College student personnel work was born during a period of reform in the
United States; it was and remains today a unique American invention. To
understand this peculiar phenomenon, it is helpful to consider the
historical and cultural climate in which it was born and developed. This
book describes student affairs as a child of this reform movement and
illustrates how it has retained much of this early characteristic during
its continued development. The early years of college student personnel
occurred during the Progressive period, but it was not until 1937 that
it would receive a clearly stated philosophy when a group of educators
wrote The Student Personnel Point of View. This book traces the years
that followed as the field struggled to achieve identity and legitimacy.
It provides clear evidence of the continuation of an experimentalist
philosophy in its development. Co-published with American College
Personnel Association.