The Next Generation: Considerations for Future Native Student AffairsStudent Services Professionals

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The Next Generation Considerations for Future
Native Student Affairs/Student Services
Professionals2008 National Institute for
Native Leadership in Higher EducationSanta Ana
Pueblo, New Mexico

• Adrienne L. Thunder, M.S.
• Senior Advisor, Cross-College Advising Service
• University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Introduction

• Welcome
• Presentation shift

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Wait! Were at an Institute!

• What are the primary roles or responsibilities of
  a student affairs/student services professional
  in working with Native students?
• What knowledge and/or experiences guide your work
  with Native students?
• What are your goals or outcomes (for yourself in
  this work and for your students)?

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Context

• UW-Madison Student Population (Fall 2007)
• 42,000 Total
• Undergraduates 29,000
• American Indian students 287 (0.7)

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Role of Advising

• Developmental Advising
• both stimulates and supports students in their
  quest for an enriched quality of life it is a
  systematic process based on a close
  advisor-student relationship intended to aid
  students in achieving educational and personal
  goals through the utilization of the full range
  of institutional and community resources.
  (emphasis mine)

Ender, S.C., Winston, R.B. and Miller T.K. (1982)
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Role of Advising

• Developmental advising relationships are life
  goal and personal growth oriented and
  intentionally reflect the mission of total
  student development by facilitating the essential
  processes of challenge and response or
  differentiation and integration

Ender, S.C., Winston, R.B. and Miller T.K. (1982)
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Developmental Advising

• Calls for cooperation between Academic and
  Student Affairs
• Assumes student is seeking optimum performance
  and use of opportunities and resources available
• Assumes student has capability to attain and
  access them
• Vital aspect of student success is motivation

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Student Development Theory

• Focus on the interpersonal and intrapersonal
  changes that occur while a student is in college
  and the factors that contribute to these changes.
  
• Came to be used in student affairs as a way to
  help practitioners learn how an institution of
  higher education could best serve the needs of
  its diverse clientele.

Hamrick, F., Evans, N., and Schuh, J. (2002)
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Student Development

• Psychosocial
• Cognitive
• Moral
• Career

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Chickerings Seven Vectors of DevelopmentEducatio
n and Identity (1969)

• Developing competence
• Managing emotions
• Moving through autonomy toward interdependence
• Developing mature interpersonal relationships
• Establishing identity
• Developing purpose
• Developing integrity

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Seven Environmental Factors Influencing Student
DevelopmentChickering and Reisser (1993)

• Institutional objectives
• Institutional size
• Faculty-student interaction
• Curriculum
• Teaching practices
• Diverse student communities
• Student affairs programs and services

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Factors in NA Student Persistence

• Support from family
• Support of faculty and staff
• Institutional commitment
• Personal commitment
• Connections to homeland
• Academic integration
• Social integration

Larimore, J. and McClellan,G. (2005)
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Cognitive Development

• Educational context different for NA students
• Level of maturation, availability of capital
  affects this stage
• Too many sources to cite, most at K-12 level but
  more produced at PSE level, too, particularly PSE
  history.

Deyhle, D. and Swisher, K.(1995) Research in
American Indian and Alaska Native education
From assimilation to self-determination. Review
of Research in Education, 22, 113-194.
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Native Cognitive Development

• New Era of Native Scholarship
• Honors Native ways of knowing
• Creating Knowledge that is useful and applicable
  in Indian Country
• Students can see themselves as Native and as
  scholars
• We need to invent new ways of talking about who
  we are, what we do and are about

Hanitchak, 2008
Elder Epistemology Dr. Rosemary Ackley
Christensen and Dr. Linda Oxendine
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Moral DevelopmentKohlbergs Theory
Six Stages of Moral Judgment, grouped in three
levels

• Preconventional individuals reasoning process
  is concrete and self-focused societal rules and
  expectations not yet understood
• Conventional rules of society and opinions of
  others, especially authorities, are paramount
• Postconventional or Principled self-determined
  principles and values individuals are able to
  step away from rules and expectations established
  by others

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NA Student Moral Development

• Another area that is different for NA students
• Area needing more study in some respects
• Mentions made in connection with cultural
  incongruity, usually as detrimental
• Clash of values, beliefs
• Little on Native spirituality/spiritual practices
  as a source of strength

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Career Development

• At first, went along with the consumer approach
  to education
• Recognition that careers would change more
  quickly over time
• Approach has gone from training for particular
  career paths to knowledge for changing career
  paths
• LEAP (AACU 2007) Liberal education for economic
  creativity

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• The reality for contemporary Native American
  student is that they live in a global society and
  must develop skills and abilities that will
  prepare them for life in two worlds, Native
  American and non-Native.
• -- Mary Jo Tippeconic Fox
  (Comanche)

Tippeconic Fox (2005) Voices from Within
Native American Faculty and Staff on Campus. New
Directions for Student Services.
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Career Development
Graphic adapted from Carney, C. (1999)
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Further Considerations

• Orientation programs
• look for ways to make the university more
  immediately relevant to NA students
• helping NA students think beyond registering for
  classes
• approach as training for using the university
• Welcome reception
• mindfully creating community
• meaningful activities to facilitate
  connections/relationships

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Further Considerations

• First Year Experience courses/programs
• helping NA students think about contexts for
  their education
• contemporary issues facing Indian Country
• using resources and opportunities available
  approach as training for using the university

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Further Considerations

• Encourage full use of and participation in the
  resources and opportunities available to students
• learning support services
• study abroad
• career services
• ADVISING
• academic and professional organizations
• community involvement as professional development

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Further Considerations

• Programming that teaches for change
• Taking advantage of teachable moments
• e.g. Columbus Day now Indigenous Peoples Day
• Making History in the Courtroom

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Further Considerations

• Programming that reinforces accomplishments
  relationships
• Maintains community

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At the end of the Institute

• So what?
• What are the roles you play and what are the
  responsibilities you have towards Native
  students?
• What knowledge or experiences guide you?
• What are the outcomes were trying to achieve?

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• Adrienne Thunder
• Senior Advisor
• Cross-College Advising Service
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• athunder_at_wisc.edu