STUDENT AFFAIRS SUPERVISOR TRAINING, PREPARATION, AND PERCEPTION OF JOB SATISFACTION

Student affairs professionals are critical to the overall success of institutions of higher learning. Currently, the profession is at a turning point in navigating many complex issues. One of these issues is ensuring adequate levels of job satisfaction and employee morale. Units who employ supervisors who are competent leaders can see increased employee satisfaction and morale when training appropriately to handle the complexities of supervising others. When supervisors are ill-equipped to manage, employees report increased issues in the workplace. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of student affairs supervisors related to their preparation and training. Specifically, this research explored the depth and types of training student affairs supervisors receive. Additionally, this study assessed the impact of those experiences on supervisor job satisfaction and performance. Key results from a national sample of student affairs supervisors (n= 155) indicated strong levels of agreement that training received related to management and supervisor of personnel contributed to their overall success as a supervisor. Of note, however, was that many participants (57.42%) denoted their training was only five hours or less of their time and 8% of participants reported never receiving any additional trainings around supervision and management of personnel. Ensuring the quality and preparedness of all student affairs professionals is extremely important for higher education especially in navigating institutions in a post-COVID-19 environment. This study sheds light on the need for sound initial and ongoing preparation and training for student affairs supervisors