The previous chapters in this volume highlight key findings from the Wabash National Study (WNS) with implications for student affairs professionals. The findings explored are fascinating and have critical implications to the work we do as student affairs practitioners. As I reflect on these findings, I grapple with what to do with this information. Research is a key element in justifying the importance of student affairs work and describing its impact on students' educational outcomes. As a practitioner, I have to think about how I can translate the WNS findings in a manner that is meaningful to campus decision makers and find ways to use it to inform my daily practice. Though this is part of the work, these exercises can be difficult and exhausting. In this chapter, I explore my own process of using research to inform practice with a particular emphasis on how I, and others, can use findings from studies like the WNS to inform and strengthen practice.
Defining "Scholar-Practitioner""Theory to practice." "Practice informed by evidence." "What does the literature say?" These phrases echo in my mind as I engage in daily work. I hear the voices of peers, faculty, supervisors, and mentors constantly emphasizing the importance of theory-informed practice. These questions are constant reminders of how I engage in daily reflective practice and serve to center the value of scholarship in my own professional practice. This value frames the choices I make and guides my approach to the work I do in student affairs as a scholar-practitioner. Over the past few years I have been privileged enough to be included in conversations about the role of a scholar-practitioner. The work is based on a framework of values, habits of mind, and the ability to balance and integrate "doing" with "knowing."NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT SERVICES, no. 147, Fall 2014