How to Support your Staff

Senior leaders, hiring managers, and supervisors in student affairs place tremendous interest in staff professional development and career advancement. Student Affairs Educator Certification can be an important resource in recruiting, retaining, and recognizing exemplary staff.  Click the corresponding link below to learn about how certification can assist these efforts, as well as resources to support your staff in getting certified!

Use Certification in Staff Recruitment, Retention, & Recognition

Identify Talent

Your organization seeks exceptional educators who have a foundational understanding of student affairs, demonstrate knowledge of the day-to-day tasks of our field, and hit the ground running on day one. Certification formally recognizes essential competencies gained through both education and real world work experiences.

  • Incorporate certification in your hiring practices, position announcements, and interview processes.
  • Work with your HR department so that the following certification credentials are listed as voluntary in applicable position openings and sought within applicant screenings.
    • CSAEd: Core Student Affairs Educator Certification
    • CSAEd-CA: Campus Activities Specialty
    • CSAEd-HRL: Campus Housing and Residential Life Specialty
    • CSAEd-CR: Campus Recreation Specialty
    • CSAEd-CU: College Unions Specialty
    • CSAEd-FSL: Fraternity and Sorority Life Specialty
    • CSAEd-SC: Student Conduct Administration

Guide Professional Development 

CSAEds are required to stay current with topics and trends that inform student affairs work as a requirement of maintaining certification. This is acquired through approved professional development and continuing learning experiences. Certification is a means for your organization to retain exceptional employees by supporting meaningful professional development that supports certification requirements for continuing education. When your staff attend professional development events, such as conferences and webinars, they can earn related CE credit.

All certification candidates receive a report with their exam score and performance within eight domains critical to our work: foundations of the profession; student learning, development, and success; assessment and evaluation; social justice and inclusion; leadership; talent management; crisis and risk management; and financial and facility management. This report serves as a resource to identify areas for continued knowledge and competency development, and to inform professional development planning and selections.

Recognize Staff

Certification is an exciting way for your organization to further recognize the talent of your staff, which in turn can support morale as well as fuel new staff retention efforts. Use Certification to highlight your outstanding performers in recognition events, newsletters, social media, and annual reports.

Support Your Staff in Getting Certified

Encourage Participation

The Certification Consortium offers resources for educators looking to learn about earning their certification. This includes video overviews of the program and virtual Q&A’s during each quarterly certification cycle. Virtual Q&A’s for each cycle are on the "Get Certified" page of this website. The Consortium team is also available to present to you and your staff managing divisional and departmental professional development.

Financial Resources

Multiple financial resources are available for educators seeking to become certified. This includes discounts for members of founding partner associations, discounted group rates for multiple educators applying from the same institution, and access scholarships available by our partner associations.