Explores the college transition and experience for student-athletes and provides personal and community development for first year students participating and/or interested in collegiate athletics. Includes exploration of challenges and trends in college athletics, values and decision-making, policies, and campus resources. Incorporates reflection, peer engagement, and experiential activities.

Expands on fundamental theories and frameworks focused on leadership development, ethics, and social identities. Students will learn how to apply frameworks in a practical way that encourages them to reflect on their own understandings and assumptions. Topics will include assessments, values , ethical dilemmas, and social identities through equity & diversity.

The purpose of this course is to teach data literacy to promote change. Universities are important contexts for student success, yet few individuals receive formal education to understand university structures and how decisions are made. Together, we will focus on how to use university data to present data-informed solutions to problems at UVM.

Overview of the work of the student affairs profession, including philosophical base, historical development, current practices, and future trends. Prerequisite: Higher Education & Student Affairs student.

Explores cultural pluralism philosophies, racial identity development, racial incidences, and educational practices related to racism and diversity for implementation in higher education.

Explores student development theories and research relevant to student learning and personal development; includes the ability to apply theory to improve and inform student affairs and teaching practice.

Examines the relationship between higher education and the law, including how various substantive areas of the law affect colleges/universities and their stakeholders. Focuses on the major topical areas, key concepts, sociocultural contexts, and precedential cases pertinent to the law and higher education.

Professional Practice in Higher Education serves as a foundation for applying theoretical and conceptual knowledge to the everyday work of educators in various higher education spaces. It includes robust field-based opportunities for students to explore functional areas in the academy, agencies, and/or other organizations that support higher education and student affairs administration. Prerequisites: Higher Education & Student Affairs Administration student.