Student Affairs Distinguished Lecture Presents 'How Student Affairs Professionals Improve Student Learning'

Tricia Seifert will present "How Student Affairs Professionals Improve Student Learning: Evidence from the 21st Century" at the fourth annual Student Affairs Distinguished Lecture. The event will take place at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, in the Arkansas Union Theater, located on the fourth floor of the east side of the Arkansas Union. A reception will follow the lecture in the area outside of the Anne Kittrell Gallery.

Looking at the continued influence of Student Affairs professionals on students' academic success, Seifert's lecture draws on findings she and her co-authors published this month in the third volume of How College Affects Students: 21st Century Evidence that Higher Education Works. The latest volume summarizes almost 2,000 peer-review journal articles published between 2002 and 2013, which explored college students' experiences that contributed to their learning and development. The first two volumes have been cited over 11,000 times.

Seifert's lecture will focus on the instrumental role of Student Affairs professionals in facilitating college students' success and well-being. She is committed to connecting evidence-based best practices to the work of educators both inside and outside the classroom.

Earlier in the day, Seifert will present "Why Your A-Game Matters for Student Learning" to faculty members, an event coordinated by the Wally Cordes Teaching Faculty Support Center and sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs. Seifert's presentation to faculty will also draw on research from How College Affects Students to illustrate teaching approaches and activities shown to improve college students' learning and success.

Seifert is an associate professor of adult and higher education and head of the Department of Education at Montana State University in Bozeman with over 15 years of academic and professional experience in the field of Student Affairs. Before arriving at Montana State University, she was a tenured associate professor at the University of Toronto, where she also conducted research published in the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario and the Canadian Journal of Higher Education.

Seifert has authored and co-authored over 70 publications and received almost $350,000 in funded research. Some of Seifert's past research publications include, "Beyond 'Completion': Student Success is a Process," "Definition Dilemmas: What is Student Success?" and "Blueprints for Student Success: Improving High School Students' Awareness of Student Affairs and Services."

The Division of Student Affairs is made up of more than 15 different offices and countless professional staff members whose duty is to provide for students' basic needs, celebrate student successes, and educate students inside and outside of the classroom in hopes they will become, not only active members of the UARK community, but the global community. Student Affairs professionals guide students on their journey to personal, professional, and academic success.

To learn more about how the Division of Student Affairs supports students in their academic success, visit studentaffairs.uark.edu or the Division's blog, ua4student.uark.edu.