burnout were greeted with gratefulness but a heavy sense of skepticism as show with a perspective of care, yet a lack of empirical data showing positive trends against feelings of burnout. It’s one thing to promote an afternoon meditation, or provide flexibility in scheduling for mental health days, but when budget constraints and rapidly shifting “visions” of the institutional administration continues to weigh on those frontline staff - little is serving the root of the issue.

Alongside Higher Education Today I might argue that people who work in student affairs aren’t doing it for the pay, they aren’t volunteering willingly to be placed in traumatic and emotionally draining situations with students because they have no other option - but because they want to help. This value and vision, although admirable, can “bring you satisfaction, engagement and fulfillment can also take tis toll.” Student facing professionals should not be overlooked or taken advantage of by upper administration but appreciated, valued and recognized, through public recognition and financial compensation.

​Those of you who sit in the spaces of student needs and provide those missing pieces to the puzzle of student success, you may not always get recognition you deserve, especially as budgets are tightened alongside the economy. Please allow this serve a reminder that every interaction you make, each report you send in, every encouragement and hard conversation you have with students truly makes an impact on their success. You never know where that conversation will take them, because who knows, that student may end up writing about the impact you made as they strive to make their own legacy within student affairs.

Sources:
Kenny, M., & Schulze, R. (2024, February 12). My student is in crisis, but I’m not a counselor. how can I possibly help? Higher Education Today. https://www.higheredtoday.org/2023/04/21/my-student-is-in-crisis-but-im-not-a-counselor-how-can-i-possibly-help/
Kolomitro, K., Kenny, N., & Sheffield, S. L.-M. (2019). A call to action: Exploring and responding to educational developers’ workplace burnout and well-being in Higher Education. International Journal for Academic Development, 25(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144x.2019.1705303
Schuh, J. H., Jones, S. R., & Torres, V. (2017). Student services: A handbook for the profession (6th ed.). Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Imprint. 

About Morganne
During her undergraduate experience, Morganne developed a passion for Higher Education and serving students while pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Criminology & Criminal Justice and Bachelors of Arts in Sociology, magna cum laude from the University of Nebraska Omaha. After discovering writing as a way to challenge sociopolitical based policies with evidence based research through her undergraduate thesis: The Adverse Affects of Sexual Assaults on the College Experience, Morganne sought out more ways to show that students meet greater success when holistically cared for. After a history of working in various student facing positions, Morganne now serves as the Assistant Director of Operations for the Thompson Learning Community at the University of Nebraska Omaha seeking to help promote institutional change in the way students are supported. Morganne is on her way to completing her Masters of Science in Education: Higher Education & Student Affairs in May of 2024.

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