The Daily Bulletin Archive

Graduate degrees in student affairs and student support services are essential for people seeking to secure or advance careers in higher education. Buffalo State’s student personnel administration (SPA) program is one of just five such programs in New York State.

Founded in 1970, it is one of the largest programs nationwide. Alumni and students often cite its diversity as its most meaningful asset.

The SPA program offers four concentrations: administration, community education, counseling and student development, and research and evaluation. These areas of study prepare students for careers in virtually every aspect of student affairs, including admissions, financial aid, residence life, leadership, student activities, athletics, and advisement. The program emphasizes hands-on learning through internships and assistantships. Many students who work full time are grateful that Buffalo State’s program can accommodate their schedules.

On Saturday, November 15, Buffalo State’s SPA program will present the 13th annual Student Affairs Professional Conference at the Buffalo Marriott Niagara, with the support of the School of the Professions, Academic and Student Affairs, and the SPA Alumni Chapter, which is hosting a post-conference reception.

The chair of this year’s conference, SPA graduate student Danielle Weaver, is among those who appreciate the diversity of the program.

“The students are diverse in many ways, including their interests,” she said. “One of the exciting things about the program is its ability to accommodate individual student goals.”

Weaver cites her own custom-tailored program as an example. Next semester, she will perform an independent study under Professor Wanda Davis and Assistant Professor Kimberly Kline, both in the SPA Department, which will provide Weaver with the opportunity to help create a new leadership course for Buffalo State students. This project dovetails with Weaver’s interest in leadership development. She expects to begin working toward a doctoral degree after securing a professional position. Currently, she is a graduate assistant in the Student Involvement Center at Medaille College.

Right now, however, Weaver’s main focus is on the upcoming conference, which has 140 registrants from about 15 schools across the country. “People are attending from research universities such as the University of Indiana as well as from regional colleges,” she said. “They include not just graduate students but also professionals in the early stages of their careers.”

Presenters, too, are traveling to Buffalo for the conference. “Many different kinds of schools will be represented,” said Weaver. “The conference is growing in reputation as well as in size.”

This year’s keynote speaker is M. L. “Cissy” Petty, vice president for student affairs and associate provost at Loyola University New Orleans, where she has worked in the post-Katrina revitalization of the city.

Kline is faculty adviser to the conference. “It’s a pleasure to be involved with the conference,” she said. “Its growth is a testament to the strength of our program and the students who work so hard on the conference.”