| Little research has been conducted on the work engagement, subjective happiness, or perceived organizational support of student affairs professionals. In this study, 299 professionals in the American College Personnel Association were surveyed utilizing the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Subjective Happiness Scale, and the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support. Student affairs professionals were found to be moderately engaged, have a moderate level of happiness, and have a neutral level of perceived organizational support. Student affairs professionals with perceived level of organizational support and happiness are more engaged. In addition, participants with higher levels of engagement are more likely to intend to stay in the field of student affairs. There were no significant differences in engagement, subjective happiness, and perceived organizational support found in regard to gender, functional area, institution type, and number of years in current position. Significant differences were found in regards to years in student affairs. Those with more years in student affairs showed higher levels of engagement, happiness, and perceived organizational support. More research needs to be conducted in this area but these findings add to the literature on overall employee wellbeing and employee engagement. Furthermore, this study provides insight into the work experience of student affairs professionals in respect to years of experience, functional area, and institution type. |
