BOOK REVIEW

 

Global perspectives on student affairs and services: A handbook by B. Schreiber, R. B. Ludeman, C. R. Glass & G. Blanco (2023). Boston, US: Center for International Higher Education

 

 

Chris R. Glass

Professor of Practice, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, US. Email: glassch@bc.edu. ORCid: 0000-0002-6706-5613

 

 

Global Perspectives on Student Affairs and Services: A Handbook (Schreiber et al., 2023) offers a timely overview of the state of student affairs and services (SAS) in higher education institutions worldwide. This handbook builds on the expansive 2020 publication, Student Affairs and Services in Higher Education: Global Foundations, Issues, and Best Practices (Ludeman & Schreiber, 2020). It aims to elucidate the global foundations, issues, and best practices shaping SAS. Succinct yet insightful, the handbook illuminates the diversity of SAS models adapted across regions while underscoring values across contexts. The handbook profiles African examples like foundation programmes in South Africa that widen access to higher education and support underprepared students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The book also surfaces issues around broadening participation, addressing student diversity, and aligning with national development priorities across the African continent.

A major strength of the book is providing a broad orientation to the extensive SAS landscape. The opening section on the foundations of SAS concisely conveys multifaceted factors shaping structures, from theoretical frameworks to policy contexts. Key debates around professionalization, student activism, and access and equity are insightfully summarized. For instance, the book outlines how national policies and priorities inform SAS models, such as Germany's state-funded social welfare services for students. The extensive compendium of SAS functional areas vividly illustrates the range of services delivered worldwide. While condensed, this survey orientates readers to roles and objectives using apt examples like the United Kingdom's multifaith chaplaincy services. The concluding section helpfully identifies salient opportunities and challenges for progressing SAS globally, such as remote service delivery and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The profiles of functional units are condensed, providing basic descriptions and some chapters include examples of services manifest in different contexts. Similarly, while the book references various student development theories and models underpinning SAS, elaborating on how predominant theories inform SAS philosophy and practice across regions would enrich readers' understanding. Nonetheless, the handbook's wide geographic lens is valuable for highlighting commonalities and variances in how SAS is conceptualised and delivered worldwide.

Practitioners can draw insights from the diverse examples and functional orientations shared. The book is a helpful starter resource for gaining broad exposure to SAS; specific models can then be further researched. It compellingly positions SAS as critical in advancing institutional and national goals, including social justice, and provides ideas for alignment. This book offers readers an understanding of the global landscape of SAS and its opportunities while emphasising that strong SAS frameworks are adaptable to local particularities. The handbook represents an important reference for the fast-developing field of global student affairs and services.

 

References

Schreiber, B., Ludeman, R., Glass, C., & Blanco, G. (2023). Global perspectives on student affairs and services: A handbook. Boston College Centre for International Higher Education Publishers. http://globalstudentaffairs.com/

Ludeman, R., & Schreiber, B. (Eds.). (2020/ Student affairs and services in higher education: Global foundations, issues and best practices (3rd ed.). DSW Publishers. https://www.iasas.global/publications