Center for Student Engagement’s
STUDENT OFFICER DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Nicky P. Damania
Cynthia Esparza-Trigueros
Nicholas Cruz Blevins
Dara E. Naphan
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA
• Established in 1874
• Nevada’s land grant institution
• Nearly 19,000 graduate and
undergraduate students
• 46 National Merit Scholars
• 145 Degree Programs
CENTER FOR
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
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Campus Escort Service
Inkblot Marketing
Sound and Lights Department
Accounting Services
Front Desk Operations
Student Media
Advertising and Promotions
Campus Programming
Food Pantry
Student Event Advisory Board
Legal Services
New Student Initiatives
Scholarships
Legislative Affairs
Employee and Leadership Development
Clubs and Organizations
Undergraduate Research and Journal
Associated Student Government
ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA
{ASUN}
ASUN is made up of every undergraduate student at the University of Nevada. They provide a means for students to voice
concerns and address issues at the university, local, state, national, and international levels.
THE QUESTION
What are the various Student Officer competencies
and do they improve them throughout their
Public Servant Leadership tenure?
#ACPA14
What competency areas
need to be developed in
Student Officers?
#ACPA14
ACPA’s Overall Professional Competences:
• Advising and Helping
• Student Learning and Development
LITERATURE REVIEW
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Servant Leadership
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Student Success in College Creating Conditions That Matter
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Theoretical leadership model that approaches leadership as a purposeful,
collaborative, values-based process that results in positive social change
(Astin & Astin, 1996; Komives, Lucas, & McMahon, 2007)
Socially Responsible Leadership Scale
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Describes policies, programs, and practices that a diverse set of institutions have used
to enhance student achievement (Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, & Whitt 2005)
The Social Change Model of Leadership Development
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A servant leader is "one who is a servant first" (Greenleaf, 2002)
A statistically valid and reliable measure of that measures what it intends to measure
and does so consistently (Dugan & Komives, 2010)
CAS Standards
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The standards and guidelines for leadership programs stated that programs “must
incorporate student learning and student development in its mission” (CAS, 2012)
CSE COMPETENCY AREAS
1) Developing Professional Relationships
2) Understanding Teamwork
3) Gathering and Applying information
4) Problem Solving
5) Knowing the Rules
CSE COMPETENCY ITEMS
1) Developing Professional Relationships
1. Relationships with Peers
2. Relationships with Faculty
3. Relationships with Staff
2) Understanding Teamwork
4. Understanding group dynamics
5. Working effectively in a group
CSE COMPETENCY ITEMS
3) Gathering and Applying information
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Transforming information into knowledge
Gathering information to make judgments
Using information to make judgments
Analyzing information to form opinions
Using judgments to make purposeful action
CSE COMPETENCY ITEMS
4) Problem Solving
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Identifying problems
Generating solutions to problems
Choosing between multiple possible solutions
Advocating for solutions
Implementing solutions
Evaluating outcomes of solutions
CSE COMPETENCY ITEMS
5) Knowing the Rules
17. Applying the rules and protocols set forth
18. Explaining how government functions
DUAL ASSESSMENT
1. 18 Self Reported Items Measuring 5 Competency Areas
 Experience
 Confidence
2. Socially Responsible Leadership Scale (established scale)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Consciousness of Self
Congruence
Commitment
Collaboration
Common Purpose
Controversy with Civility
Citizenship
Change
 Took the Dual Assessments
 Created action plans
 Took the mid-year evaluation
 Revisited the action plans
 Retook the Dual
Assessment
METHODS
 Assessed action
plans
#ACPA14
Step 1
In groups of 3-4, review the case
Step 2
Identify 1 area of improvement
Step 3
Create an innovative method to
enhance one item within a
competency area
#ACPA14
ASUN OFFICERS
Sample Statistics
(n= 57)
University
Statistics
Average age
20 years
<
22.1 years
Males
33 (58%)
>
6,676 (48%)
Females
24 (42%)
<
7,363 (52%)
1 (2%)
<
2,916 (22%)
Sophomores
21 (37%)
>
2,890 (22%)
Juniors
21 (37%)
>
3,059 (23%)
Seniors
Caucasian
14 (25%)
<
4,565 (34%)
39 (57%)
<
11,350 (67%)
Non-Caucasian
29 (43%)
>
5,656 (33%)
3.34
>
2.99
First Years
Average GPA
CHANGE IN COMPETENCY AREAS
Phase 1
(n=20)
Phase 3
Change
Exp.
Conf.
Exp.
Conf.
Change
in Exp.
Change
in Conf.
Group Dynamics
6.2
6.3
6.3
6.1
0.2
-0.2
Problem Solving
6.0
6.3
6.2
6.2
0.2
-0.1
Professional
Relationships
5.9
6.4
5.9
6.1
0.0
-0.4
Gathering and
Applying
Information
Knowing and
Following the Rules
5.8
6.0
6.1
6.0
0.3
0.0
5.2
5.7
6.0
5.9
0.8
0.3
CHANGE IN SRLS
Phase 1
Phase 3
(n = 20)
Commitment
6.58
6.43
Average
Change
-0.15
Congruence
6.39
6.41
0.03
Citizenship
6.35
6.51
0.16
Common
Purpose
Consciousness
of Self
6.26
6.36
0.11
6.17
6.08
-0.09
Collaboration
5.96
6.14
0.18
Controversy
5.67
5.66
-0.01
Change
5.60
5.25
-0.35
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS
• Officers overall showed greater improvement in:
• Exp. and Conf. with Gathering and Applying Information
• Exp. with Knowing and Following the Rules
• By having the individualized action plans, Officers did show
more improvement in the targeted competency areas
DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
“When I started working with other officers it really helped me when I finally
realized that they were also students that they were like me, that we were
officers but we were also students. This helped dissolve the fear. It is much
easier to work and communicate with others once I realized we weren’t so
different.”
~ First Year Programmer
“Some of the most beneficial things to me have been individual meetings
with the professional staff. Also, after certain events I have somewhat
“debriefed” with professional staff, and discussed what happened as well as
talk about other scenarios that could have happened, ultimately talking about
what could have gone better during whatever event.”
~ First Year Senator
UNDERSTANDING TEAMWORK
“The senate meetings where we avidly discuss issues affecting students at the
University of Nevada have greatly helped me to solve problems professionally.
When we are making a decision, as senators we must put aside personal
interests and act for the students that we represent. This has led to a trickledown effect, putting me in a position where I have needed to develop the
ability to be a team player. In addition, I've taken the initiative to gather the
whole opinion of the students on issues by tabling and asking questions to my
constituents. From working on such influential projects, I've formed both
professional and personal bonds with my fellow senators and other
branches of ASUN.”
~ First Year Senator
GATHERING AND APPLYING INFORMATION
“ASUN Clubs and Orgs is such a dynamic work environment that allows
commissioners to have such a vast amount of discretion. I think that the
conversations we have during/after funding hearings are some of the best
dialogues that happen at meeting. In the current state of Clubs and Orgs, it
seems the most important role is allocating funding to help clubs become
successful. But, we also have to make sure that the funds we are approving are
for appropriate purposes. This has most definitely been the most fulfilling part
of working with CnO.”
~ First Year Club Commissioner
PROBLEM SOLVING
“I think working with my peers in a professional setting, has led to this
improvement. It allows me to explore avenues that may or may not work
in the real world environment without great consequences. I also have
read and talked more about leadership attributes and other things that can
help me be successful in other roles I play. I am getting more experience
taking in others ideas and forming solutions too! This has been nothing
but a valuable experience.”
~ First Year Club Commissioner
“I have to find a problem and take a step back so I can try to develop a
solution to that problem by looking at the needs and interests of others.”
~ First Year Programmer
KNOWING THE RULES
“I ask my director and advisor when I’m not sure how to take care of something.
I have learned so much through this experience. I have an understanding of
how things work together and I have a sense of ownership in the process”
~ First Year Programmer
“I’ve learned to structure what I’m saying when I speak to other groups. I
learned that I need to speak with a purpose and I need to slow down. I
need to know who I am speaking with and how I can impact the audience.
When speaking to others I need to spark their interest, get their attention and
then give them details of what information I want to convey to them. I need the
group to trust me so that they will want to work with me.”
~ First Year Programmer
ADVISOR
OBSERVATIONS
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Motivation levels
Personal confidence
Asking more questions
Understanding transferable
skills
Knowing own strengthens
and weakness
Awareness of evolving
leadership styles
Being more attentive
Open to receiving feedback
LIMITATIONS
• Personal obligations
• Scheduling conflicts
• Self Selection
• Motivation to followthrough
• Commitment to their
positions
• Quality of OfficerAdvisor relationships
IMPROVEMENTS
• Auditory recording of
conversations
• More accountability for
the officers
• Incorporate other
techniques
• Re-developing
competency areas
DISCUSSION
• Level of open dialogue
• Sense of time
commitment
• Differing interpretations
• Officers self-reflect
• Focus on competency
development
#ACPA14
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Astin. A. W. & Astin, H. S. (1996). A Social Change Model of Leadership
Development Guidebook Version III. The National Clearinghouse of Leadership
Programs.
Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. (2008). CAS
General Standards, from https://www.cas.edu/index.php/cas-general-standards
Dugan, J. P., & Komives, S. R. (2010). Influences on college students’ capacity
for socially responsible leadership. Journal of College Student Development,
51(5), 525-549.
Greenleaf, R. K. (2002). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of
legitimate power and greatness (25th anniversary ed.). New York: Paulist Press.
Komives, S. R., Lucas, N., & McMahon, T. R. (2007). Exploring Leadership: For
College Students Who Want to Make a Difference (2nd edition). San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Kuh, G.D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J.H., Whitt, E.J., & Associates (2005). Student
success in college: Creating conditions that matter. San Francisco: JosseyBass.
#ACPA14
#ACPA14
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