This presentation offers some global perspective (Kuwait, South Africa, UK, and US) on the the connection between competency development and career progression for emerging student affairs professionals and the importance of mentoring in both informal and formal methods. Presentation features an intro to NAFSA and ACPA/NASPA Competency Frameworks, resources, and the need for more research on the importance of mentoring to facilitate professionalization of the field.

1. Using Professional Competencies in a
Global Context to Mentor the Next
Generation of Professionals
Harris Wooten, D., Kruse, T., Schreiber, B., & VanSurksum, A. (2016). Using Professional Competencies in a Global Context
to Mentor the Next Generation. Presentation, NASPA International Symposium-Indianapolis, IN.

2. Presentation Agenda
Our Goal: discuss the connection between competency
development and career progression for emerging professionals
and the importance of mentoring in both informal and formal
methods.
 Intro to NAFSA and ACPA/NASPA Competency Frameworks
 Global Perspectives on Mentoring
 Helping to Shape Future Leaders
 Successes and Challenges
 Resource Sharing

3. Amy VanSurksum : Amy.Vansurksum@glasgow.ac.uk
• International Officer for the USA Midwest & Northeast
• University of Glasgow, Scotland
Birgit Schreiber: birgitschreiber@sun.ac.za
• Senior Director for Student Affairs
• Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Tadd Kruse: TKruse@auk.edu.kw
• Assistant to the President for Inst. Planning & Effectiveness
• American University of Kuwait
Dawn Harris Wooten: dawnw@nafsa.org
• Associate Director for International Student/Scholar Services
• NAFSA: Association of International Educators
Presenters

4. The concept and practice of mentoring (as a form of
professional preparation) is a growing area of research
Noted at the end of this presentation is a list of professional associations &
organizations that offer mentoring opportunities. Additionally, a list of the
resources and materials we reviewed are also included.
The professional competencies referenced and utilized for this presentation are:
 ACPA/NASPA Professional Competencies for Student Affairs Educators
https://www.naspa.org/about/student-affairs
 NAFSA International Education Professional Competencies™
http://www.nafsa.org/Explore_International_Education/Impact/Internation
al_Education_Professional_Competencies/

5. Competency Definition: the ability to do something successfully or efficiently.
synonyms: capability, ability, proficiency, accomplishment, skill
ACPA/NASPA
“intended to define the broad
professional knowledge, skills, and,
in some cases, attitudes expected of
student affairs professionals
regardless of their area of
specialization or positional role
within the field.”
NAFSA
“identifying the skills, knowledge,
and competencies of the key
professional practice areas within
international education. The goal of
documenting this information was to
provide a tool for helping to
professionalize”
The Purpose and Rationale of
Professional Competencies

6. Competency Framework:
Three Professional Levels
• Newer Professional
• Mid-Level Professional
• Senior-Level Professional
Levels
• Foundational (Newer Professional)
• Intermediate (Mid-Level)
• Advanced (Senior-Level)
ACPA/NASPA
• Direct Service (Newer Professional
• Management (Mid-Level)
• Strategy and Policy (Senior-Level)
NAFSA
It is very possible that someone could simultaneously be at all three levels
depending on the amount of knowledge and experience within a specific competency area.

7. Overview of Combined Competency Areas
 Student Learning and Development
 Advising and Supporting
 Personal and Ethical Foundations
 Strategic Planning
 Comprehensive Internationalization
 International Partnerships
 International Student/Scholar
Advising
 Education Abroad
 Crisis Management
 International Enrollment
Management
 Recruitment and Retention
 Programming and Orientation
 Advocacy
 Intercultural Communication
 Values, Philosophy, and History
 Assessment, Evaluation, and
Research
 Law, Policy, and Governance
 Organizational Leadership
 Social Justice and Inclusion
 Technology
There is an enormous opportunity for growth and development at all levels. Naturally, professional
knowledge accumulates through experience and training.

8. Competencies In Action
Advising &
Supporting
Develop liaisons with
community providers and
support systems to ensure
seamless and coordinated
holistic care.
Demonstrate culturally-
inclusive advising,
supporting, coaching, and
counseling strategies.
Student
Advising
Develop strategies to
foster participation from
underrepresented student
populations and academic
disciplines.
Locate or develop an
orientation program for
learning across
cultures.
NASPA/
ACPA NAFSA

9. Mentees: Life in College Matters for Life After College
A 2014 poll taken in the U.S. revealed that students place
a higher value on academic relationships where they felt
someone cared about their future and encouraged them
to pursue their dreams.
Previous research has cited that more preparation could
be given to assist students and new professionals “for the
challenges of forming a professional identity, adjusting to
organizational culture, developing a learning orientation,
and finding mentors”
Ray, J. and Stephanie Kafka (2014, March 31). Life in College Matters for Life After College.
Gallup.com, Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/168848/life-college-matters-life-
college.aspx
The 2014 Gallup-Purdue Index Report. (2014). Washington, DC. Retrieved from
http://products.gallup.com/168857/gallup-purdue-index-inaugural-national-report.aspx
Poll was taken by 30,000
U.S. adults who had
completed at least a
bachelor's degree.
Study also found the type
of schools these college
graduates attended had
little influence on their
future career engagement.
Only 3% of respondents
stated they had received
the type of support or
experiential learning that
prepared them for a
satisfying career.

10. US and UK Perspective
 Structured mentoring programs are not well developed by
individual institutions in the US or UK
 Structured mentoring typically has been part of professional
organizations and associations.
 A few examples:
• NAFSA Academy
• NAFSA Conference Mentor Programs
• NACAC (and Affiliates) Mentor Programs
• IASAS has e-mentoring: matching mentee-mentor across
borders

11. Competencies
 Reflection on the mentoring experience (for
mentor and mentee) leads to identifying
strengths and weaknesses
 Developing a career trajectory based on
strengths and interests leads to greater
engagement at work and overall satisfaction
 Seek out professional development
opportunities to address weaknesses or
knowledge gaps
 Developing a broader understanding of
competencies can provide a foundational
knowledge and ability to work across
constituencies
Job
Satisfaction
and Continual
Growth
Assessing
Your
Departmental
Knowledge
Gaps
Hiring,
Promotions,
Developing
job
descriptions
Professional
Development
& Training
Advocacy for
Student
Affairs, Staff,
and Students
Increased
Understanding
of other Campus
Units

12. Why Mentoring is Important
 Promotes the professionalization of the field
 Identifies and develops talent
 Mentoring for succession planning
 Supports and encourages new professionals early
on and throughout their career
 Performs the function of professionalization in
the absence of formal professional training

13. Middle East (Kuwait) Perspective
Structured Mentoring done by Individuals, sometimes
Departments, rarely by Institutions
◻ Regional/Cultural Factors
• Gender
• Professional Development
• Career vs. Job
◻ Professional Development & Opportunities
• Certificate Program
• Intentional Plan
• Links to Evaluation Processes

14. Mentoring Approaches & Examples
 Applying Competency Areas to Mentoring
 Personal & Ethical Foundations (NASPA-ACPA)
 Social Justice & Inclusion (NASPA-ACPA)
 Organizational & Human Resources (NASPA-ACPA & NAFSA)
 Leadership (NASPA-ACPA & NAFSA)
 Intercultural Communication (NAFSA)
 Examples of Mentorship:
 Univ. of Florida - Ken Osfield’s Graduate Course
 AUK Summer Graduate Intern Program
 Departmental Structures - Training/Evaluation/Succession

15. Being a Purposeful Mentor
• Helps with Both Career & Personal Development
• Connect the mentoring to Competencies or Skill Sets (added value)
• Mentor serves many roles (guidance & advice)
• Mentor Interaction
• Nature (the purpose behind it)
• Frequency (how often)
• Goals (developed in advance)
• Utilize Structure
• Part of overall Professional Development
• Identify Cultural Factors
• Crucial for Student Affairs
staff growth (internationally)

16. South Africa:
Mentoring Precedes Professionalisation
 An emerging space embedded into global discourses of Higher
Ed
 Recent recognition of Student Affairs as a critical contributor
to overall goals of Higher Ed (DHET, 2014)
 A shift from discipline-bound (psychology for instance) to an
open, trans-disciplinary and context-embedded Student
Affairs (Schreiber, 2012)
 Mentoring has accompanied most faculty-practitioners
 Discipline specific and professional development is needed at
universities

17.  Mentoring is a deeply personal process
 The disciplinary medley among Student Affairs practitioners, as
well as gender, race, identity, positional and cultural
differences within the domain require unique mentoring
competencies
 Multi-cultural competencies underpin mentoring
 These are the very competencies which are required to
function within our domains
In complex realities: mentoring competencies overlap
with practitioner competencies
Pluralist Contexts Require
Unique Competencies

18. Mentoring Does Not Replace Professionalisation
 Mentoring augments the development of professional
competencies
 Huge overlap between professional competencies and mentoring,
especially in a complex and emerging context
 One Model is IASAS eMentoring: guided - online - collaborative
 Key lessons from the emerging world:
 Mentoring is normative
 Mentoring within a pluralist context requires unique
competencies

19. Table Discussions
• Why is mentoring important to developing the next
generation of student affairs professionals?
• What mentoring activities or models (formal or
informal) do you (or your organization or institution)
participate in or offer that you would like to share as
a source of inspiration to others?

20. Challenges for Student Affairs Professionalisation
and Domain Development
 Scholarship of Student Affairs
 More research is needed on how competencies augment mentoring
 Research on the application of mentoring is needed
 Informal mentoring has been widely spread
 Mentoring within an epistemic community of practice
 Emergence of trans-disciplinary communities of practice
 Shared understanding, shared discourse, shared goals
 Challenges
 There is a medley of Student Affairs Professions
 Discourses and practices, norms and normative assumptions are dissimilar
 Tensions between disciplinary discourses
 Tensions between positional and professional claims to knowledge
 Mentoring is not formally recognised as professional development

21. Formal Mentoring and Professional
Development Opportunities
 The NAFSA: Academy for International Education is an intensive yearlong training program with extensive networking opportunities. The
Academy accelerates your learning process and prepares you for leadership. It is an investment in your career in international education.
(NAFSA: Association of International Educators) http://www.nafsa.org/Attend_Events/Training/Academy_For_International_Education/
 The NAFSA Diversity Impact Program provides international education professionals from tribal colleges and universities; historically
black colleges and universities (HBCUs); Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs); and community colleges and associates colleges,
complimentary NAFSA membership, registration to the NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo, and yearlong mentoring and professional
development opportunities.
http://www.nafsa.org/Explore_International_Education/Impact/Diversity_Impact_Program/
 The EAIE Academy offers a complete mix of training opportunities for a successful career journey: in the city, in-house and webinars. We
train in credential evaluation, marketing and recruitment, management, intercultural communication, student services, policy, strategy
and more. http://www.eaie.org/training.html (EAIE: European Association of International Education)
 The IASAS global eMentoring provides a guided mentoring partnership using online mentoring, video chat, social media, email, and/or
telephone. It is a platform for professional performance development, knowledge sharing and career progression through connecting new
and emerging practitioners with established student affairs/services leaders internationally. http://iasas.global/professional-mentoring-
program/ (IASAS: International Association of Student Affairs and Services). IASAS eMentoring Program, www.IASAS.global,
enquiries@iasas.global. org
 The Student Leader Global Summit – Powered by IASAS, ACPA, and Lead365: Student leaders will gain a broader understanding of
leadership and higher/tertiary education around the world. Through exploring and connecting with other student leaders in different
parts of the world students will learn applicable skills. http://www.myacpa.org/events/2016-student-leader-global-summit-%E2%80%93-
powered-iasas-acpa-and-lead365#sthash.HstECoM6.dpuf
 CISAS: Canadian Institute on Student Affairs and Services . Institute on Student Affairs and Services (CISAS). This program is intended to
provide a solid foundation and is targeted to all people in the area of Student Affairs and Services. Open to all those working in the field of
student services at a university or college; including but not limited to: front-line personnel, academic advisors, or counselors and those
brand new to the field. http://umanitoba.ca/centres/cherd/programs/annual/cisas.html

22. Resources
◻ AAC&U: Association of American Colleges and Universities. Intentional Collaborations: Building a Virtual
Community of Mentoring and Practice. Retrieved from http://www.aacu.org/peerreview/2015/fall/carney
◻ ACPA: College Student Educators International. Ethics and Mentoring Relationships. Retrieved from
http://www.myacpa.org/files/ethicsandmentoringrelationshipsdocx
◻ Brown, K.L.. (2007). On Being a Mentor: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty. Journal of Women in Educational
Leadership. Paper 5. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/jwel/5
◻ Clifford, M.N. (2009). Exploring Mentoring Experiences in College Student Affairs: A Q Methodology Study.
University of North Florida, Theses and Dissertations. Paper 201. http://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/201
◻ Felton, Peter, H-Dirksen L. Bauman., Aaron Kheriaty, Edward Taylor, and Parker J. Palmer. 2013. Transformative
Conversations: A Guide to Mentoring Communities in Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
◻ Lucier, K. (2015, April 3). Navigating the Unexpected: The Importance of Mentoring for Student Affairs
Professionals. HigherEdJobs.com. Retrieved from
https://www.higheredjobs.com/articles/articleDisplay.cfm?ID=642
◻ NACAC: College Admission Counseling Professionals. (2006). A Guide to Mentoring for College Admission
Counseling Professionals. Retrieved from
http://www.nacacnet.org/research/PublicationsResources/Marketplace/Documents/MentoringManual.pdf
◻ NAFSA: Association of International Educators. (2015). International Education Professional Competencies. .
Retrieved from
http://www.nafsa.org/Explore_International_Education/Impact/International_Education_Professional_Competen
cies

23. Resources
◻ NASPA: Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education. (2009, revised 2015). NASPA/ACPA Professional
Competencies for Student Affairs Educators Retrieved from https://www.naspa.org/about/student-affairs
◻ Ray, J. and Stephanie Kafka (2014, March 31). Life in College Matters for Life After College. Gallup.com, Retrieved
from http://www.gallup.com/poll/168848/life-college-matters-life-college.aspx
◻ Schreiber, B. (2014). Key challenges facing student affairs: An international perspective. Perspectives on Student
Affairs in South Africa. Retrieved from http://www.africanminds.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/African-
Minds-Perspectives-on-Student-Affairs-Web.pdf
◻ Seifert, T., Perozzi, B., Bodine Al-Sharif, M. A., Li, W., & Wildman, K. (2014). Student Affairs and Services in Global
Perspective: A Preliminary Exploration of Practitioners’ Background, Roles and Professional Development.
Toronto: International Association of Student Affairs and Services. http://www.anzssa.com/downloads/
◻ The 2014 Gallup-Purdue Index Report. (2014). Washington, DC. Retrieved from
http://products.gallup.com/168857/gallup-purdue-index-inaugural-national-report.aspx
◻ Tinto, V. (2012). Completing College: Rethinking Institutional Action. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
◻ Vernon, C. (2009, July). The Career Value of A Mentor. Associations Now. Retrieved from
https://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/ANowDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=42794
◻ Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice. Boston: Harvard Business
School Press.