Editors’ notes

Abstract

Although researchers struggle to adequately track the hiring, promotion, and movement of student affairs professionals within the field (Baker, 2013;Tull, 2009;Williams, 2019), attrition rates as high as 60% have been reported in student affairs workplaces (Davis, 2013;Marshall et al., 2016). As practitioners, we have often heard the adage, "people don't leave jobs, they leave supervisors." Thus, if we hold these numbers as relatively true alongside high levels of employee turnover and low job satisfaction and morale that are well documented in the literature (Davis & Cooper, 2017;Marshall et al., 2016;Williams, 2019Williams, , 2021, then there is an urgent need to examine supervision training, practices, and norms in student affairs and higher education (Davis & Cooper, 2017;Williams, 2019). Supervision is integral to any professionalized field, yet it is still considered ancillary or additive for many in student affairs. We also acknowledge that many student affairs supervisors learn how to supervise on the job and lack formal training and mentorship to enact the role. As the experiences and cultural makeup of students and student affairs professionals continue to diversify, rethinking what we know and how we approach supervision in contemporary student affairs workplaces is paramount. Doing so will contribute to the current and ongoing success of campus administrators, but also mediate the declining fiscal resources for recruiting, hiring, and retention of practitioners.We use this volume to explore concepts, contexts, and models of supervision, while reaffirming its important role within the student affairs profession. In doing so, we explore histories and approaches of supervision in student affairs, individual and organizational impacts, new(er) models that center identity and inclusion, and issues that influence the contemporary praxis of supervision. The articles in this volume are informed by both the theoretical and the experiential to help shape contemporary perspectives. To that end, readers can expect this volume to provide practical implications and recommendations for supervision that "teach and foster learning, making them a springboard for action" (Magolda & Carnaghi, 2004, p. 6). We were intentional in including voices of diverse academics, scholar-practitioners, and graduate students within and across student affairs campus types and functional areas.The first half of the volume lays the foundation for understanding the historical and evolving notions and context of supervision. First, Brittany M. Williams and Wachen Bedell Anderson explore evolving perspectives, models, and concepts in student affairs. These authors review some of the earliest and ongoing comprehensive supervision frameworks in the field and underscore how they connect to contemporary shifts in supervision preparation and practice. In Article 2, Aja C. Holmes, Lorraine D. Acker, and Michelle Boettcher contrast definitions of supervision, leadership, and management. They use a case study approach to guide readers toward a more ...