Ohio State University’s HESA Program Celebrates 75 Years of Preparing Students for Higher Education Careers
The Ohio State University Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) program marked its 75th anniversary with an Oct. 6 reception for current students and alumni at the Graduate Hotel Columbus.
The HESA program prepares master’s and doctoral students for professorships and careers in administration at colleges and universities. The HESA program is currently ranked No. 7 by U.S. News & World Report in its Best Graduate Programs, specialty programs.
“It’s lasted so long because its graduates have continued to make a difference outside of Ohio State and in the world, and that reputation speaks for itself,” said Don Pope-Davis, dean of the College of Education and Human Ecology. “They have exemplified the very best of the program and people want to be a part of it.”
HESA’s Student Personnel Assistantship (SPA) program was one of the first in the nation to combine theory with practical work experience by placing students in part-time positions within the university, said Brian Focht, interim chair of the Department of Educational Studies.
“The focus of the program, in terms of the areas that it services, is really one of the critical issues that contributes to its legacy,” he said. “It truly is a student-centered program.”
Current students said the HESA program is preparing them for the workforce. Graduate students who work in the Office of Student Life serve in various capacities, including acting as liaisons between the SPA program, graduate assistants, their managers and Student Life Human Resources.
“I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot and dip my toes in the water in a lot of different areas,” said Ariel Burns, a graduate teaching associate in the Office of Student Life. “I’m learning from other people’s experiences and their assistantships, which I think is also helpful.”
“I’ve really enjoyed being able to work in higher education at the same time as learning about it – being able to see what we’re learning in class and how that plays out in our assistantships and the roles that we have in the university,” said Austin Borreson, also a graduate teaching associate in Student Life. “Every HESA faculty that I’m with, they all support me and my classmates, not only as students but making sure that we are developing ourselves as people, too.”
Students Jacob Arnold, Casey Gagliardi and Avery Ruff, who will graduate in May, also said the support of HESA faculty has been instrumental.
“I think that the faculty have been absolutely fantastic, and they really make the program what it is,” said Gagliardi, a graduate research associate in the Office of Institutional Equity. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a group of faculty members who are as supportive as the HESA faculty are, whether that’s academically or if you’re just juggling something in life.”
Ruff, like Gagliardi, said she enrolled in Ohio State after completing her bachelor’s degree at an out-of-state college, and has felt embraced by the HESA program’s cohesive culture.
“It was everything I was looking for,” said Ruff, a graduate teaching associate in Student Life. “I feel very secure about starting the job search process and becoming a full-time professional. I think the program has helped me get to that point.”
Arnold earned his bachelor’s degree at Ohio State and said his experience in the HESA program has enhanced his Buckeye pride.
“The faculty’s great. My assistantship with Housing has been great,” said Arnold, also a graduate teaching associate in Student Life. “I have a really supportive supervisor, supportive culture. It pushes you to be ready for the job search or whatever your future is.”
HESA has maintained its national stature because of its pioneering work in providing students with immediate, hands-on experience to apply what they learn, said Susan Robb Jones, professor emerita and former SPA program coordinator.
“The faculty were really leading the way in terms of creating the body of knowledge that promoted understanding of college students, the college student experience, higher education as an institution and how to design higher education institutions to promote student learning and student development,” she said. “It’s got a really rich history.”
Lori Patton Davis, a HESA professor and former chair of the Department of Educational Studies, cited the work of Jones and other faculty emeriti such as Robert “Bob” Rodgers and Robert Silverman as major factors that drew her to Ohio State.
“One of the attractive things about coming here was the opportunity to be connected with such a strong program,” Davis said. “This whole idea that we don’t just want to have students in the classroom, but we want them to be able to have practical experiences that they can apply.”
Putting students’ needs first is at the core of the HESA program, said Jasmine Abukar, an alumna who is now an Ohio State clinical assistant professor and SPA program coordinator.
“As a student, I was mentored by incredible, world-class faculty as well as amazing professionals through the SPA program,” she said. “SPA was one of the first programs of its kind in the country and in the 75 years since, we have maintained a commitment to excellence in education.”