| Student Affairs divisions of colleges and universities are crucial to the recruitment, admission, and success of students. Yet, policies and practices pertaining to the staff development of employees who provide essential services and programs are relatively nonexistent. This study serves as an analytic review of the staff development policy and practices for student services employees of the Maricopa Community College District (MCCD), located in the Phoenix metropolitan area and employing almost 500 persons in the Student Affairs profession.The purpose of this study was to test the policy science theory that relates the findings from empirical research to enhanced decision-making. A staff development policy analysis, which included a quantitative study, was conducted in order to provide recommendations for improvement of staff development for student services employees of a large community college district.Because a dearth of research regarding staff development for this higher education profession exists, research on the topic included several different areas of study. The review of literature included: MCCD's student services job descriptions and hiring practices, a review of student affairs' graduate degree programs, literature pertaining to job knowledge and skills of student services employees, current staff development practices in higher education, as well as policy analysis theory and models.A policy analysis, the methodology for policy science theory, was conducted using the Bardach model in which gathering evidence is a key component. In addition to evidence garnered through literature, empirical data were collected with instruments developed as part of the Student Services Professional Development Study. The empirical study included two surveys that were developed in order to determine the training and education needs of the MCCD student services employees.Study findings validate the need for professional development training at all levels of employment, including: student services theory and practices, management and administrative practices, district policies, and applicable higher education laws. Further, evidence and conclusions provided by this study did enhance staff development practices for student services employees at MCCD. |
