TRANSFORMATIONAL ENCOUNTERS

A diverse faculty and staff reflects an important measure of success for higher education institutions. Recent gains in diversifying higher education have become more evident, as growing numbers of individuals from racialized minority communities have assumed senior executive leadership positions, from vice presidents for student affairs to presidents of colleges and universities. Transformational Encounters is a collection of narratives and commentary from vice presidents for student affairs and other senior higher education leaders who have challenged racial injustice and policies to achieve inclusive excellence at their colleges and universities. These trailblazers candidly discuss the successes and barriers they surmounted in their careers, detailing the importance of key concepts such as collaboration, mentorship, personal and institutional values, and career mapping. They offer strategies for closing the racial and ethnic gaps in leadership roles. Today's students are challenging colleges and universities on issues related to equity, inclusion, diversity, power, and privilege. Transformational Encounters offers practical examples for student affairs professionals on how to balance being an advocate for students while fulfilling an institution's educational mission. Commentary from NASPA Executive Director Emeritus Gwendolyn Jordan Dungy synthesizes lessons for student affairs educators, particularly addressing the dissonance that can exist between an institution's stated values and actual practices. Higher education is experiencing unprecedented transformation. With powerful and eye-opening perspectives on a wide range of critical social justice issues, Transformational Encounters provides student affairs professionals of all levels with tangible lessons for transforming colleges and universities into more equitable, inclusive, and socially just institutions of higher learning.