Chapter 32: Student Organization Involvement

Over 50 years of research on the impact of the college experience consistently points to the powerful role of peer interaction on various student outcomes (Astin, 1993, 1999; Mayhew et al., 2016). Student groups and organizations provide a natural setting to build relationships and engage with peers. Alexander Astin’s (1993, 1999) foundational research on college outcomes and theory of student involvement helped shape the landscape of co-curricular participation and opportunities on college campuses. Involvement on campus is emphasized by student affairs educators and faculty members, and before a student attends their first class at the institution, they are exposed to various ways to get involved on campus through orientation and communications from offices on campus such as sorority and fraternity life, extended orientation programs, and involvement fairs. Student organizations are prolific on college campuses; one estimate is approximately three-quarters of college students nationally report having been involved in a college group or organization at some point during their college experience (Dugan, 2008). Although involvement numbers may ebb and flow over time due to contextual factors, student organization involvement on college campuses is a prominent way students engage on campus. In this chapter, I define student organizations as a strategy for student leader development and describe key components for effective student organization involvement. Additionally, I summarize key evidence supporting student organizations as a strategy for leadership development and additional resources on student organizations.