Watauga College And The Professionalization Of Student Affairs, A Case Study

This thesis examines the recent emergence of the profession of student affairs and its effects on Watauga College, a residential college within Appalachian State University. Watauga College will be used as a historical case study of the impact of the rise of student affairs departments. The first chapter examines the concepts behind both student affairs and American cluster colleges (residential colleges) between 1950 and 1980. The second chapter introduces the case study through a narrative history of Watauga College from 1972 to 1980, when it was founded and ASU’s Department of Student Affairs began to solidify its influence on campus. The third chapter analyzes the conflicts and compromises between the strengthening Student Development department and Watauga College between the years of 1980 to the early 2000s, when Watauga College struggled to retain its unique identity and remain relevant. Through an analysis of academic writings, college records, and recent interviews with longtime faculty of Watauga College, this thesis concludes that while specific decisions made by significant individuals at Appalachian State University shaped the evolution of Watauga College, it was the rise of the new profession of student affairs that best explains the current state of the University and its residential college.