Faculty Council
Faculty
NASPA offers an array of opportunities for members and aspiring members of the faculty. These opportunities range from serving as reviewers for various awards to nominating colleagues for recognition, and serving as discussants for scholarly papers at the NASPA annual conference. The various opportunities to get involved are listed under Faculty Initiatives, below.
You can also keep up-to-date on all the ways to get (or stay) involved by following us on social media!
BlueSky Welcome from the Director
Greetings and Welcome to the Faculty Assembly!
As we look toward the future of higher education, we find ourselves in a time of profound transformation—both within our institutions and across the leadership landscape of student affairs. We all know this is not an “easy” time to be engaged in advancing higher education. Faculty are at the heart of the collegiate experience, and today we are called to defend academic freedom, uphold shared governance, and reaffirm the value of scholarship in an increasingly scrutinized environment. Our discipline plays a critical role in preparing future researchers, scholars, and administrators who will lead and support students in these evolving spaces.
We are also facing a paradigm shift in student affairs:
- 📉 Graduate program enrollments are declining nationwide, driven by demographic shifts and skepticism about the value of higher education.
- 💰 Rising tuition and limited campus resources have made paid graduate experiences harder to sustain.
- 🧠 Faculty workloads are increasing, with mounting expectations around teaching, service, and research.
These challenges are real—but they also present an opportunity. Together, we can reimagine our structures, practices, and priorities to meet this moment. Our success will depend on our willingness to volunteer our time and talents, engage in meaningful dialogue with campus leaders, and identify our next steps.
I invite you to engage with the Faculty Council, share your ideas, and get involved in shaping our collective future. Check back here for additional ways that you can contribute.
Sincerely,
Danielle
Dr. Danielle DeSawal
Clinical Professor
Indiana University
Higher Education and Student Affairs
Master’s Program Coordinator
Past-Present, IU Bloomington Faculty
NASPA Faculty Survey
Thank you for completing the NASPA Faculty Council and NASPA organization sponsored survey on the current status of Master's degree programs in student affairs and higher education. An overview of the spring 2024 results can be found here. The 2025 results will be shared early this fall.
About Faculty Council
In December 2012 the NASPA Board of Directors approved a proposal to form a Division of/for faculty members, known as the Faculty Assembly which will be led by the Faculty Council. The NASPA Faculty Council is responsible for advising the NASPA Board and staff in regard to the faculty agenda of the Association. The Board keeps international issues in the foreground of the Association and assists with strategic issues around regional alignment/assignment, deployment of resources, partnerships, and strategic alliances.
An overview of the Faculty Council Initiatives can be found in the NASPA Faculty Assembly Policies and Procedures.
History of the Faculty Council
Faculty Fellows gathered for the 2012 Summer Summit over the course of three days in August, 2012. Throughout the meeting, they conferred with NASPA staff, specifically President Kevin Kruger, Vice President for Professional Development Stephanie Gordon, and Vice President for Research and Policy, Brian Sponsler. Early in the meeting, Kevin Kruger suggested creating a Faculty Division. The results of our dialogue are included in this proposal. We were encouraged by the responsiveness of the NASPA President, staff, and Board to the need for a central role for graduate preparation faculty as we together advance the future of our profession.
The Faculty Fellows culled the information in this proposal from several documents: the minutes of the Summer Summit provided by NASPA, Fellows’ individual notes, notes of the brainstorm for the Faculty Division Assembly, and the NASPA 2011 Faculty Survey. In addition, we considered a proposal for a Faculty Knowledge Community. The writers of that proposal were consulted on this report.
How to Get Involved
NASPA encourages all people who identify as faculty in student affairs and higher education programs to be involved with activities in the Faculty Division. To provide some context about NASPA’s Faculty Division, the Faculty Assembly is the body of NASPA that is open to any person who identified on their NASPA profile as a faculty member. Faculty may include tenure-track, non-tenure track, clinical, adjunct and special faculty. In other words, NASPA uses a very broad definition of the term faculty. The Faculty Assembly meets once a year at the annual conference. The Faculty Council (FC) is the leadership team for the Faculty Assembly. For those interested in leadership opportunities they may consider applying for one of the member-at-large positions that open each year on the Faculty Council (FC). Please watch for the call for applicants in the fall and follow the directions to submit an application. The FC has a sub-committee who then reviews these applications against the needs of the FC and makes recommendations to the FC for approval. In addition, people who are interested in serving on the FC can apply to be a regional representative. There are seven regions in NASPA. The faculty person would need to contact their Regional Director to express interest in being considered for this position to represent the region on the FC. Typically, regional directors work in concert with the Chair of the FC to determine this representation so that both parties’ goals are met.
Want to get involved but not sure how? Complete the NASPA Faculty Assembly Involvement/Engagement Survey
Faculty Council Initiatives
Faculty Council Awards
The NASPA Faculty Council is pleased to announce it is currently accepting applications for its Annual Awards. These awards are intended to recognize the extraordinary efforts and contributions to the profession through teaching, scholarship, and service made by full- and part-time faculty members. As you consider your nominations (including self-nominations), please note the general nomination criteria as well as the specific nomination critera for each award. Specific materials required for your application (including letters of recommendations) are detailed on the nomination submission form. Award winners will be recognized during the annual NASPA conference.
Nominate yourself or a colleague using this link. Application deadline for all awards is Wednesday, October 1st.
Faculty Service Award
The Faculty Council Service Award is presented to recognize an individual who has been committed to advancing the Faculty Council or Faculty/scholarly initiatives within NASPA.
Award Criteria:
- Any number of years of service to the profession or field (serving NASPA faculty and initiatives – beyond campus involvement; for example, leadership of and service on NASPA committees, mentoring sessions at conferences, service in NASPA regions, etc.)
- Service to the higher education/student affairs community (e.g., NASPA Knowledge Communities, outreach, other professional associations)
- Preference will be given toward nominees who have been involved in service related to the development of faculty and graduate preparation programs
Faculty Council Early Career Award
This award is given to a full-time faculty member (non-tenure/tenured/tenure-track) within the first 6 years of becoming a full-time faculty member that has distinguished themselves in research, teaching, and service. In particular, the award is reserved for an emergent scholar, who has produced evidence of published scholarly works in the student affairs profession/field, has established themselves as excellent teachers to their students, and who has contributed to the field through their service.
Award Criteria:
- Evidence of some scholarly work to the profession or field (for example, publications in student affairs journals, books or book chapters related to student affairs, scholarly presentations about student affairs at conferences or via webinars)
- Evidence of excellent and/or innovative teaching explained in nominating materials (for example, peer evaluations, formal and informal student course evaluations, institutional recognition, teaching philosophy statements, professional development related to teaching)
- Evidence of academic and professional mentoring of students; culminating project, thesis, or dissertation advising
- Evidence of participation in institutional, national, and/or community-engaged service
Faculty Council Mid-Career Award
This award is given to a full-time faculty member (non-tenure/tenured/tenure-track) within the mid-faculty career stage (7 to 15 years since beginning as a full-time faculty member) that has distinguished themselves in research and teaching. In particular, the award is reserved for a scholar who has produced evidence of published scholarly works to the student affairs profession/field, has established themselves as excellent teachers to their students, and who has contributed to the field through their service.
Award Criteria:
- Evidence of significant scholarly work to the profession or field (for example, publications in student affairs journals, books or book chapters related to student affairs, scholarly presentations about student affairs at conferences or via webinars)
- Evidence of excellent and/or innovative teaching explained in nominating materials (for example, peer evaluations, formal and informal student course evaluations, institutional recognition, teaching philosophy statements, professional development related to teaching)
- Evidence of academic and professional mentoring of students; culminating project, thesis, or dissertation advising
- Evidence of participation and leadership in institutional, national, and/or community-engaged service
- Evidence of developing and mentoring early-career faculty members
Faculty Council Award for Outstanding Contributions by a Scholar-Practitioner
This award is given to a full-time professional in higher education/student affairs who has brought a wealth of current and relevant real-world experience into the classroom that has uniquely benefited the educational experience. This award also highlights the contributions that adjunct/part-time faculty members make to graduate preparation programs.
Award Criteria:
- Evidence of sustained excellent and/or innovative teaching explained in nominating materials (for example, peer evaluations, formal and informal student course evaluations, institutional recognition, teaching philosophy statements, professional development related to teaching)
- Evidence of contributions to graduate preparation programs (for example, student mentorship/advising, creating professional development opportunities, service on dissertation/project committees, assistantship/practicum supervision, other academic committees)
Faculty Council Excellence in Teaching Award
This award is given to a full-time faculty member at any rank who has demonstrated excellence, enthusiasm, and innovation in teaching, in any modality (e.g., face-to-face, hybrid, online).
Award Criteria:
- Evidence of sustained excellent and/or innovative teaching explained in nominating materials (for example, peer evaluations, formal and informal student course evaluations, institutional recognition, teaching philosophy statements, professional development related to teaching)
- Evidence of advancements in course curricula and/or course (re)design
- Evidence of use of equitable and inclusive pedagogy in the classroom
Faculty Council Distinguished Support for Graduate Students Award
This award is given to a full-time faculty member at any rank who has demonstrated excellence in advising and exceptional support in fostering the personal, academic, and professional development of graduate students.
Award Criteria:
- Evidence of bolstering the holistic development of graduate students both during and after their time in a graduate preparation program, attending to their emotional and/or personal needs
- Evidence of contributing to graduate students’ academic and professional success (for example, innovative and sustained advising, dissertations/theses chaired, presentations or publications co-authored with students, one-on-one and/or group mentorship on writing, job market preparation)
Faculty Council Outstanding Publication Award
This award recognizes publications released within the last 2 years that have the potential to advance the student affairs profession or graduate preparation programs. For this award, public scholarship (e.g., practice briefs, blog posts, editorials) and/or traditional academic scholarship (e.g., articles, books, book chapters) will be considered.
NOTE: This award may be awarded to multiple individuals involved in a single creative activity.
Award Criteria:
- Evidence of scholarly contributions that advance the field of student affairs and the student affairs profession.
Case Study Competition
The NASPA Graduate Case Study Competition is an opportunity for graduate students to showcase skills and knowledge of the field of student affairs. Graduate students may form a team of 2 to 3 students to participate in NASPA's virtual case study competition. The winning case study team will have the opportunity to present their process, findings, and approaches at the NASPA Annual Conference.
This competition will be held virtually and will require teams to review, analyze, and respond to a thought-provoking case relevant to the field of student affairs in higher education. Participants will be given a case and will be asked to submit their analysis and response as a presentation via a team video. Presentations should include a review of ethical, moral, and legal considerations that influenced the team's response as well as any action steps as outlined in the case study provided.
Important Details:
- Teams should be comprised of 2 to 3 current graduate students and must indicate support from a faculty sponsor.
- Teams must be registered to participate by October 31, 2024.
- Teams will receive the case by November 4, 2024.
- Teams will have until December 2, 2024 to complete and submit their case studies via a link to a video of a presentation of their responses to the case.
- Videos of the team presentations (20 minutes maximum length) will be posted to YouTube by the teams.
- A panel of judges comprised of practitioners and faculty with experience and expertise in student affairs will review and score the cases based on a rubric that will focus on:
o Identification of issues and problems
o Understanding of the context and the connection and application of theory, research, and scholarly practice literature
o Recommendations for practice, including strategies and solutions
- Winners will be announced no later than January 10, 2025.
- Winning teams will earn bragging rights and have an opportunity to present at NASPA's annual conference in 2025.
Teams must register through this link. The deadline to register a team is October 31.
If you have any questions about this competition, please contact Dallin Young at dallin@uga.edu
Mentorship Program
The NASPA Faculty Council is pleased to share its mentoring program for faculty. The program will pair a more seasoned mentor (tenure track or non-tenure track) with a new faculty member. The purpose of the program is to provide support for mentoring relationships whereby new faculty can glean advice and guidance about scholarship, teaching, service, and career plans from seasoned scholars. Mentors and mentees will meet regularly between the period between the 2025 annual conference and the 2026 annual conference (pairs meet once per month with the schedule agreed upon by both individuals). At minimum, the pair should plan to review/discuss the mentee's CV, co-create a short and long-term professional goal and plan to achieve established goals. Pairs will also be asked to attend one Faculty Council On-Demand Professional Development webinar.
Applications for this program are due November 30, 2024.
Involvement Criteria
Participants must be active NASPA members. Mentees must be within their first 1 - 4 years of appointment as an assistant professor (tenure track or non-tenure track), adjunct, or lecturer. Mentors must have a minimum of five years teaching experience.
Apply now!
Faculty Mentee Registration Form
Questions? Email Jackie Clark, jclark@stmartin.edu or Kerry Diekmann, kerry.diekmann@mnsu.edu, for more information.
Emerging Faculty Leader Academy
For a comprehensive overview of the program, including background, ideal applicant profile, expectations, and benefits of the program, please view this overview document.
The NASPA Emerging Faculty Leader Academy is a one-year program for emerging faculty leaders who want to gain knowledge, techniques and experience in order to develop and sustain a fulfilling faculty career. Participants will engage in on-line and in-person professional development and educational sessions in order to gain additional knowledge and skills about being a leader as a faculty member. Potential topics may include: teaching strategies and curriculum development, resources to deal with issues of tenure, merit and performance, and serving within professional associations such as NASPA.
The cohort who completes the NASPA Emerging Faculty Leaders Academy will be able to:
- Define leadership in a faculty role for themselves
- Identify individual plans to excel in a faculty career
- Target at least one "take away" from the individual plan to actuate
- Expand network of colleagues to collaborate within faculty work
- Explore ways to be involved in NASPA as a faculty member
Application Process
The application process for the next cohort of the Emerging Faculty Leader Academy is now closed. Please check back here in Fall 2025 to apply for the next cohort.
Current and Previous Academy Members
Please join us in congratulating the incoming cohort for the Emerging Faculty Leader Academy!
2025-2026 Emerging Faculty Leader Academy cohort
See previous EFLA cohort members here:
Online Faculty Forum
In an effort to increase opportunities for higher education and student affairs program faculty to engage with colleagues on program coordination and curriculum related issues, the NASPA Faculty Council is initiates a monthly web conference effort entitled Online Faculty Forums.
Online Faculty Forums are informal, topical discussions using a web conference platform. A faculty colleague with particular interest in, or experience with, the topic of the month will serve as the host and discussion moderator.
As the name implies, these are meant to be forums, exchanges of ideas, not webinars. The intent is to support collaboration, knowledge sharing, and problem solving. In addition, we anticipate these sessions will influence the Faculty Council agenda and support conference program development addressing needs and interests of program faculty.
Please see the Online Faculty Forums page for current information, and please see the Preparation Program Coordination Resources below for a sample of archived recordings.
Scholarly Papers
In early July, the NASPA 2026 Faculty Initiatives and Scholarly Papers subcommittee of the conference planning committee offered a Q&A session on proposing scholarly papers. The video is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1myD1_5MHupt-E26zKkCmhWz1Moa-4Xho/view?usp=sharing.
We invite you to review the video, and please share it with others who may be new to submitting scholarly papers. As a reminder, proposals are due on September 3rd. Proposals can be submitted at 2026 NASPA Annual Conference. AND if you’re interested in reviewing programs/scholarly papers, please sign up to do so by September 3rd using the same link.
We also invite all faculty and student affairs administrators to consider serving as discussants for the Scholarly Paper Sessions at the NASPA Annual Conference in Kansas City, March 7-11, 2026.
Discussants add value to the scholarly paper presenters and enhance their presentations. Expectations for discussants include editing three scholarly papers prior to the conference and offering written and verbal feedback to authors during the conference session. Discussant comments following the presentations generally summarize the constructive feedback.
Discussants should have a research and publication agenda with general methodological expertise and higher education content knowledge. Applicants who are assigned as discussants will be notified via email of their assigned session, paper titles, and author contact information. Interested discussants should have a terminal degree.
Individuals interested in serving as a discusant should complete this form by October 17, 2025.
We hope you’ll help us make the NASPA 2026 Conference in Kansas City a memorable experience!
If you have any questions, please contact Jill Dunlap at jdunlap@naspa.org.
Doctoral Seminar
Join us for a Virtual Doctoral Seminar experience at the 2025 NASPA Virtual Conference. The doctoral seminar was created to provide support and information for higher education and student affairs doctoral students to help them successfully navigate the process. Faculty, administrators, and doctoral students will facilitate conversations and structured time to reflect about how to be successful in the doctoral experience. In addition to including time for networking with a variety of groups, this seminar will also expose attendees to different pathways that one can take after acquiring their doctorate.
Date: Sunday, March 16, 2025
Time: 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. ET
The registration deadline is Thursday, February 6th. You can register at this link. If you have any questions, please email Dr. Jill Dunlap, Assistant Vice President for Research and Policy at jdunlap@naspa.org.
The Doctoral Seminar is sponsored by Heartful Editor. For first time registrants of the 2025 Doctoral Seminar, Heartful Editor will provide a $100 gift to each participant to use for 2 hours of academic writing coaching and editing support at any time during their doctoral journey.
Faculty Spotlight
The NASPA Faculty Council is launching a social media initiative to highlight graduate students and faculty in our programs! Please nominate someone or self-nominate today!
Spotlights will begin continue throughout the academic year. Questions? Email naspafaculty@gmail.com
Complete Your Profile
Login and update your profile.
Resources
Faculty Resource Library
Faculty are invited to contribute to, and access resources in the NASPA Faculty Resource Library. The Library is a growing repository of resources including such materials as: graduate student handbooks, materials regarding culminating experiences for master's students (for example, a comprehensive examination, portfolio, or other experience), dates for program's visitation and recruitment programs, links to on-line resources, reading recommendations for courses or professional development, course activities and assignments, program coordination resources, data analysis tips/recommendations/resources, research instruments, etc.
Are you a new user to the Faculty Resource Library? Click here to get registered to access the material in the NASPA Online Learning Community. Once you’ve done so, follow the instructions under Returning Users to access the library.
Returning Users:
- Go to https://olc.naspa.org/ and click on "Login" from the upper right hand corner of the screen.
- You will be asked to login with your NASPA user name and password. Once you have done so, you will hit continue and be redirected to your dashboard in the Online Learning Community.
- You will find “Faculty Resource Library” listed under "Enrolled."
Note: A NASPA membership is not required to access the resources, however a free NASPA user profile is required.
Teaching Resources
Professional Development
Preparation Program Coordination Resources
The NASPA Faculty Council & Faculty Assembly is committed to providing Higher Education and Student Affairs graduate preparation faculty with resources that may be useful to them.
Archived Online Faculty Forums
See below for a sample of archived sessions from the Council's Online Faculty Forums.
Previous Faculty Forums
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January 2018: Faculty roles & being a good colleague, Hosted by Annemarie Vaccarro. Vijay Kanagala, and Jörg Vianden
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February 2017: International Students and Campus Environments, Hosted by David Nguyen and Dena Kniess
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March 2017: Why We Came to Love Online Teaching Hosted by Paul Eaton and Tori Sepulveda
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March 2017: Student Development Theory Teaching Strategies, Hosted by Jaimie Hoffman
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May 2017: A Taste of Tech, Hoted by Jaimie Hoffman
November 15, 2016: Curriculum development/innovations, Hosted by Brenda McKenzie
Dynamic Tensions in Student Affairs Preparation Programs: Curricular Developments - February 16, 2016 - Moderated by Susan Longerbeam, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, Northern Arizona University
Faculty Council Members
NASPA's Faculty Assembly is led by a Faculty Council comprised of three Faculty Fellows, seven regional representatives, a media representative, an assembly member at-large, and a doctoral student representative. They are eager to hear from you and to get you connected with the Assembly's initiatives.
Events
One of the best resources available to you is the wide range of professional development opportunities. This list contains both our “Hosted Events,” workshops and webinars that we plan and manage, and some “Related Events,” hosted by the NASPA Central Office or other NASPA Constituent Groups. To see a full listing of NASPA events, please see the Events page.