"DO YOU HEAR IT?: PERCEPTIONS OF A VOCATIONAL CALLING AND RETENTION CON" by Tim Holbrook

Graduation Term

Spring 2025

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Department of Educational Administration and Foundations: Educational Administration

Committee Chair

Dianne Renn

Committee Member

Gavin Weiser

Committee Member

Jeremy Schenk

Committee Member

Perry Schoon

Abstract

This phenomenological study examines the perceptions of student affairs professionals of their work as a job, career, or calling and how that perception corresponds to their feelings about the course of their future professional endeavors. The research subject pool included student affairs professionals employed by large research institutions who graduated from master’s degree programs between the years of 2017 and 2020.

The study suggests that while these early-career student affairs professionals exhibited a pro-social orientation that attracted them to community-oriented work and they find personal meaning in their employment, there is a risk that individuals in student affairs may be drawn towards professions in other fields that also offer opportunities to express their personal values through their professional efforts.

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

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