Academic and Student Affairs Educators Make Meaning of Their Collaboration on Campus

Operating from a constructivist paradigm and utilizing narrative inquiry, the purpose of this inquiry was to improve understanding of academic and student affairs collaboration on a college campus. Seven mid-level academic and student affairs educators participated in this study, which was conducted at a four-year, public university in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States. Of the participants, four were positioned within academic affairs offices while three were within student affairs offices on campus. All participants were engaged in academic and student affairs collaborations associated with First-Year Experience (FYE) and/or Experiential Learning programming. Participants were asked what collaboration means to them and how they experience such initiatives at this university. Aspects of what constitutes a successful collaboration, along with benefits and influences of collaboration were also addressed. Discussion revealed the importance of inclusivity, dedication, commitment, and support from collaborative partners, as well as university leaders. Moreover, without visionary and transformational approaches from university leaders, collaborative initiatives stall, or worse, fail. As such, senior leaders are encouraged to progress from status-quo practice and re-design aspects of organizational and educational practice to support collaborative initiatives which are integral to a college students’ experience