Chapter 5: The Importance of Connections and Collaborations to Enhance the successful Graduate Student Experience

Institutions of higher learning have a mission to educate, serve, and prepare all students personally and professionally. The need for well-trained student affairs professionals, orientations, and services dedicated to the post-baccalaureate learner have not always kept pace with the growth of the graduate population (Evans et al., 2018; Pontius & Harper, 2006). This research-site university established the centralized Office of Graduate Student Affairs. As the site’s understanding of their “typical” graduate student developed, the role of student affairs evolved to accommodate unique demands in developing meaningful experiences and supports in serving myriad graduate student constituencies (Bain et al., 2010; Cox et al., 2015; Pontius & Harper, 2006; Poock, 2004).