The Organizational and Human Resources competency (OHR) outlines the administrative responsibilities of student affairs practioners (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). OHR acknowledges that student affairs professionals will bare financial responsibilities and manage various institutional stakeholders (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). Student affairs professionals will thereby exhibit human resource qualities and administrative skills. The competency takes note of how individual experiences and backgrounds inform managerial practices in student affairs (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). Interactions with students, community partners, institutional faculty and fellow staff further inform managerial practices. The OHR competency is divided into assessment, advocacy, and networking; skill development; hiring and staffing; supervision, communication, and conflict resolution; crisis and risk management; resource management, stewardship, and sustainability; and finally, technology (ACPA & NASPA, 2015).

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      I would consider myself to be in the foundational level of the OHR competency. Being that I am a graduate assistant, and not yet full-time professional in a departmental unit, I lack many of the managerial qualities expected in this competency. I recognize that I lack supervisory experience because I serve as a mentor and provide support to the undergraduate student workers in my department. I am not aware of the risk management and crisis procedures within my department given my student assistant role. However, what I lack in some areas I make up in others. I can facilitate dialogue and provide conflict resolution tactics given my previous undergraduate experience in student affairs. In compliance with this competency, I can provide knowledge of institutional structures and procedures that encourage communication with various stakeholders (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). I am readily able to speak on the ability to use technological advancement to maximize individual and departmental efficiency (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). In my given role I have implemented procedures in which we use technology to preserve department data and increase productivity. I have transcribed information into digital spreadsheets and documented department protocols so that they may updated frequently. I have created training sessions on how to use programming so that we way offer online services to our students.

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     The OHR competency provides insight to the human resources and organizational qualities student affairs practitioners should work towards (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). I am aware that I lack experience in the OHR competency, given that I have held student assistant positions within my internship roles and leadership positions in higher education. I believe that from closely observing my supervisors I have been able to identify certain techniques and principles which I have adopted as part of my supervision philosophy. I have been able to adopt principles that line up with empathy, patience, effective communication, confidence, and problem-solving techniques. I hope to further my OHR competency to inform my practice as a full-time practitioner, following the ethical organizational guidelines of my employer. The OHR competency guides professional managerial practices for student affairs practioners so they may be transparent in their work (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). The OHR competency lists ethical practices for communicating with members of the institution, while providing feedback and professional development opportunities (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). This competency also promotes knowledge of risk management and conflict resolution practices so individuals may apply these practices across all institutional levels (ACPA & NASPA, 2015).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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