The Missing Competency

“Authors Sharon Aiken-Wisniewski, Rich Whitney, and Deborah Taub have done a great service to student affairs and to student learning and development with this fine book, The Missing Competency: A Program Development Model for Student Affairs. The profession owes them great appreciation for returning the foundational competency of programming to our collective attention and providing a contemporary model to implement programs of quality.”—From the foreword by Susan R. KomivesProgram development is central to the work of student affairs professionals, yet the field has not prioritized the development of competency in this area. This theory-to-practice, sequential guide to program development fills that gap in the literature. The authors describe the elements of program planning and delivery from the inception of the idea through the use of assessment to revise and improve the program for the future.Whether a new professional or a seasoned leader, this volume offers the reader a deeper understanding of program development. Starting with a foundational understanding of this process, the book proceeds to a step-by-step process, taking a program from an idea to a proposal with goals, objectives, budget, and timeline with tasks, and beyond planning to implementation. The book concludes with stressing the importance of assessment as the program continues to develop over time. Each chapter applies program development concepts through program examples. Finally, the authors leave readers with tools and templates to support the process.