Updated on 5/3/2020

Professional Development Plan

It is imperative that practitioners find ways to further advance their professional development in order to be engaged with the field. I
have outlined several areas where I would like to see development in the next three years. These areas have plans for professional
development for three years after my graduate degree is conferred. My professional development will be significantly impacted by the
COVID-19 pandemic and how institutions respond to the global crisis. At the time of writing these development plan, I am uncertain of
my professional career outside of graduate school. This is due to nationwide hiring freezes/cancellations in my field. As such, my
professional development plan is vague so that I can adapt it to the institution/job I will eventually work at.

Year One Year Two Year Three

• Attend sessions on • Read the Federal Student Aid • Enroll in a course hosted by
Financial Aid at ACPA, Annual Report to better NASFAA (the National
NASPA and/or ACUHO-I understand efforts that are Association of Student Financial
• Explore my institutions made by the Department of Aid Administrators)
website on financial aid Education
and know the institutional • Read Paying for College, 2020
policies on financial aid. Edition: Everything You Need to
Financial Aid
• Explore the Department of Maximize Financial Aid and
Education’s Financial Aid Afford College (College
website Admissions Guides) (Chaney,
2020)
• Engage in trainings (in the FAA
tool kit) from the Department of
Education
• Research other • Read Learning Partnerships: • Attend ACPA’s Institute on
institutions residential Theory and Models of Practice Curriculum Approach
curriculum to Educate for Self-Authorship • Lead a residential curriculum
Residential Curriculum
• Develop a curriculum (Magolda & King, 2004) development committee
Development
model that I can • Participate in a residential or
implement with my student affairs curriculum
residence hall(s). development committee
• Read and understand my • Read Risk management in • Participate in ACPA’s
institutions emergency student affairs: Foundations for Commission for Campus Safety
response protocols safety and success (Miller & and Emergency Management
Crisis Management
• Revise emergency Sorochty, 2015) • Research and write about the
protocols regarding viral • Read Enough Is Enough: A various university responses to
outbreaks/pandemics Student Affairs Perspective on COVID-19
 Updated on 5/3/2020
• Develop emergency Preparedness and Response to • Create emergency
response plans to help a Campus Shooting (An ACPA / management protocols for my
students transition in an NASPA Joint Publication) department and institution
online learning (Hemphill & LaBanc, 2010)
environment • Attend sessions on Crisis
• Research how other Management at ACPA, NASPA
departments have and/or ACUHO-I
responded to the COVID- • Read reports regarding the
19 pandemic response of COVID-19
• Explore the resources that • Engage with the Center for • Read
are available to first- First-Generation Student The First Generation Student E
generation college Success (a NASPA initiative) xperience: Implications for
students at my institution • Read reports from the Center Campus Practice, and
• Develop support for First-Generation Student Strategies for Improving
strategies for my first- Success (a NASPA initiative) Persistence and Success
First-Generation College
generation students based • Read First- (Davis, 2010)
upon the resources that Generation College Students: • Develop programs and
Students
are available at my Understanding and Improving initiatives at my institution for
institution the Experience from first-generation college students
• Research programs and Recruitment to Commencement • Develop first-generation college
initiatives that other (Ward et al., 2012) student trainings for my
institutions are doing to colleagues and
reach out to the first- paraprofessionals
generation students
• Explore the resources that • Revise student/graduate student • Lead a search committee for a
the Office of Human evaluations to refocus on their professional role
Resources has at my strengths and develop action • Lead a training session for
institution plans for areas of growth professional staff
Organizational and Human • Develop professional • Be a part of a search committee • Develop a recruitment budget
Resource (OHR) development opportunities for a professional role for student staff, graduate staff,
Competency for graduate students and • Revise job description and job and/or professional staff
paraprofessionals process to create a more
• Be a part of a search equitable hiring process
committee for a • Lead a training session for
professional role student staff/graduate staff
 Updated on 5/3/2020
• Create a training • Develop self-care workshop for
presentation for student professionals, student staff, and
staff graduate student

• Enroll in an Assessment • Read Student • Enroll in the certification

Course Affairs Assessment: Theory to program in housing assessment
• Utilize assessment in the Practice (Henning et al., 2016) hosted by ACUHO-I
development of a • Revisit assessments that are • Create and implement an
residential curriculum distributed by my office and assessment for residential
• Attend workshops at revise as needed students
Assessment, Evaluation,
ACPA, NASPA, and • Develop a research project and
and Research (AER)
ACUHO-I publish work based upon
• Develop professional results
connections with
assessment professionals
both at my institution and
at other institutions
• Teach a student staff • Create professional • Create assessments and
course and/or a FYE development opportunities for analyze results to determine
course graduate best practices for the courses
• Attend workshops at students/paraprofessionals that I am teaching
ACPA, NASPA, and while utilizing learning concepts • Revisit outcomes for the
Student Learning and
ACUHO-I • Help develop a supportive courses that I teach
Development (SLD)
• Utilize theory to develop environment where students • Assist in the development of
effective trainings for can be successful theories that support student
professional, graduate, development in Residence Life
and student staff
members.
• Become familiar with the • Develop trainings to help • Attend presentations on the
technology and online professionals, graduate, utilization of technology at my
platforms that my office students, and paraprofessional institution
utilizes understand the technology that
Technology (TECH)
• Identify more efficient my office utilizes
ways of using technology • Examine my offices online
in my role materials and assure that they
are accessible
 Updated on 5/3/2020
Rationale for Areas of Development
Category Why Develop This Area?
Working in Housing and Residence Life has expanded my knowledge area in
many ways. However, I have never had any proper training on how financial aid
works and/or how to support students through the process. As a first-generation
Financial Aid Knowledge Area
college student from a low SES, I had to learn how to navigate my financial
options on my own. I want to be able to further my development in this area so
that I can provide more support for students.
Since my undergraduate career I have been fascinated with residential
curriculum. At Virginia Tech, I was directly involved with the development of the
institutions Thrive living-learning community. I also worked with the Office of
Residential Curriculum
Knowledge Area Learning Partnerships to implement Gallup CliftonStrengths into the residential
Development
curriculum. At Bowling Green State University, I worked to help resident advisors
implement the departments retention curriculum. At my next institution I want to
continue to work on curriculum and make additions to it.
In Residence Life it has been imperative to have a solid understanding of crisis
management, especially when serving on-call. I want to continue to learn how to
Crisis Management Knowledge Area best support both campus students and individual students during times of a
crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic taught me that preparation and individualized
support is crucial for the success of a community to persist.
My identity as a first-generation college student has been a very salient part of my
life. I want to continue to learn and develop resources from other students that
First Generation College
Knowledge Area are navigating the complex system of higher education. I want to learn more
Students
about what programs and initiatives help promote success among first-generation
college students.
After my first entry-level job, I plan on continuing to move up the ranks in an
Organizational and
ACPA/NASPA institutions department of residence life. As such, my area of supervision and
Human Resource (OHR)
Competency responsibility will continue to grow. It is imperative to have a firm grasp and
Competency
understanding of the Organizational and Human Resource Competency.
In order to implement effective and efficient programs or initiatives it must be
supported by research. As such, I want to develop my skills in assessment so
Assessment, Evaluation, ACPA/NASPA
that I can support my initiatives with research. I plan on continuing my education
and Research (AER) Competency
and eventually publish works based on my own research. It is imperative that I
have a basic understanding of research and assessment practices.
Student Learning and ACPA/NASPA Although I want to be a residence life administrator at my institution, I also want to
Development (SLD) Competency teach courses with undergraduate students. My goal is to teach basic first-year
 Updated on 5/3/2020
experience courses. In these courses I want to review the learning outcomes and
adjust them to meet the population of students I would work with. I also want to
foster a work environment where I can continuously learn from my graduate
student, paraprofessionals, and colleagues.
If the COVID-19 taught me anything it is that higher education must adapt quickly
to the ever-evolving realm of technology. Student affairs professionals must find
ACPA/NASPA
Technology (TECH) ways of connecting with students with technology. Even more, institutions must
Competency
increase their efficiency with the use of technology. I want to advance this
competency so that I can keep up with the evolving world of technology.