Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s college student personnel administration (CSPA) master’s program is the largest in the region, and among the fastest developing and most innovative with its continual expansion of external partnerships that add value for its students and those being served.
“SIUE’s college student personnel administration program focuses on social justice and student development, as we immerse future educational leaders in rigorous, high-quality academic curricula and valuable internship and graduate assistant opportunities,” said Pietro Sasso, PhD, assistant professor in the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior’s Department of Educational Leadership and CSPA program director.
“The program’s increased reach and reputation relates to a greater emphasis on professional preparation and the competitiveness of our students, which reflect our contemporary and rigorous program curriculum,” he continued.
SIUE’s CSPA program maintains formal partnerships with Saint Louis University, Greenville University, Fontbonne University, Blackburn College, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St. Louis Community College and Lindenwood University Belleville. The program’s latest mutually exclusive relationships have been developed with St. Charles Community College and Harris-Stowe State University, an Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) institution.
“These partnerships ensure strong, sustainable professional relationships that result in our students gaining access to funded opportunities, such as graduate assistantships and internships to facilitate student development and learning in support of the institutions’ student bodies,” Sasso explained.
“Our latest collaborative developments mark SIUE’s CSPA program as the largest in the region and among the fastest developing. They also mark our program among the most innovative in partnering with different types of institutions to offer diversity of choice to our students in their professional experiences.”
The program’s agreement with Harris-Stowe, a special mission institution, is a value-add opportunity for students, according to Sasso and J.T. Snipes, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership.
“HBCUs are incredibly important to the landscape of higher education,” Snipes said. “In addition to their educational impact, HBCUs provide significant economic impact. Our students can learn a tremendous amount from these institutions, as they foster student development in curricular and co-curricular spaces.”
SIUE’s advanced degree in college student personnel administration prepares emerging professionals and makes them competitive on a national scale for employment in student affairs and higher education administration.
For more information on SIUE’s CSPA program, visit siue.edu/education/edld/cspa/index.
Photo: CSPA graduate Jordyn Hale assisted in increasing college access and college persistence among SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School students during one of her field placements.