Running head: COMPETENCY AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 1

Competency and Professional Development

Eden Driscoll

Western Illinois University

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Competency and Professional Development

During my undergraduate years I was fortunate enough to study in Italy, France, and the

United Kingdom. These experiences ignited my passion for exploring different cultures, and I

finished my bachelor’s degree with the desire to help other students discover the same. I chose

to pursue a master’s degree in student affairs specifically because I intend to work in

International Student Programs and Services​.

In order to become an effective student affairs professional in this field, within this paper

I am evaluating my strengths and weaknesses according to the competency areas identified by

the ACPA and NASPA. I will rank myself in each competency according to the following scale:

0 = Haven’t Started, 1= Barely Begun, 2 = Started, 3 = Slight Experience, 4 = Somewhat

Experienced, 5 = Fairly Experienced, 6 = Experienced, 7 = Somewhat Competent, 8 = Fairly

Competent, 9 = Competent, 10 = Pretty Darn Competent

I will furthermore construct a plan to both maintain my current skills and improve upon my

deficiencies for each area before relating these competencies back to the functional area of

International Student Programs and Services​.

Personal and Ethical Foundations

Personal and Ethical Foundations is one of my strongest competency areas. I would rate

myself as a nine because even though I consider myself competent in this area I can still see

room for improvement. One of the foundational outcomes for this competency is to “articulate

key elements of one’s set of personal beliefs and commitments...as well as the source of each”

(ACPA- College Student Educators International, & NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in

Higher Education, 201​5, p. 16). My personal values and morals stem from my Christian faith,
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particularly the Golden Rule. I try to guide my interactions with people by treating them as I

would want to be treated. The source of this belief is my family. As far back as I can remember,

my family has always taught me that the first priority in life is loving others as God does.

Although I have had to develop my own sense of what ‘loving others’ means, this first belief of

my family continues to be the foundation that I return to whenever I face an ethical dilemma.

This competency area also calls for adopting healthy living habits. I have been struggling

with anxiety for over five years now, and it has forced me to change my lifestyle. I now have a

greater understanding of how diet and exercise affects emotional as well as physical health. I

have cut gluten, dairy, and sugar from my diet, and I practice pilates and yoga on a regular basis.

My spiritual health has also been strengthened by my dependence on my faith to get me through

difficult times. In both counseling and time set aside for prayer I have learned to reflect on my

life and develop methods of self-improvement. I have discovered what triggers stress and panic

for me, and I have learned how to seek help when I need it. In short my anxiety has forced me to

become very self-aware. In order to maintain this healthy lifestyle I need to continue to find

sources of motivation, whether it be by cooking new recipes, finding a range of fun ways to stay

active, or increasing time set aside for journaling and meditation.

Another foundational outcome in which I am already very experienced is taking

“responsibility to broaden perspectives by participating in activities that challenge one’s beliefs”

(ACPA & NASPA, 2015, p. 16). I have studied abroad in multiple places during my

undergraduate years, and every time that I have immersed myself in a new culture my worldview

has been challenged and expanded. I enjoy the greater understanding that comes with learning

about other ways of thinking and being a university student has provided me with ample
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opportunities to accomplish this. A couple of examples would be the lecture on Hinduism and

the inter-faith panel that I attended last year.

Despite all of these strengths, I am still lacking experience in some aspects of this

competency area. Although I have had to balance commitments between my schooling and

personal life in the past, I am just starting to apply this knowledge to my new professional life.

Since I am a new professional I have also not yet needed to “question institutional actions which

are not consistent with ethical standards” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015, p. 16). However, my

assistantships and practicum experiences have already started and will continue to provide me

with opportunities to reflect on, question, and apply ethical practices in my professional life.

Values, Philosophy, and History

I would only give myself a two in the Values, Philosophy, and History competency

because I have just started learning about the history and origins of student affairs within this

first semester of courses. The 1937 and 1949 ​Student Personnel Point of View​ that we have read

for class has enabled me to “learn and articulate the principles of professional practice,” and the

NASPA and ACPA principles have explained “the role and responsibilities of student affairs

professional associations” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015, p. 18). My courses have also introduced

me to some of the historic questions, trends, and issues of student affairs that are still relevant to

this field today, such as the constant struggle to justify what student affairs contributes to

university life and to what extent does the field contribute to administrative bloat. These are

extremely difficult questions on which I need to reflect further.

The historical context of each university is different, so I will have to study this every

time I work at a new institution. I also have barely any knowledge of the history behind specific
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functional areas within student affairs. Thankfully this should be remedied later this semester

since we will be studying the various functional areas in our Organization and Administration

course. In order to increase my understanding of different student affairs philosophies and trends

I plan to join either ACPA or NASPA, attend conferences, read literature on the field, and

remain current with contemporary news by consulting publications like ​Inside Higher Ed​. I will

also gain more information on the history of student affairs in future classes such as ​CSP 554:

Higher Education in the United States.

A foundational outcome in this competency that further interests me is being able to

“articulate the changing nature of the global student affairs profession” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015,

p. 18). Jill Bisbee had told me during CSP Days that some graduate students choose to create

their own projects abroad instead of participating in a NODA internship during the summer.

Perhaps I could use this opportunity to study the history and development of student affairs in

another country.

Assessment, Evaluation, and Research

Since I have some experience assessing and evaluating the learning of my piano and ESL

students, I would give myself a three in the Assessment, Evaluation, and Research competency.

We also covered the topics of assessment and evaluation in regards to programming as part of

my assistantship training for the Office of Student Activities, and I have already completed a

research methods course prior to the one that I am currently taking. My assistantship will

provide me with plenty of hands-on opportunities to assess and evaluate programs that I am

leading such as Make a Difference Day and Alternative Spring Break. Indeed, I have already

taken a small role in evaluating Camp Leatherneck.

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One of the intermediate outcomes for this area is to “manage and/or adhere to the

implementation of institutional and professional standards for ethical AER activities” (ACPA &

NASPA, 2015, p. 21). In my current research methods course we have already completed

training on how to conduct ethical research. However, I have not yet been able to apply what I

have learned to practice since I have not conducted formal research. An opportunity to do so

would be to take the literature review that we are writing for our research methods class and

taking it further. My partner and I are investigating the impact of multicultural centers on the

undergraduate experience of marginalized groups. We are both interested in going beyond

simply writing a literature review to actually conducting a case study of the MCC here at WIU.

Perhaps the project could count as an independent study.

Law, Policy, and Governance

I have barely begun the Law, Policy, and Governance competency, so I would rate

myself as a one. I have a very basic understanding of how the state and federal legal systems

affect universities; one example would be the legislative stalemate in Springfield and how it has

created the budget crisis in which WIU currently finds itself. Laws such as Title IX and FERPA

have been explained to me during my undergraduate courses, and we have discussed the debate

surrounding safe spaces, free speech zones, and the First Amendment during my staff training for

the OSA.

In order to “describe evolving laws, policies, and judicial rulings that influence the

student-institutional relationship and how they affect professional practice” (ACPA & NASPA,

2015, p. 22), I need to pay more attention to state and national politics in the news. Studying the

civil service handbook of each institution at which I am employed will give me a deeper
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understanding of its policies and governance. I am also looking forward to taking CSP 550:

Legal Issues for Professionals in College Personnel, which will contribute greatly to my

knowledge of this area. In the future I will also search for opportunities to be involved with

committees that discuss and implement changes in institutional policies so that I can gain

firsthand experience in their creation.

Organizational and Human Resources

I would rate myself as a three for the Organizational and Human Resources competency

area since I have some slight experience managing people and financial resources. Most of this

experience stems from my position as adviser for Western’s All Volunteer Effort (WAVE). I

have already been able to “develop and utilize appropriate meeting materials” (ACPA &

NASPA, 2015, p. 24) by creating agendas for WAVE’s executive board and facilitating their

meetings. I have already been able to use the group management and conflict resolution skills

that we have been discussing in Group Dynamics in my supervision of this group. I am also

working closely with the treasurer to create and oversee WAVE’s budget and fundraising efforts.

In these ways my assistantship will continue my development of these skills throughout the rest

of the year. I will also gain some hiring experience since I will be in charge of interviewing and

selecting trip leaders and participants for Alternative Spring Break.

Unfortunately it does not seem as though the CSP program provides an official course on

budgets and financial management, so this is an area in which I will have to seek training from

other resources. One of the guest speakers in Organization and Administration suggested the

book ​Budgets and Financial Management​, which seems like it could be a good starting point.

Perhaps there will be a future workshop focusing on this topic. Two other foundational
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outcomes of which I have little knowledge in this competency are crisis management and

sustainability. Talking with my assistantship supervisor about campus policies and office

procedures in case of emergency would provide some insight into crisis management, while

speaking with someone in charge of facilities could give me a better picture of Western’s

sustainability efforts or lack thereof.

Leadership

Since I have had a variety of leadership roles in the past such as being an ESL tutor and

producing a theatrical production, I consider myself to be fairly competent in Leadership and

would therefore rate myself as a seven. I would not rate myself higher because I have not had

much experience in a professional leadership role, but this is quickly changing since I am

running the volunteer services department in the OSA by myself. Although I have only been in

my assistantship position for a month I have already developed relationships with people

throughout the Macomb community, from the mayor to the volunteer coordinator at the

McDonough County Hospital. In essence my job is centered entirely around community

building since I connect people looking to volunteer with organizations that need them. In this

way I have been able to “apply the basic principles of community building” (ACPA & NASPA,

2015, p. 27).

A foundational outcome of Leadership that I am currently striving to develop is to

“identify basic fundamentals of teamwork and teambuilding in one’s work setting and

communities of practice” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015, p. 27). Group Dynamics is proving to be

helpful in teaching me these fundamentals. We are currently learning about the benefits and
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challenges of certain styles of group leadership, and I am already finding ways to apply what we

are studying in class to my advising experience with WAVE.

Social Justice and Inclusion

I would rate myself as a nine for Social Justice and Inclusion because I am competent in

constructing relationships with people who have different identities and perspectives than

myself. A clear example of this would be all the close friendships I have made with students

from Asia during my time studying abroad. Talking about our different ethnicities and

worldviews has made our relationship much more precious and profound.

The ‘Diversity in the United States’ course that I took last year was also instrumental in

my development in this competency area. It was in that class that my eyes were opened to White

privilege and how it shapes our country, especially in regards to our educational and legal

systems. Ever since then I have taken an avid interest in educating myself on the injustice and

oppression of marginalized groups. Most of this self-education has been in the form of literature;

some powerful books I have read on the subject are ​Between the World and Me, Just Mercy, ​and

The New Jim Crow.

I have advocated for social justice and inclusion on a personal level through actions such

as tutoring immigrants and refugees in English. I also constantly try to participate in events that

bring me into contact with people who have different identities than my own. One recent

example would be my attendance at Calle Murray, a block party hosted by the Multicultural

Center. Most of the other attendees identified as African American or Latino/a; I was one of the

only Caucasian students there.

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Although I have a solid foundation in this area, I still have a lot to learn. I will continue

to build my knowledge as I have before by connecting and building meaningful relationships

with others while recognizing the various identities that they hold (ACPA & NASPA, 2015, p.

30). I also want to challenge myself to go beyond simply reading about social justice issues.

The next step would be engaging in dialogue about them, and to that end I have signed up for an

Expanding Cultural Diversity workshop that will be taking place in October.

Student Learning and Development

Student Learning and Development is another competency area that I have barely begun,

so I would give myself a one. Although I have used informal theories to enhance my students’

learning when I was a piano teacher and a tutor, I have not had any experience applying formal

theories to practice. Indeed we have only begun to learn about educational philosophies such as

rationalism, neo-humanism, and instrumentalism in our Introduction to College Student

Personnel course. Thankfully I will study student development theories more in depth during

CSP 559 and 565: Student Development Theory and Application I & II. My assistantship and

practicum sites will provide me with ample opportunities to apply what I learn during these

courses.

Technology

I would give myself a nine in Technology since I am competent in its usage. I have

extensive experience in finding resources using technology thanks to all of the research papers I

have written during my undergraduate years, and I am especially adept at navigating library

databases and catalogs. The research methods course I took during my bachelor’s taught me to

“critically assess the accuracy and quality of information gathered via technology” (ACPA &
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NASPA, 2015, p. 33). I am also confident in the use of both Microsoft Office software and

Google apps, having used them extensively for a variety of assignments.

An example of a foundational outcome that I have achieved in this area is to “incorporate

commonly utilized technological tools and platforms including social medial and other digital

communication and collaboration tools into one’s work” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015, p. 33).

Currently I am promoting an increased social media presence for WAVE to reach out to new

members, and I am encouraging executive board members to take advantage of the new

PurplePost software to accomplish tasks such as collecting members’ volunteer hours.

“Troubleshoot[ing] basic software, hardware, and connectivity problems” (ACPA & NASPA,

2015, p. 33) is another area that I have developed during my work for the Kent District Library

by helping patrons with printing and scanning issues.

Despite my strong foundation in this area, there are still improvements to be made. For

instance, there are some social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram that I have never

used before. Having someone teach me the basics of using them would enhance my

understanding of how we can use them to advertise the student organizations and programs that I

oversee. I also have the opportunity to teach my students about establishing and maintaining a

positive digital reputation for themselves and their organizations. I will continue this type of

positive engagement with technology through our Group Dynamics project, for which we will be

starting a Facebook page devoted to facilitating a discussion among students about how they can

positively impact the world. Furthermore, in order to “demonstrate adaptability in the face of

fast-paced technological change” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015, p. 33), I will have to constantly learn

how to use new softwares and technologies.

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Advising and Supporting

Since I am fairly experienced in Advising and Supporting through my past positions of

being a mentor and advising students on a dramaturg team for a theatrical production, I would

rate myself as a five in this competency. Advising WAVE has also already given me

opportunities to facilitate both the executive board’s goal-setting for the semester and their

problem-solving when the president was on sick leave for the first two weeks of general

assembly meetings.

A foundational outcome that I need to improve upon is to “seek opportunities to expand

one’s own knowledge and skills in helping students with specific concerns” (ACPA & NASPA,

2015, p. 36). For instance, although I have some personal knowledge of anxiety issues I need

more training about how to assist students who are struggling with other mental health problems.

One way to do this would be to attend the Suicide Prevention workshop that the Office of

Student Activities will be having in the future.

I will also further my knowledge of group facilitation during the rest of our Group

Dynamics course this semester. I would also like to gain more experience in counseling, for

which ​CSP 555: Counseling Theories and Practices for College Student Personnel will be a great

opportunity. Moreover, I plan to gain experience in study abroad advising for either my

practicum or next year’s assistantship.

International Student Programs and Services

As mentioned in the introduction to this paper, the functional area that I would like to

eventually work in is International Student Programs and Services (ISPS). A couple of the

competency areas that I scored the lowest on will be very important when I enter this field. For
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example Law, Policy, and Governance will be crucial to my work since the Council for the

Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (2015) demand that “staff must be well versed in

and remain current on immigration laws and regulations that impact students” (p. 306). ISPS

personnel must also “understand how to develop effective and creative social and cultural

programming” (CAS, 2015, p. 301), which requires applying Student Learning and Development

theories to practice. I must also be competent in Assessment, Evaluation, and Research in order

to ensure that these programs are effectively achieving their desired outcomes.

Social Justice and Inclusion, Personal and Ethical Foundations, and Advising and

Supporting are all crucial to my development as a ISPS professional. The Council for the

Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (2015) states that ISPS personnel must “address

the characteristics and needs of diverse constituents when establishing and implementing

culturally relevant and inclusive programs, services, policies, procedures, and practices” (p. 307).

I must assist the university in providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all incoming

international students, especially when their identities are significantly different from those of

the host culture. Being competent in Personal and Ethical Foundations is also critical because I

will be constantly interacting with students who bring unique perspectives from all around the

world. When engaging with them I must be aware of my personal beliefs and biases and be

willing to have them challenged. Finally, I must be capable in Advising and Supporting in order

to help international students adjust to the host culture and find the resources they need.

The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (2015) also states

that “ISPS professional staff members must possess the required interpersonal skills and be

competent in the areas of effective communication, group facilitation, leadership training and
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development, and crisis intervention” (p. 305). Therefore both the Leadership and

Organizational and Human Resources competencies are needed. Being able to lead and manage

groups is necessary when conducting international student orientation programs, and engaging

with ESL students require that I be an effective communicator. Since the work of ISPS

professionals requires them to be leaders in promoting healthy relationships between various

countries around the world, the very nature of the ISPS field requires that personnel are

competent in Leadership.

I would consider the last two competencies to be relatively less important to this field

than the others, yet having a strong foundation in them remains essential. Since ISPS

professionals must use technologies to communicate globally on a daily basis, they must be

strong in the Technology competency area. Although knowledge of the history of student affairs

is not critical to ISPS, Values, Philosophy, and History still contribute to the professional

development of ISPS personnel since paying attention to global trends in student affairs will

make collaboration with other countries easier.

All in all, being strong in each competency area will allow me to become an effective

ISPS professional. While I need to continue to expand my expertise in my highly-ranked

competencies of Social Justice and Inclusion, Personal and Ethical Foundations, and

Technology, I plan to pay particular attention to developing my competency in the other areas,

especially Student Learning and Development, Values, Philosophy, and History, and Law,

Policy, and Governance. I am entering this field with the desire to be the best professional I can

be, and improving each competency area is a wonderfully focused way to do this.
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References

ACPA- College Student Educators International, & NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in

Higher Education. (2015, August 7). ​Professional competency areas for student affairs

educators. ​Retrieved from ​http://naspa.org/images/uploads/main/ACPA_NASPA_

Professional_Competencies_FINAL.pdf

Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. (2015). ​CAS professional

standards for higher education​ (9th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.