Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Collaborations in the Community College Setting

The relationship between academic affairs and student affairs units in higher education settings has traditionally and historically been troubled by the divergent understandings of each other's institutional role and the systematic division of labor between the two. However, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is a desire to substantiate student learning across the institution, the roles of these units have begun to blur. This has led to increased collaboration between the units and increased research on such collaborations. This research project explores the nature of collaboration between academic affairs and student affairs in the community college setting, an area frequently left out of the collaboration conversation. Through analyzing the words of chief officers of these two units, the findings of this qualitative study indicate that community colleges have a unique opportunity to foster collaborations that focus on student learning. Based on these unique factors, the authors offer suggestions for how other institutions can nurture collaborations in their own settings.