Division of Student Affairs

West Chester University Student Affairs will be nationally respected among public universities for its excellence in achieving inclusivity while creating transformative experiences for every student that inspire life-long discovery and positive action.

West Chester University Student Affairs staff are educators who design and facilitate high-quality co-curricular experiences to develop students’ personal, professional, and intellectual talents, preparing them to learn, lead, and serve.

 

Accountability

We value an outcomes-based, socially and fiscally responsible environment in which integrity, open communication, and assessment demonstrate the impact of our work.

Collaboration

We value mutually beneficial partnerships, both within and outside of the University, to accomplish shared goals.

Holistic Student Development

We value acknowledging and developing the whole individual, supporting their intellectual, emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual needs.

Learning

We value acquiring knowledge and skills, fostering healthy behaviors, and clarifying values –both in and out of the classroom.

Social Justice

We value the respect, worth, and dignity of each member of the West Chester University community, fostering equitable access for all, and challenging systems of oppression.

 

Engagement & Experiential Learning

Goal Statement: Develop intentional and varied opportunities for students to engage on campus and within the broader community.   

 Outcomes:

1) Leverage technology/multimedia platforms to engage students, communicate our programs and services, and provide learning opportunities.
2) Develop stronger mutually beneficial partnerships with our internal and external stakeholders in order to better engage our students in learning opportunities.

Health, Wellness, and Safety

Goal Statement: Promote the comprehensive health, wellness, and safety of all students to create a community of care.

 Outcomes:

1) Provide education, training, and treatment for students regarding healthy living.
2) Provide coaching to students regarding impact of decisions related to health, wellness, and safety to recognize and encourage personal accountability.  

Infrastructure

Goal Statement: Promote responsible stewardship of human, fiscal, and physical resources needed to achieve success for our departments and to ensure the standards of our profession.

Outcomes: 

1) Expand existing and establish new funding sources.
2) Provide training and professional development opportunities for staff of all levels (paraprofessional, support, entry, middle, and senior).
3) Engage in long-range planning to ensure sustainability.

Social Justice

Goal Statement: Create an environment that understands, recognizes, and embraces social justice as a primary component of the campus community.  

Outcomes:

1) Infuse social justice knowledge into the policies, programs, and services to positively impact campus climate and beyond.
2) Provide professional development for all Student Affairs staff, paraprofessionals, and students on how to understand and think critically about systems of oppression, privilege and equity.
3) Conduct policy and practice reviews to identify and challenge formal and informal systems of oppression that might exist within.
4) Analyze current data to identify salient areas and holes within the campus climate.

Student Development (Success)

Goal Statement: Create an environment of outcome/evidence-based practices and data informed decision making to engage our diverse student population and impact student success.

Outcomes:

1) Utilize WCU’s Student Affairs Learning Domains to inform Student Affairs’ programs and services that contribute to student success from orientation through graduation and beyond.
2) Utilize data and assessment results for program improvement.

Communication

Integrate communication methods to effectively engage with others to express ideas and information.  These skills are demonstrated by the student’s ability to:

• Express ideas and facts to others effectively in a variety of formats, particularly written, oral, digital, and visual formats
• Communicate in a range of settings so the ideas and facts are clear to the intended audience
• Clearly articulate abstract ideas
• Create and evaluate presentations or performances
• Actively listen and demonstrate comprehension of the communication

 

Intrapersonal/interpersonal development

Awareness of one’s emotions, behaviors, and motivations; demonstrates personal accountability and respect for oneself and others in the navigation of social and organizational systems. These skills are demonstrated by the student’s ability to:

• Articulate one’s values, beliefs, strengths, and challenges
• Take actions based on analysis of one’s values, beliefs, strengths and challenges
• Implement a personalized approach to physical, mental, and emotional health and wellness
• Manage adversity and life challenges in a flexible and ethical manner that promotes individual growth and development
• Actively engage with others to build consensus, define values, or meet shared goals
• Integrate elements of interpersonal difference in order to be inclusive as possible in group settings
• Cultivate healthy, meaningful relationships with others

 

Critical thinking/problem solving

Engagement in a process of disciplined thinking to analyze issues, make decisions, and overcome problems.  These skills are demonstrated by the student’s ability to:

• Comprehend, interpret, and analyze ideas and facts
• Use complex information from a variety of sources to draw logical conclusions
• Recognize and manage ambiguous ideas and experiences
• Identify and adapt behaviors by applying previously understood information, concepts, and experiences to a new situation or setting
• Identify and propose logical and sequential solutions for solving problems

 

Integration and application of knowledge

Use of information and concepts from multiple sources and experiences in their intellectual, professional, personal, and community lives.  These skills are demonstrated by the student’s ability to:

• Seek new information to solve problems
• Identify connections between classroom and out-of-classroom learning
• Relate co-curricular experiences to academic and career planning
• Demonstrate transferrable life skills while participating in co-curricular activities
• Synthesize curricular and co-curricular learning to deepen understanding of a topic and broaden their point of view
• Apply and adapt to new and emerging technologies

 

Civic discourse/intercultural fluency

Respond thoughtfully and responsibly to issues of diversity.  These skills are demonstrated by the student’s ability to:

• Demonstrate an awareness of, sensitivity to, and respect for difference
• Work comfortably and effectively with people from diverse backgrounds
• Demonstrate knowledge of the broader implications of attitudes towards diversity
• Show inclusivity and adaptability when communicating to a variety audiences

 

Values and ethics

The creation of a personal brand marked by integrity and sound decision-making with respect to individual conduct and citizenship.  These skills are demonstrated by the student’s ability to:

• Make informed and principled choices and to foresee consequences of these choices
• Understand ethical principles within diverse cultural, social, environmental and personal settings
• Exhibit respect and preserve the dignity of others
• Demonstrate personal accountability and learn from their mistakes
• Utilize digital media in an ethical and responsible manner

 

Community engagement/global awareness

Making a difference in the civic life of our communities through an understanding of concepts the world encompasses, including (but not limited to) environmental, social, cultural, political, and economic.  These skills are demonstrated by the student’s ability to:

• Enhance the quality of life for all in a community, through both political and non-political processes
• Connect curricular and co-curricular knowledge to one’s own participation in civic life
• Tailor communication strategies to establish relationships that further civic action
• Recognize personal beliefs because of engaging within and learning from diverse communities and cultures
• Take informed and responsible action to address ethical, social, and environmental challenges in global systems
• Promote equitable systems that foster a socially just society