The Student Learning Imperative (SLI) was created to stimulate discussion on how student affairs professionals can enhance student learning and personal development. This paper outlines the antecedents and background of the SLI position paper. A member of the committee that developed the SLI discusses here student affairs' historical goal of reunifying the extracurriculum and the curriculum into an educational paradigm that sees student learning as occurring both in and out of the formal classroom. This overview presents the SLI as a recent attempt to emphasize this enhanced view of the nature of collegiate learning. After outlining the rhythmic changes in higher education over the past 100 years, the paper lists the principles of SLI, such as the integration of learning, personal development, and student development; the importance of knowledge and understanding to student success; and the recognition of student affairs personnel as educators. The SLI is seen as an attempt to reunify the academic and the out-of-class activities of students so that, as faculty and staff plan the scope and nature of student learning, the full resources of a university can be utilized in implementing its mission statement. (RJM)