Using a collaborative approach by drawing on expertise from across the division, in Fall 2014 a knowledge council (KC) was formed comprised of key stakeholders who would determine the scope of the professional development initiative. The charge to the council was to serve as expert decision-makers, providing guidance and knowledge in the design and creation of the initiative. The KC has a total of twenty-one members including director, MSO, administrative and custodial/facilities representation.
In alignment with the Division of Student Affairs’ aspirational goals (transformational, inclusive, impactf and nimble), UC Merced’s institutional objectives and the 2020 Project, the mission of the Division of Student Affairs Professional Development Program (SAPDP) is to increase student success by providing professional development opportunities for student affairs staff in efforts to advance the knowledge, skills, and attitudes expected of staff regardless of their area of specialization or positional role within the field.
With the mission in mind, the KC focused on two principles that formed the basis of the program: Jillian Kinzie’s (Associate Director, Center for Postsecondary Research & NSSE Institutte) 2014 accountability agenda and national core competencies standards for the profession of student affairs. Lengthy discussions ensued on how to create a program that incorporated both principles. This resulting initiative is the outcome of the KC’s objective to create a program that provides professional development opportunities in both principle areas. What emerged were two distinct yet overlapping professional development opportunities, organized as experiential learning and teaching and training.
