Graduates help student affairs degree program attain lofty ranking

Ball State University master's degree graduates working in student affairs positions across the country are making a statement about the quality of their education.

As a result, Ball State's master's program in student affairs administration in higher education (SAAHE) ranked 14th among 186 programs in a national study presented recently to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).

A Web-based survey asked representatives samples of voting delegates, professionals, faculty members and students, drawn from NASPA's 9,000 members, to choose the most outstanding master's degree programs in college student personnel/higher education.

Alumni success was among the most important factors cited by those selecting the top programs. Other factors included current reputation, curriculum and quality of teaching.

Randy Hyman directs Ball State's SAAHE program, in addition to his duties as associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students. He said the national recognition is a tribute to the exemplary work of recent graduates.

"This is certainly as comprehensive a survey as is done anywhere to determine perceptions of the best programs," Hyman said. "The exemplary performance of our graduates in various positions in higher education calls attention to the fact that they earned their professional degree at Ball State."

Hyman cited several improvements to Ball State's SAAHE program over the past three years. They include strengthening admission criteria, implementing a series of one-credit seminars and offering a tour of historically black institutions for independent study credit.

Ball State's program is designed to prepare people as generalists, Hyman said. Graduates fill entry-level positions in such student affairs administration areas as academic advising, admissions, financial aid, residential life and student activities.

"One of our strongest features is an emphasis on applied practical experience," Hyman said. "All full-time graduate students hold an assistantship in one of Ball State's student affairs departments and must complete at least one practicum."

Candidates for the SAAHE program come from a variety of disciplines, Hyman said, and over the past five years an increasing number of graduates are entering doctoral programs. Students can apply for admission on the program's Web site and complete a required on-campus interview during a visitation day in February. Hyman said the number of candidates electing to participate in the program's visit day increased from 18 three years ago to more than 40 this year.

The NASPA ranking places Ball State's master's program in the company of the most elite graduate programs in the field, including Indiana University, Bowling Green State University and Miami University, Hyman said. Ball State also ranks ahead of other institutions in Indiana and the Mid-American Conference.

By Tony Barker, Update/News Center Editor