Joshua A.

McFadden Program Review Narrative Description Artifact Letter: C SDA Learning Outcome Numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 SDA Learning Outcome: 1) Understanding the foundations and emerging nature of the student affairs profession and higher education; Understanding students and student issues; Exhibiting professional integrity and ethical leadership in professional practice; Understanding and fostering diversity, justice and a sustainable world formed by a global perspective and Jesuit catholic tradition. 1) The most important content you have learned from the SDA Program, with particular focus on academic content. In your description identify specific courses, research, text, leaders in our field.

I would identify three specific courses that have helped me to understand what it means to work with students in Student Affairs. They are Student Development Theory, Research, and Practice (SDAD 578), Social Justice in Professional Practice (EDUC 520), and Leadership in a Pluralistic Society (SDAD 593). William Perrys Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development describes nine stages of cognitive development in college students including, Dualism, Multiplicity and Relativism (1970, 1998). As students develop they move from having a very simple view of knowledge to having a complex and contextual view of both the world and themselves. Knowledge of Perrys nine stages of cognitive development changed my understanding of why students might react in different ways to information. Students responses will be different depending on which of the nine stages they are in and also whether they are at the beginning or the end of a particular stage. In the Theory of Community Cultural Wealth, Yosso (2005) focuses on values and resources that are represented in the knowledge, skills, and abilities of families and marginalized communities. Yossa identified Resistant Capital, Navigational Capital, Social Capital, Linguistic Capital, Familial Capital, and Aspirational Capital as the six types of community culture wealth. Professionally, the Theory of Community Cultural Wealth was a huge discovery because it provided an important way for Student Development professions to talk to students about their value and the contributions that they are already able to make as individuals and as groups. The concept of reciprocal learning which was central to discussions of Paulo Freires book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, was important and produced in me a stronger

value for the simultaneous roles of teacher-student. As a future Student Development professional, I recognize how important it is to stay open to being taught by the students that we lead and guide. Their viewpoints, experiences and approaches are important lessons for us. Maintaining a tight hold on student expression and development can have the same results that Freire talks about when he says that the oppressor becomes as oppressed as those he oppresses. The concept of Ubuntu which is translated to mean, I am because we are and dignity as a value were both new concepts presented to me through Leadership in a Pluralistic Society. Through Frieze, I learned the importance of helping students see that as a community they can come up with solutions to many of the problems they possess especially, if they resist solutions that havent worked in the past. The power that comes from understanding the role Dignity plays in producing conflicts and blocking solutions was an amazing discovery for me. Beyond Inclusion. Beyond Empowerment, where the focus is on understanding status and rank. Like an onion, power comes from within and can be hidden and even unknown to self. Students have much more power than they give themselves credit for. Texts, readings, and leaders in the field include Chickering (Theory of Identity Development - The Seven Vectors); Cross (Model of Psychological Nigrescence); Helm (White Identity Development Model); Cass (Model of Homosexual Identity Formation) Scholossberg (Transition Theory); Perry (Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development); Baxter Magolda (Model of Epistemological Reflection) and Kohlberg (Theory of Moral Development - Stages of Moral Reasoning). 2) SDAD 578 Student Development Theory, Research, and Practice

The purpose of this class was to provide students with an overview of foundational theories, frameworks, and models to provide a theoretical grounding in professional pedagogy and practice. Effective and innovative student affairs professionals are comfortable with these theories, frameworks, and models which all inform their work. This course addressed the universitys conceptual framework by engaging students in thought-provoking discussion, the research literature, and in written and reflective activities that also integrated their understanding of both ethical behaviors and diverse communities, both personally and professionally

The most important things that I have learned about myself Through STMM 563 History of Christian Spirituality and STMM 593 Leadership in a Pluralistic Society), I have gained the ability to adapt and adjust to new situations and new environments. I actually look forward to being in new situations and new environments in order to gain additional experience. My ability to do this was reinforced many times over the last 21 months as a graduate student in the SDA Program. I have learned that I have even more resilience than I thought and that there is nothing more powerful than a mind that is made up and focused on achieving a goal. Some of the earliest conversations I had which helped me continue to move forward were conversations with program staff about the many people who did not finish their degree. I think that there were fellow grad students who thought that news that my mothers only brother and my favorite uncle had been murdered in Baltimore would have caused me to drop out of the program and I think that some people were surprised that I actually came back after the funeral but, I did return and I stayed. I didnt want to be another statistic of a minority student who didnt finish their degree in the SDA program. Even though I look forward to change and the growth that change can produce, my first months as a SU student were a major adjustment. I was literally all the way on the other side of the country. It seemed like every person I told that I was from Florida though that it was pretty amazing that I had come so far to go to graduate school. Initially, I felt that other graduate students didnt understand the comments I made in different discussions and classes and early on the response that I received was something like Are you sure youre in the right major? The reason for this was that I was very aware of speaking up for people who were being discussed but who were not in the room. I felt it was important to not let assumptions and false conclusions or generalizations just slip by without a word. I think people thought that I should have been in sociology or social work or maybe political science. The result was that I was sometimes the lone voice speaking up and out about issues that pertained to individuals or groups that were not present to speak for themselves. I recall classmates would agree with me after the class was over and after the professor was gone. What I learned about myself is that being true to who I am was more important than fitting in. I also had to get use to Seattle weather which was a real challenge. I remember telling friends on the East Coast and in Florida that students at SU could rent Vitamin D lamps in order to deal with the lack of sun in Seattle weather. As a person who

has lived in Florida since I was 10 months old, not seeing sun for days at a time was a major adjustment. During the first two months I was in the SDA Program, I skidded into a curb while driving in the rain. The impact was enough to total my car and put me in the world of public transportation which was a completely new world for me. For nearly two years, I learned a lot about the city of Seattle and its permanent residents, especially Seattle bus drivers. One of the most interesting things that I experienced is being stereotyped. People stereotyped me when they first looked at me (I wear dreads). However, after I engaged them in conversation, they saw that I was much more intelligent and conscious about the world then they first assumed. Their response to be changed. Ive changed in a number of ways since starting the SDA program. Im more confident as a scholar which includes being able to work in collaboration with other students in teams or on group projects. Im more interested in a larger variety of student and higher education issues. Im definitely more knowledgeable about best practices in Student Development and more aware of how easy it is for a Student Development Administrator to make decisions that can land an institution in legal hot water. In the end, the most important thing that I learned about myself is the same thing that Student Development professionals want to keep in mind as we work with students and that is that we are all still in the process of becoming. On a personal level, I identify with the foundational theories studied in Student Development Theory, Research, and Practice (SDAD 578) especially those dealing with Chickerings Theory of Identity Development (1993). While all seven vectors are relevant, Managing Emotions, Moving through Autonomy toward Interdependence, and Developing Mature Interpersonal Relationships are especially relevant to me and my understanding of students and many of their issues.

3) The most important things that I learned from my internship are consistent with the goals for SDAD 564-566: Internship in Student Development Administration and SDAD 576: Leadership and Governance in Postsecondary Education and related to the application of student development theory. Areas of research and specific research questions can also be developed as a direct positive consequence of the internship. The internship allowed me to explore first-hand

current issues that face todays colleges and universities. It also allowed me the opportunity to talk directly to the President of the University about his leadership and priorities and to see firsthand how post secondary institutions are organized and function on a day to day basis. The internship afforded me the opportunity to see and also apply some of the student development theories we have studied, to develop my presentation skills, and to continue building a Student Development Network. I learned that, as a young professional entering the field, there will be many currently practicing student affairs professionals who will have varying levels of commitment to the field. There will be some older professionals who are just counting the days to their retirement. They can be the most resistance to change being introduced by younger Student Development professionals. Because of this, its important for Student Development VPs be able to negotiate contracts that will allow them to bring in some of the younger professionals people they have worked with at other places. This will help them implement and reinforce the follow-through on new initiatives.

4) The most important thing I have learned from my graduate Assistantship or professional jobs is that EDAD 570 Leadership in Education should be taken before the start of the assistantship because among the goals of the course is to develop a clear conception of some major writers' thinking about leadership behaviors, followers, context, values, change, and effectiveness in organizations (Stringer 2012). Other goals for EDAD 570 include developing a personal understanding of myself as both a leader and also a follower, and gaining an understanding of the way that my own values and behaviors impacted both individual students and groups of students. When I was first appointed as the Director of Student Activities, I was very excited about the assignment because I thought it meant that I would be directly involved in the kind of work that had been so important to me at my undergraduate institution. I thought that I would be hands-on for the events and programs that were being planned and for which I would also serve as an advisor. Instead, my job was to provide oversight. For a hands-on person like myself, watching while not actually participating in the activities was hard for me. I found that the lack of direct involvement in the activities students were planning and not being able to introduce my own

ideas left me feeling that I was losing a sharpness that I had gained the year before as the SGA president. I also felt that the longer I wasnt directly involved, the sooner I wouldnt care anymore about being directly involved. This was the last thing that I wanted to happen! I learned that as a graduate assistant, I was expected to advise and to supervise undergraduates. My dissatisfaction with being actively involved resulted in me not doing the very best job that I could have done and, ultimately, on me letting the assistantship go. I recognize this as a major financial miscalculation because, without having the funds that the assistantship provided, a major financial burden was created for my mother. In hindsight, I would have handled the situation much differently.

The kind of leader that I entered the SDA program as was a hands-on and proactive leader. I liked to get in the trenches with the students that I led. I introduced ideas that students embraced and incorporated into their plans. What I understand now is that as an undergraduate leader, my leadership came through partnering and collaborating with other people that I felt I knew. At Seattle U, I experienced pushback when I attempted to connect with others. The experiences that I brought with me which my fellow undergraduates connected so easily to were not experiences that were shared by my fellow graduate students or undergraduates at SU.

Incorporating behavioral and relationship theories to my leadership style would have served me better for my Assistantship. Behaviorism focuses on the actions of leaders and not their internal states. Behaviorism says that people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation. I was guilty of the very thing that I challenge students to do all the time and that was not getting outside of my comfort zone. I needed to recognize and quickly develop an appreciation for other ways to lead. I was not a reluctant leader as much as I was a leader without an understanding of the role of leadership at different levels. Depending on the level of leadership, the roles change. The expectations and the tasks change. My level of leadership changed but I remained locked in patterns associated with a former level of leadership. Incorporating knowledge of both Situational and Contingency Leadership Theories is also relevant to the ways in which I might have responded. I would embrace it from Servant Leadership Theory which says that leaders should be servants first and requires that leaders put

the needs of those they serve (customers, community, and students) ahead of their own interests in order to be most effective. If I could re-do my Assistantship assignment, I would do so with a better understanding of the opportunity that leading at higher levels represents. I have grown in my appreciation of the privilege and opportunity leading at higher levels or ranks represent, the rich opportunity it provides to practice what we were learning in real time as well as the opportunity to identify areas of future research based on hands-on experiences. 5) Implications of your learning for future professional practice The Capstone Seminar, SDAD 579 - is directly related to future professional practice through its focus on career exploration, job searches and the actual interview process. There are many implications of what I have learned for future practice as a Student Development Professional including, program design and development, program evaluation, improvement of the overall campus environment both in class and outside of class, residence life, counseling, making sure that marginalized groups are given the support they deserve, orientation programs, leadership development, and policy development.

The knowledge I have gained and the experiences I have had as a student in the SDA Program have prepared me to function effectively as a future Student Development Professional. As a practicing professional, one of my primary goals will be to collaborate on the development of programs that will allow for maximum integrative activities. If we can maximize student learning and student development opportunities outside of the classroom where students spend most of their time, then we have the greatest chance to produce the greatest growth and development in students. One example of a collaboration initiative is to develop an organization that brings students from the different state clubs that are found on many historically black college and university (HBCU) campuses. The organization could also work at predominantly white institutions (PWI). At SU, it might be called SU Nation because it would have membership of students from a across the U.S. The organization would exist for the purpose of giving students and staff the opportunity to collaborate on creating integrative programs and activities and also lead to increased socialization among students from diverse places and backgrounds.

At this time, I am especially interested in issues of Inclusion, Diversity, Access, and Marginalization of IDAM. I am also interested in African American LGBTQ research which is also directly related to IDAM issues. Inclusion is a best practice and we can point to lots of examples of what can happen when students feel excluded, not valued and invisible. For example, some students will decide that the institution is not a good fit and withdraw or flunk out because they stop attending class. Worst case scenario is that students take out their loneliness and feelings of isolation by committing suicide. Some of the best practices that I have learned include adapting student services to specific environments and to specific cultures, working in teams instead of in isolation, and fostering diversity and inclusion. Another best practice is to understand that equality and equity are not the same and that just because I have treated all the students in a group equally doesnt mean that I have treated each of the students equitably. For example, it makes little difference to give students food stamps if the approved list of purchases includes pork but not fish or chicken or beef and there are students whose religions, diets or health prohibits them from eating pork. One size will never fit all. 6) A critique of the masters program SDAD 578 Capstone Seminar (Job preparation interview, resume preparation, mission statement, professional development and professional plan) The masters program at SU gave me the opportunity to grow in ways that I wasnt expecting and has changed who I am as a young professional and as a person. Using teams to work on different assignments in classes was a good way to help students develop relationships with each other. Because of the big differences among graduate students, most of the time it was really hard to maintain the relationships that started in specific courses. I was the youngest graduate student in my classes during my first year and continue to be among the youngest in my second year. I am definitely the youngest Black male in the SDA Program. I am also single while many of my fellow grad students are older and married. Many of my peers work full time as Student Development professionals, while I am a full-time graduate student. The variety of professors who teach in the SDA Program made the different courses interesting especially Higher Education Law and the American Community College. For me, the focus on social justice added an important dimension to the design of the SDA Program and kept in front of grad students their responsibility to the students they might work with as Student

Development professionals or other people in general who might function on the periphery of society and who run the risk of being marginalized or forgotten. For me, a major strength of the Masters Degree in SDA is the continuous infusion of the Jesuit way of doing things and the Jesuit way of thinking. Whether we studied Chickerings Seven Vectors or Kohlbergs Theory of Moral Development, understanding the importance of reflection at any point along the journey was critical. 7) The difference between the contexts of Jesuit education with what your SDA degree has meant for you, personally, professionally, and/or academically. For whom and for what? (Kolvenbach, 2001) will your education and your degree from Seattle University make a difference? My education and my degree from Seattle University means that I will bring the experience of living and studying in an environment that was completely unlike the environment of my first four years of higher education to any subsequent school or work environment I enter. It means a commitment to diversity, social justice, and inclusion in any environment where I land. These things represent value-added to the environment and to the lives of the people who function as students, faculty, staff, and administrators and should be routine ways of functioning and not exceptions or anomalies. For those I encounter professionally and personally, having studied at Seattle U means that they will have license to be their authentic selves without fear of being judged and that there will be a respect for independent thinking and team problem solving.

References Chickering, A.W. & Reisser, L.W. (1993). Education and Identity. 2nd ed. Jossey Bass: San Francisco Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Perry, W. G., Jr. (1970). Forms of intellectual and ethical development in the college years:

A Scheme. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Stringer, Jeffrey. Syllabus of Leadership in Education. Seattle University. 2012. Electronic. Yosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community

Cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69-91.