Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Higher Education Administration

Literature describing the role of the senior student affairs officer (SSAO) is plentiful, but research studies describing the specific skills needed to successfully fulfill the role are fewer in quantity. Therefore, in order to better understand the skills needed to be a senior-level student affairs administrator, and how to acquire them, this study examined SSAOs' perceptions of the ACPA and NASPA joint competencies. The sample, comprised of SSAOs who hold ACPA membership, shared their perceptions, which were examined according to several variables including gender, ethnicity, professional experience, and institution characteristics. Findings indicated that a doctoral degree was particularly significant for developing the skills necessary to be a successful SSAO. Additionally, there were differences according to several of the variables, indicating the importance of different competencies at different types of institutions, although no clear-cut picture of specific competency importance emerged. The additional competencies suggested by the SSAOs who participated in the survey, although nearly all of them overlapped with the ACPA and NASPA joint competencies, provide reinforcement of skills important to SSAOs in today's higher education landscape. The findings provide a snapshot of the skills necessary for successful SSAOs, as well as implications for graduate preparation programs and future revisions of the ACPA and NASPA join competencies.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2021, Higher Education (Education)

This study examines how Chief Student Affairs Officers (CSAO) make sense of their role engaging with fundraising at small, private, liberal arts institutions with endowments below the median endowment size of $140.2 million. Specifically examining how they make sense of engaging with fundraising and how they have gained knowledge or experience in fundraising. Over its history, the field of student affairs has evolved to serve the needs of institutions and students, and, with that evolution new focus areas of the role have emerged, including fundraising. Through the exploration of Organizational Sensemaking, this study highlights avenues for future student affairs preparation, training, and education. Through qualitative inquiry, seeking new knowledge, presidential influence, drawing from prior foundations, driven to serve students, strengthening the institution, and harnessing the value of relationships are outlined as ways CSAOs made sense of engaging with fundraising and gaining knowledge on fundraising.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2009, Higher Education Administration

This study examined the experiences of six female middle managers in student affairs who, while otherwise qualified with experience and an earned doctorate, turned down the opportunity to serve as vice president of student affairs. In-depth purposeful interviews were conducted with each participant, using naturalistic qualitative research methods grounded in the constructivist paradigm (Guba & Lincoln, 1989; Lincoln & Guba, 1985). From a backdrop of related research (Aleman & Renn, 2002; Blackhurst, Brandt & Kalinowski, 1998; McKenna, 1997; Nobbe & Manning, 1997), interview probes guided the examination of personal and professional experiences that led these women to their current status and their perceptions of any consequences they may have faced as a result of their career decisions. Data revealed emergent themes, which were used to craft individual case reports and to assemble an aggregate construction in response to the primary research questions.Findings indicated that, while participants once aspired to the vice presidency as their ultimate goal, a number of personal and professional reasons led each to make a conscious decision to forgo the next step on the student affairs career ladder and remain in their current, middle management position. Personal reasons included the need to attend to relationships with significant others (e.g., spouse, partner, children); professional reasons included levels of anticipated stress and undue expectations and time commitments that placed their family-work balance in jeopardy. A combination of motives related to their rejection of advancement as well as their desire to maintain their current level in the organization led to their revision of occupational aspirations and a reclaiming of a more holistic life pattern. Themes generated in these data resulted in a number of recommendations for student affairs administrative policy and practice, as well as suggestions for future research. From a perspective of policy and practi (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Higher Education Administration

White senior-level student affairs professionals are well-positioned to address issues of social justice and inclusion, oppression, privilege, power, and Whiteness within the field of student affairs. Their level of responsibility, scope of interaction and influence, and professional position provide senior-level student affairs professionals with the opportunity to both engage with social justice and inclusion in their practice and make a difference in their institutions and in the field of student affairs. As White individuals, these professionals have additional power within their divisions, institutions, and society. Although student affairs professionals are expected to be competent in the area of social justice and inclusion, there is a gap in the literature that examines these professionals' experiences with this topic. The purpose of this study was to hear the stories of White senior-level student affairs professionals' experiences engaging with social justice and inclusion and addressing Whiteness in their student affairs practice. The research questions are: 1) What stories do White senior-level student affairs professionals tell about their experiences engaging with social justice and inclusion in their student affairs practice? 2) What stories do White senior-level student affairs professionals tell about their experiences addressing issues of Whiteness in their student affairs practice? To address this gap in the literature and answer the research questions, I utilized narrative inquiry and a transformative paradigm. I interviewed six White senior-level student affairs professionals from across the United States. Nine key findings emerged from this study. These findings are summarized as: positional power and White voice, sense of responsibility, unpreparedness, personal connection, influence of current events on action and awareness, policy and practice, Whiteness as a systemic issue, increased opportunities, and choice to engage with and addr (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2020, Educational Leadership

Free speech movements in U.S. Higher Education are as old as the education system itself (Chemerinsky & Gillman, 2017; Hofstadter, 1970; Sun & McClellan, 2020). However, there has been a dearth of literature regarding the role of student affairs practitioners in managing issues of free speech events on campus. Further, recent works by Ben-Porath (2017), Chemerinsky and Gillman (2017), as well as Whittington (2018) highlighted the urgency in protecting free speech on campus as a democratic bedrock in the mission of colleges and universities. The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to explore how new student affairs professionals engaged in sensemaking (Weick, 1995) about their roles and experiences with free speech events on campus. This study used a narrative approach (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000) grounded in a constructivist paradigm which allowed participants the opportunity to name and vocalize their experiences. In total, 10 practitioners from two public institutions of higher education participated in a series of three interviews about their experiences. This study found five emergent themes that contributed to sensemaking about free speech events: 1) Pathways into the profession, 2) Identity salience, 3) Context, 4) Supervision and mentorship, and the 5) Role of higher education and student affairs. These themes offer important considerations when thinking about how new student affairs professionals engage in complex sensemaking. These assemblages extend the body of research on sensemaking (Weick, 1995) and provide insight into the valuable role these professionals play in responding to free speech events on campus. This study has broad applicability for those working as student affairs professionals, generating standards of best practice that support students and promote democratic aims of higher education. These findings also have meaningful implications for senior-level student affairs professionals, graduate preparatory programs that suppo (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Educational Studies

Over the past few years, the retention of midlevel Student Affairs professionals has been considered an issue, but at one large Midwestern university, the retention rate of midlevel Student Affairs professionals has remained high. The goal of the study was to understand what factors are important to the retention of midlevel Student Affairs professionals and why these factors are important. This project was an explanatory sequential methods study (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007) starting with an analysis of a quantitative theoretical model and ending with a focus group. First, the study used the structural equation model developed by Rosser and Javinar (2003) to answer the question: What factors lead to the retention of midlevel Student Affairs professionals? Second, a focus group was conducted to delve deeper into the issue of retention of midlevel Student Affairs professionals and to answer the question: Why do Student Affairs professionals choose to retain?

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Higher Education Administration

A student's first year of college study is marked by the transition of leaving a familiar routine of academic, social, and family commitments. Upon arrival at college, a student can learn how to negotiate personal responsibility for intellectual and community development during the first year. New college students are primed for such immense intellectual, intrapersonal, and interpersonal development, and it may include consideration of religious practice and spiritual values, their meaning and relevance, and determination of religious habits and spiritual identity. This study explored the experiences of spiritual conversion among first-year college students, and how the college environment may contribute to such experiences. Religious and spiritual conversion experiences may reflect a creation, diminishment, strengthening, or transformation of a student's spiritual identity, and this exploratory study sought to include any of these forms of conversion and the factors that challenge and encourage them. By studying the nature of these experiences in the postsecondary environment, educators may learn more about how the experience of college can affect students before, during, and beyond conversion experiences. Students were invited to share their stories to illustrate how their spiritual lives were created, diminished, strengthened, or transformed during their first college year. They shared insights into the related challenges and opportunities encountered through feelings of loneliness, community inclusion and exclusion, academic achievements in the midst of personal turmoil, and environmental influences that may have shaped their journeys. The findings of this inquiry suggested the need for additional opportunities for training for personnel in higher education and student affairs to be more attentive to and better able to support students who are searching spiritually and who may experience a spiritual conversion during the first year of college. The (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Education, University of Toledo, 2011, Higher Education

The U.S higher education demographic has changed, and adult women constitute the fastest-growing segment in the higher learning environment. Increasingly, many institutions of higher education have come to recognize the important role of student services and support systems in the lives of adult women learners. Although much effort exists in creating supportive learning environments for adult women students, educators and higher education practitioners still know very little of these students' experiences with institutional support and student services, what services are beneficial to them and why. The purpose of this study is to enhance our knowledge of nontraditional undergraduate adult women students' experiences with the student services and support systems. An additional purpose of this study is to explore the types of institutional student services and support systems that are found useful and beneficial by these undergraduate women learners themselves and why they are found useful, as well as to explore the challenges, needs, and expectations of adult women learners regarding institutional support systems that they deem unavailable but necessary. A qualitative research method was employed in this study. The participants in this study were nontraditional undergraduate adult women students enrolled at The University of Toledo (UT). The research design used was a semi-structured open-ended interview questionnaire. The in-depth interviews were conducted face-to-face, and the data generated from the interviews were analyzed. The data analysis provided insight into adult women's experiences with the institutional support services in higher education, and captured adult women students' thoughts on the ways they used and benefited from the available academic support, student activities, and campus facilities. The data analysis also provided insight into the adult women students' challenges, needs, and expectations pertaining to their academic journey for success. T (open full item for complete abstract)

PHD, Kent State University, 2012, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

College student personnel (CSP) professional preparation program faculty are a unique group in higher education because their work spans both student affairs and academic affairs functions. The purpose of this Q methodology study was to explore the perspectives that full-time, tenure-track CSP faculty hold about full-time, tenure-track, non-CSP faculty. Specifically, this study examined what factors emerged when CSP faculty at Carnegie Classification Research Universities/High Research Activity institutions were asked to model their viewpoints about faculty via a Q sort. This process involved CSP faculty placing 36 statements about faculty and faculty life into a forced distribution grid representing the array of statements with which they most agreed to the statements with which they most disagreed. A total of 28 CSP faculty participated, with 18 completing the sorts in person and 10 completing the sorts online. Post-sort interviews with participants and demographic data were also collected. Q factor analysis of the sorts revealed two viewpoints about faculty. One viewpoint focuses on the professional contributions of faculty. The second factor focuses on the difficulties of academic life and the mixed successes faculty have in meeting the demands of their job. This study serves as a foundation for further research into perceptions about faculty among student affairs faculty and practitioners.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2009, Higher Education Administration

The importance of effective supervision to increase productivity in the administration of student affairs motivated this dissertation. This study was designed to assess the perceptions of new professionals regarding the supervision practices encountered in their initial experience following graduation from their master's program. The sample featured alumni from 17 different institutions with professional preparation programs in college student personnel, higher education administration, or student affairs administration. From these institutions, 447 alumni participated and completed the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI-Observer). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the significant differences among the demographic information of new professionals and their supervisors. The results showed that male supervisors were rated as effective as female supervisors and African American supervisors were rated as effective as White supervisors at frequency of exemplary practice. On a national level, when compared to the research collected online by Posner from 2005 to 2007 of various sectors, it appears from this study that increased attention on supervision within student affairs is necessary. Conclusions and recommendations focused on the importance of gender differences, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and the need for further exploration of this topic in future research.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Educational Studies

Midlevel student affairs professionals are integral to supporting the mission of higher education institutions. These professionals work closely with a diverse array of campus stakeholders, helping to implement strategy and facilitate information throughout the organization. Yet the midlevel nature of their role can be a source of frustration for these professionals. Despite their talent and expertise, midlevel student affairs professionals often feel as though they have few opportunities to provide input on the policies they are asked to implement and enforce (Donaldson & Rosser, 2007; Rosser, 2004; Wilson et al., 2016). In recent years, many scholars have explored tensions associated with free speech events on college campuses (Ben-Porath, 2017; Chemerinsky & Gillmam, 2017; Morse, 2017; Palfrey, 2017). Few, however, have studied this topic from the perspective of midlevel student affairs professionals. This is an oversight because midlevel professionals comprise the majority of staff in student affairs organizations (M. B. Cooper & Boice‐Pardee, 2011). Furthermore, the midlevel nature of their position within the campus hierarchy suggests that these individuals can illuminate tensions and conflicting priorities associated with campus free speech events in ways that have been previously unseen. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to illustrate how midlevel student affairs professionals navigate the personal and professional tensions that arise through their involvement with campus free speech events. Research questions included: 1) What policies and practices inform the ways in which midlevel student affairs professionals navigate campus free speech events?; 2) In what ways do campus free speech events create conflict for midlevel student affairs professionals concerning their professional roles and individual values?; and 3) How do systems of power shape the ways in which midlevel student affairs professionals negotiate these tensions that arise th (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2019, Educational Leadership

Beyond the examination of individual White privilege, which often results in fragility, silence, and fatigue, White student affairs graduate students have little understanding of White supremacy as a system of racial oppression and the root cause of racism in higher education. This lack of racial awareness and preparation can lead to harm done to peers and faculty of Color in student affairs graduate preparation programs and an inability to advocate for students of Color or challenge institutional racism as working professionals. In other words, the current approach to engaging White student affairs graduate students may actually serve to reinforce White supremacy in higher education, creating barriers to achieving the goals of student affairs as a field. In order to address this problem, I co-engineered a Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS) course for the student affairs in higher education graduate preparation program at a public teaching university located in the rural Midwest. This qualitative Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) study was guided by the following question: How does participating in a CWS course inform the professional socialization of White student affairs graduate students? Ten White student affairs graduate students, who were enrolled in a CWS course, gathered for research group reflection sessions and responded to written narrative prompts, which all served as data for the study. This data was analyzed both collaboratively in the research group reflection sessions and individually, using a Grounded Theory data analysis method. Key findings of this study indicate that participating in a CWS course provides White student affairs graduate students with an opportunity to reflect on how hegemonic Whiteness is constructed in their lives, a space to actively deconstruct hegemonic Whiteness, and a blueprint for how to critically reconstruct Whiteness both personally and professionally. The findings of this study present implications for (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Higher Education Administration

In 1958, four professional associations in the field of college student personnel, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), and the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors (NAWDAC), gathered in St. Louis for a joint professional organization meeting. The participants discussed issues common to their groups and agreed to meet on an annual basis. This collaboration first called itself the Inter-Association Coordinating Committee (IACC) and later changed its name to the Council of Student Personnel Associations in Higher Education or COSPA. The Council would grow to include 16 member associations before dissolving in 1975. This study sought to explore this example of inter-association collaboration and provided an opportunity to examine the past to better inform decision making of today and tomorrow and add to the literature of the history of the student affairs profession. Using Goodchild and Huk's (1990) educational narrative research design as a methodological framework, this study used primary source documents contained in the archival collections of COSPA, ACPA, NASPA, and NAWDAC (later renamed NAWE – the National Association for Women in Education) housed in the National Student Affairs Archives in the Center for Archival Collections at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. The research established that the initiative grew out of a call for greater collaboration among professional associations in student personnel work. The Collaboration grew and prospered due to the efforts and commitment of key border spanners. This growth also led to increased communication challenges. Furthermore, COSPA faced the constant challenge of turnover, both in terms of representatives from the member associations and the Collaboration's leadership. A combination of factors led to COSPA's end, (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Higher Education Administration

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of midlevel student affairs professionals who navigated a mental health condition as a new professional and remained in the field. New professionals' attrition and retention concerns continue to warrant further exploration through research. Research is lacking on new professionals group was those with a mental health condition. Mental illness is prevalent in our society, and as evident in this study, professionals do negotiate their mental illness as professionals in the field. I interviewed nine midlevel student affairs professionals from across the United States. Each of the professionals worked at a variety of institutions and within many functional areas in student affairs during their first five years in the field. I lead eighteen interviews with nine participants. In addition to the interviews, all of the participants responded to one journal prompt. To mask the identities of my participants, the professionals selected pseudonyms and I used these names throughout my manuscript. The participants shared their experiences comprising five main themes: (1) coping with mental health conditions, (2) student affairs competence and mental health, (3) influential relationships, (4) disclosure, and (5) organizational influences. Three primary findings emerged following the analysis of the experiences and the review of the literature. Participants experienced fear of discrimination. They shared about negotiating the personal nature of the experiences and their own self-advocacy. Lastly, the professionals' community was instrumental in connecting to their retention. With these themes and findings, I developed implications for practice and future research. Implications for practice include a proposed paradigm shift in our organizations; the important role of supervisors, administrators, and colleagues; the use of a universal design model; and the value of structures to support those with (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Higher Education Administration

Success of senior student affairs officers (SSAOs) on a college campus involves a number of critical factors set in the context of three themes: effective leadership, constant change, and a connection to the university mission and culture. These critical success factors were couched as behaviors, attitudes, skills, and knowledge (BASK) of current SSAOs. As a profession built by scholar-practitioners, it is important to understand success from the SSAOs doing the job. NASPA members and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) SSAOs known to the researcher were asked to share their point of view about which BASK factors were most important. The purpose of the current study is to assess current SSAOs' perceptions of the importance of these BASK factors to success in their positions. The research questions asked how current SSAOs rate the importance of the BASK factors relative to one another, to what extent there are group differences in how SSAOs rate the BASK factors, and to what extent there are group differences in how SSAOs rate the order of BASK factors relative to one another. Integrity in decision making was rated as most important, and presenting sessions at professional conferences and/or submitting articles or book chapters for publication, while still important, was rated as the lowest of the BASK factors. Overall, women and people of color had higher BASK scores. A total of 50 lesbian/gay/bisexual SSAOs participated, representing over 11% of respondents; there were no differences for sexual orientation found in the rating of BASK factors. The relative ranking of BASK factors was similar regardless of SSAOs' gender identity, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation. This study marks the first time sexual orientation was included as a demographic question in published research about SSAOs. The findings provide a path for aspiring and new SSAOs and offer implications for practice, policy, and future research pertaining to the training o (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2011, Higher Education Administration

In this constructivist collective case study, the collaborative relationships of faculty and student affairs professionals co-teaching were examined. Bowling Green State University was selected as the site, and four pairs of co-instructors for BGSU1000, a first year seminar, each with a faculty member and a student affairs professional, were the participants. A Vygotskian framework was used to consider the individual by herself or himself, and in interaction with a partner. An individual interview was conducted with each participant, was followed by an interview with each pair, and concluded with a final individual interview with each participant. Participants explained that prior relationships, common values, common goals, common backgrounds and experiences, and common styles promoted the development of their collaboration and relationships. Participants said that establishing comfort and trust was also important. Participants functioned as colleagues, mentors-mentees, family, and friends. Participants' roles were complex and situational and communication affected how their relationships and collaboration functioned. Communication included assumptions, discussion, overlap, and compartmentalization. Participants noted that their relationships impacted their collaboration and vice versa and that time also influenced this interaction. Most participants believed they were able to achieve more in partnership than they would have been able to accomplish individually. Ultimately, prior relationships, commonalities (in values, goals, background experiences, and personality styles), and developing comfort and trust were important to good collaboration. Roles were more complex and situational than expected. Those who are responsible for building or fostering collaborative relationships should note that partnerships should be intentionally developed and supported.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2011, Higher Education Administration

This study surveyed 261 NASPA (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators) voting delegate SSAOs (senior student affairs officers) at 4-year, public institutions with enrollment greater than 5,000 students, in regard to the current status of their division-sponsored development and fundraising practices. A total of 111 respondents (42.5%)completed a questionnaire soliciting information about each student affairs division's: a.)institutional profile; b.) preparation for development and fundraising; c.) divisional priorities, capital campaign involvement, and fundraising success; d.) development and fundraising practices applied; e.) relationship to institutional advancement staff; and f.) major challenges and needs for those involved in such efforts. Complemented by themes evident in open-ended comments, the data were presented and analyzed through application of descriptive and nonparametric statistics. In comparison to previous studies, the data revealed a significant presence in student affairs of an employed staff member responsible for development and fundraising, a range of best practices and preparation expectations, and an overall concern for the status of student affairs in the institution's fundraising strategy. Further analysis yielded several significant differences attributed to institutional size and mission, with student affairs divisions within larger and more research-oriented institutions more developed in their advancement efforts. Several implications from the data were noted, including the need for: a.) clearer intra-institutional communication as to the purposes and functions of student affairs divisions; b.) inclusion of other personnel in development and fundraising efforts; c.) continuing support for training in development and fundraising; d.) greater coordination of fundraising strategies; and e.) greater attention to the particular circumstances of small institutions. Likewise, implications for future research included the n (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2010, Higher Education Administration

This study examined the gendered nature of the student affairs profession by investigating how three student affairs professional associations, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), ACPA: College Student Educators International, and the Association of College and University Housing Officers International (ACUHO-I) handled issues of gender equity. The founding of each association was reviewed using archival information from the National Student Affairs Archives. After a review of the archival data, a profile was created for each of the three associations. Interviews were conducted with 13 participants who were members of one or more of the associations and had served in an elected or appointed leadership position. The participants provided insight into the current issues of gender equity faced in the associations. The study employed a constructivist epistemology featuring the co-construction of knowledge. Thus, the archival data for each of the associations and the participants' interview data were considered in the process of data analysis and interpretation. The following categories emerged from the analysis of the interview data: gender equity, the messages received about gender, delegation of roles and responsibilities, policies and procedures used within the organizations, and perceptions of the symbols, images and artifacts used within each association. Implications for practice related to the development of organizational culture, maintaining the history of student affairs associations, and role modeling for undergraduate students are presented

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

The topic for this dissertation research centers on the retention of student affairs professionals amidst The Great Resignation, specifically within three functional areas in higher education student affairs, cultural centers, student organization advising, and academic advising and their experiences of secondary traumatic stress. Figley (1995) defined STS as “the natural consequent behaviors and emotions resulting from knowing about a traumatizing event experienced by a significant other⎯the stress of wanting to help a traumatized or suffering person” (p. 7). In order to identify why higher education student affairs professionals in the three functional areas remain in the field, a constructivist narrative approach will be used.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

Student veterans have long been a population needing specialized assistance, however due to their unique intersectional identities higher education professionals in many cases are unsure of what to do when meeting with them. This Grounded Theory-Action Research focused study has sought to identify the career needs of student veterans as well as any potential barriers they face when working with career practitioners. Arguably just as important, this study also sought to identify the needs of the practitioners who are working with these students in their career advising appointments. The purpose of this study is to begin to work towards filling knowledge gaps within the career advising industry from both the perspective of the student and the practitioner. To accomplish this purposive sampling was used to interview student veterans from Youngstown State University remotely using semi-structured recorded interviews. Similarly, career practitioners were interviewed using a semi-structured format, however practitioners were staff at several different collegiate institutions throughout the state of Ohio which were deidentified. Interviews were then transcribed and coded to identify themes. Once themes were found an action plan revolving around a comprehensive training program was created. Findings indicate that the primary areas of need for the student veterans include practitioners having information on transferable career paths, a centralized location and point of contact for student veterans to receive services (not the career center), and the need for practitioners to be aware of mental health needs of the population while not becoming overly cautious. A unique element of these findings is that student veterans continually mentioned the need for the practitioner to have a general understanding, and ideally appreciation of, their unique experiences and culture. Findings of practitioners indicated that there is an understanding that student veterans face simila (open full item for complete abstract)