Professor camp: A phenomenological study of the origin and persistence of the Wakonse conference on college teaching and learning

This study examines the Wakonse Conference on Teaching and Learning through an organizational development lens. It explores why the conference was created and why it has continued for 24 years. Using this phenomenological case study provides insight into both the organizational elements involved in this conference, but also how the roles of individuals have contributed to the persistence of this conference. The three founders who have been active with Wakonse from since its inception along with five other participants who have attended the conference for at least four years were interviewed. Through interviews with the conference founders and long-term participants, issues related to leadership, the value of teaching and learning and isolation in academe were explored. This study highlights the importance of place, reflection and community in attending to the holistic need of faculty and staff working in higher education. These interviews served as the primary data source for this study, though other documentation and observation as well as reflexive journaling contributed, as well. This conference emerged from the passions of the founders and was inspired by their connection to a specific location. Their dedication to maintaining a connection with the camp where the conference evolved into an annual conference: Wakonse. This conference serves to bring together faculty and staff in higher education who are passionate about undergraduate students and teaching. These passions have resonated with faculty and staff across the country who have not found communities of teaching and safe spaces for sharing their passions for undergraduate students at their institutions. This study has implications not only for the Wakonse conference, but across and beyond higher education. Organizations in a variety of settings can benefit from the issues related to community, holistic attention to members, reflection, time and space. Each of these factors contributed to the positive Wakonse experiences of the participants in this study. Similarly, these themes have implications for a variety of other organizations

From Collaborative to Collegial Communities: Transitioning from Student Affairs Practitioner to Faculty

While student affairs (SA) practitioner expertise can inform a faculty member’s knowledge in the classroom, the transition into a tenure-track faculty role from student affairs administrative roles is complex. One of the differences new faculty members with SA administrator backgrounds experience is a change in the work community and shift from collaborative to collegial cultures. While studies have examined the transition of student affairs professionals from graduate programs to full time student affairs practitioner roles and graduate students into the professoriate, there is limited scholarship on the transitional experiences of student affairs practitioners moving into faculty positions. This qualitative study examined the differences in senses of community based on the experiences of 30 former practitioners in tenure-track faculty roles. Loss of SA community and differences between faculty and SA communities emerged as primary themes from this study

Brandon Taylor’s Real Life: A Book Review

This submission is a book review of Brandon Taylor\u27s Real Life: A Novel (2020)

Book Review - Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover is the story of a first generation college student navigating a transition from a rural and conservative community and family into and through higher education including graduate education. As Westover shares her struggles and is transparent with her vulnerability, she highlights a number of struggles students often face in college. The book explores the tensions between family / home and college. It also highlights the importance of individual connections and actions in the persistence and success of students. It is compelling and directly transferable to the work of student affairs practitioners as highlighted in the review

Charlie, Mike, Victor: Student Veterans' Loss of Purpose

As student veteran populations and visibility have increased on campus, some scholars have explored how higher education works (or fails to work) to serve those who have served their country. In military radio jargon, “Charlie Mike” means, “continue the mission.” In this study, the mission was transitioning to and persisting through college and the participants were Student-Veterans and Service-Members (SVSM) – a term coined by Arminio, Grabosky, and Lang (2015). Thus – “Charlie Mike Victor” – focuses on the continuation of the mission for several “victors” – the phonetic “v” in ”Victor” here meaning “veterans.” In this study the concept of self-authorship (Baxter Magolda, 2007; Baxter Magolda &amp; King, 2012) was combined with Schlossberg’s (1981) transition theory to explore the experiences of SVSM in higher education. This study seeks to build on the existing scholarship and more fully explore the role of various identities in the experience of SVSM.</span

All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory: Exploring the Extreme Multimessenger Universe

The All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory (AMEGO) is a probe class mission concept that will provide essential contributions to multimessenger astrophysics in the late 2020s and beyond. AMEGO combines high sensitivity in the 200 keV to 10 GeV energy range with a wide field of view, good spectral resolution, and polarization sensitivity. Therefore, AMEGO is key in the study of multimessenger astrophysical objects that have unique signatures in the gamma-ray regime, such as neutron star mergers, supernovae, and flaring active galactic nuclei. The order-of-magnitude improvement compared to previous MeV missions also enables discoveries of a wide range of phenomena whose energy output peaks in the relatively unexplored medium-energy gamma-ray band

All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory: Exploring the Extreme Multimessenger Universe

Astro2020 APC White PaperThe All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory (AMEGO) is a probe class mission concept that will provide essential contributions to multimessenger astrophysics in the late 2020s and beyond. AMEGO combines high sensitivity in the 200 keV to 10 GeV energy range with a wide field of view, good spectral resolution, and polarization sensitivity. Therefore, AMEGO is key in the study of multimessenger astrophysical objects that have unique signatures in the gamma-ray regime, such as neutron star mergers, supernovae, and flaring active galactic nuclei. The order-of-magnitude improvement compared to previous MeV missions also enables discoveries of a wide range of phenomena whose energy output peaks in the relatively unexplored medium-energy gamma-ray band