Using an appreciative inquiry framework, this qualitative participatory research study identified opportunities to foster a more positive and sustainable work culture for parent-identified student affairs staff and beyond, built on existing elements that support thriving and work-life harmony in the profession. Participants self-selected to attend…

The increasing role of the secondary school administrators in schools created a lack of proper work/life balance. Due to minimal literature related to secondary school administrators' perceptions on work/life balance, the purpose of this basic, qualitative interpretive study was to understand the perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, and…

This quantitative study sought to determine how the work-life balance of Texas principals changes according to the grade levels of their campuses in terms of role balance, role ease, and role overload. The researcher applied the role balance theory to make the complex matter of principals' work-life balance more understandable. Participants in…

School superintendents face numerous challenges, high demands, and pressures from the community, school board, and stakeholders. State and federal accountability policies and mandates contribute to rising levels of stress for superintendents, which negatively affects their health and well-being. As a result, superintendents are leaving their…

As higher education tries to reimagine its value in the post-pandemic world, professional live-in staff members are fleeing from their positions at a higher rate than new professionals are entering the field. These professionals are expected to work through challenging issues, with minimal training, experiencing secondary trauma, while working in…

Constructs like turnover intentions, burnout, perceived flexibility, and perceived organizational support (POS) have been studied for decades. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, turnover rates reached historic highs in 2021. Simultaneously, the shift to remote or hybrid work evidenced more widespread implementation than ever before to meet…

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to reshape how organizations operate, working from home has become more prevalent. While working from home is not new, organizations face unique challenges in fostering an inclusive virtual work environment. This modified qualitative case study was designed to explore with a group of 20 organizational leaders…

This study examined the lived experiences of Latina mother-practitioners in student affairs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic affected individuals in a variety of ways, and as people continue to grapple with its evolution, exploring the experiences of Latina mother-practitioners ensures they are a part of research related to it.…

Burnout among educators has been a growing concern in the field of education. Although there has been much research into the factors causing educators, there has been limited research into causes of burnout specifically for the midlevel school leaders such as assistant principals, instructional coaches, and school deans. This study sought to…

Healthy and effective faculty members are vital to student learning and ultimately to institutional effectiveness (Finkelstein et al., 2016; Y. K. Kim & Sax, 2017), yet recent challenges and changes to higher education have significantly affected the faculty role and faculty well-being, resulting in increased dissatisfaction, stress, and…

The purpose of this study was to describe how frontline student service professionals in Western Canadian higher education describe their personal engagement at work, through the lens of Kahn's (1990) theory of employee engagement and psychological dimensions of meaningfulness, safety, and availability. It was motivated by the prospect that…

This research study explored the strategies six Black women academic deans used to sustain themselves at historically white institutions (HWIs). The theoretical framework used to understand the women's experiences included Critical Race Feminism (CRF) and Crenshaw's intersectionality (1989). The purpose of this study was to understand these…

The position of a school building administrator is overwhelming with multiple responsibilities, long hours, and job pressures. Due to these factors, there is a negative impact on mental health and a high rate of burnout for administrators. This study reviews the factors that contribute to negative mental health and administrator burnout, and…

This study aimed to critically explore and analyze the experiences of Black mothers who work in student affairs. Using Black Feminist Thought and a critical constructivist framework, this study sought to analyze how race and gender interacted for Black women who work in student affairs. Black women experience both racism and sexism in the…

The culture of the student affairs profession supports a commitment to the holistic development of students, often requiring staff to be available around the clock. A Senior Student Affairs Officer (SSAO) must be prepared to address the evolving demands of student life and such attentiveness can make it difficult to disconnect from work in order…