| For years critics have alleged that the student affairs profession is in need of a philosophy. Although Penney (1969), Stamatakos and Rogers (1984), and others paint a grim picture of the field of student affairs as it relates to a philosophical foundation, these charges exclude the voices of many student affairs professionals themselves. Through personal interviews, student affairs professionals were asked to share their personal and professional philosophies of student affairs. A review of related literature in the history of higher education and student affairs, development of student affairs preparation programs, and connections between educational philosophy and student affairs provide a theoretical foundation for this study. Data supports a reality that student affairs is not in need of a philosophy, but possesses one rooted in the philosophy of education. Connections between student affairs work and the philosophies of John Dewey, bell hooks, Paulo Freire and Jane Roland Martin were found. |
