3.9.3

The institution provides a sufficient number of qualified staff—with appropriate education or experience in the student affairs area—to accomplish the mission of the institution. (Qualified staff)

Compliance Judgment

X     In compliance     Partially compliant     Non-compliant

Narrative

Francis Marion University considers the student affairs area to be student programs and services that are “central to student learning and development” as indicated in the SACSCOC Resource Manual [1]. Multiple divisions on campus share oversight of student affairs. These areas support the educational mission of the University by facilitating out-of-the-classroom experiences and offering opportunities for students to engage in activities that promote personal growth [2].

The Division of Student Affairs supervises the following programs and activities:

• Student conduct
• University programming board
• Leadership development
• Multicultural affairs
• International students
• Freshman focus
• Greek life
• Student government
• Student organizations
• Nonacademic concerns and complaints
• Mediation services.

The divisions of Student Affairs and Business Affairs share responsibility for Housing and Residential Life services. Several other areas on campus contribute to student learning and development:

• The Development Division supervises student health services.
• Business Affairs supervises financial assistance.
• Administration supervises counseling and testing.
• Athletics supervises campus recreation.
• Academic Affairs oversees admissions, academic success and advisement, career development, tutoring, and writing support services.
• A faculty member in the Department of Mass Communication supervises the student newspaper.

Division of Student Affairs Staff

The organizational chart for the Division of Student Affairs identifies five key professional and administrative staff positions [3]:

• Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
• Associate Dean of Students
• Assistant Dean of Students
• Student Life Specialist and Student Ombudsman
• Senior Administrative Assistant.

This number resembles the staffing level at peer institutions shown on websites for Lander University [4], Coastal Carolina University [5], and the University of South Carolina-Aiken [6].

All of the professional staff members in Student Affairs at Francis Marion University hold appropriate graduate degrees or possess an appropriate combination of education and experience in higher education or in their chosen fields.

Qualifications and responsibilities of staff members in the Division of Student Affairs are summarized below in Table 1. Actual resumes of all Francis Marion University staff who work in all areas of student affairs are available in the Office of Human Resources located in the Stokes Administration Building at Francis Marion.

Table 1. Qualifications and Responsibilities of Staff in the Division of Student Affairs

Other Student Support Staff

Table 2 below summarizes the qualifications of student support staff from additional areas on campus.

Table 2. Qualifications and Responsibilities of Staff in Additional Student Support Offices

Professional Development and Training

Funding is designated each year for faculty and staff at Francis Marion to participate in a variety of professional development opportunities [7]. Table 3 provides examples from the staff in Student Affairs who have attended regional and national conferences, leadership programs, and diversity training.

Table 3. Professional Development and Training

Documentation

1. SACSCOC Resource Manual, CS 3.9.3, p. 79
2. Catalog 2017-2018, FMU Mission Statement, p. 7
3. Division of Student Affairs Organizational Chart
4. Lander University Student Affairs Staff
5. Coastal Carolina Student Affairs Staff
6. University of South Carolina Student Affairs Staff
7. Professional Development Funding