Running head: PRE-COMPETENCIES ASSESSMENT

Pre-Competencies Assessment
Jesus Romero
Western Michigan University

PRE-COMPETENCIES ASSESSMENT
PART1:COMPETENCYREFLECTION&RANKING
Professional
Current Desired
Comments
Competency Area Ranking Ranking
I can practice active listening skills, be
conscious of nonverbal communication,
facilitate problem solving, challenge
others as well as encourage them, and use
Advising and
3
4
inclusive language. However, I still need
Helping
to facilitate problem solving, individual
decision making, and goal setting in
addition to actively seeking out
opportunities to expand my knowledge
and skills in helping students.
Currently, I have very minimal experience
with this competency. I am learning
Assessment,
through my assistantship how to assess
Evaluation, and
1
3
and evaluate programs so that this
Research
research can be used to show our
effectiveness as an office. I hope that with
further practice I will be able to develop
my skills in assessment and evaluation.
I am able to recognize the intersectionality
of identities in addition to social systems
and how they affect individuals,
understand social justice, and make
Equity, Diversity,
3
4
programs both inclusive and educational
and Inclusion
in terms of learning about other cultures.
In order to get to the next level, I need to
participate in more activities that
challenge my beliefs and think of EDI
globally in relation to higher education.
Since I have yet to read about the ethics
that guide the student affairs profession,
my knowledge of ethical professional
Ethical Professional
1
3
practice is limited. With the coming weeks
Practice
I know I will learn more about ethical
standards and practice applying them
which should help me become more
competent in this area.
I have general knowledge of the history of
student affairs, institutional types,
functional areas, philosophies, and values.
History, Philosophy,
2
4
Areas in which I need improvement
and Values
include: purpose and use of publications
as well as service to the academy and
student affairs professional organizations.

PRE-COMPETENCIES ASSESSMENT

Human and
Organizational
Resources

Law, Policy, and

Governance

Leadership

Personal
Foundations

Student Learning
and Development

3
Through my experiences of being a
supervisor, hiring students, dealing with
conflict, developing agendas, use of
technology, and communicating with
others, I have a high level of competency
in this area. I do need practice in
developing a professional development
plan and risk management.
In regards to law, policy, and governance,
I only know about FERPA. I still need to
learn about local, state/province, and
federal laws and policies. Additionally, I
need to understand how this is different at
public and private institutions. It is also
necessary to recognize the governance
structures for faculty, staff, and students.
I possess most of the leadership
knowledge, skills, and attitudes described
in this competency. Some areas for
improvement include: using technology to
support the leadership process and to
understand different types of decisionmaking processes.
While I have a good sense of my own
personal beliefs and professional
commitments, I need to work on
improving my overall wellness and focus
on physical and spiritual wellness.
At this point, I have the ability to create
learning outcomes, I understand how
differences affect development, and I have
my informal theories of student
development and learning. What comes
next is learning the formal theories and
models in order to put theory into practice.

In looking at the different competencies and where I rank myself, I know that I need
some improvement in all areas. The areas in which I ranked myself lowest are all ones that I did
not obtain much experience with during my undergraduate experiences. However, these are all
areas that my graduate work, both academically and professionally, will help me improve upon. I
would like to go into a student affairs area with a leadership focus and thus my strengths in the
leadership as well as the advising and helping competency areas will be important. To make me
better prepared to go into this area I need to improve my strength in the student learning and
development competency area along with the assessment, evaluation, and research area.
PART 2: FOCUS AREAS

PRE-COMPETENCIES ASSESSMENT
Leadership
In student affairs, the leadership competency is very important so that student affairs
professionals can affect change and serve students. Part of being a leader is working as a team to
achieve a larger goal. Often times, student affairs professionals are looked upon to solve
problems and thus there is a need for critical thinking and effective leadership. I believe I have a
strong leadership foundation but I know there is always room for improvement. If I am to be a
student affairs professional and eventually become an administrator, I need to develop my
leadership skills as much as possible now so I can be a great leader. One way to develop my
skills is to pursue different leadership opportunities with increasing amount of responsibility. For
example, I will be chairing a committee for a one-day conference, which will be a new
experience. It is also important that I reflect on my skills and find areas for improvement.
Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
This competency area is becoming increasingly important in higher education. Because of
economic constraints, some institutions are making cuts to programs and departments. Through
assessment, evaluation, and research, student affairs professionals can show the effectiveness of
their departments and programs to justify the need for financial support. My experience with this
area has been limited to basic evaluation of programs and events. I recognize that it is critical to
be able to perform both qualitative and quantitative assessment and also to know how to present
that research. In my current GA position, I have been and will continue to assess the programs
and events that I help plan. I will also be attending a professional conference on assessment and
research where I hope to further develop my assessment skills.
Law, Policy, and Governance
As student affairs professionals, we must be paying attention to local, state/province, and federal
law as well as institutional policy. It is valuable to understand the difference between how these
affect both private and public institutions as well as for-profit institutions. One must also
consider how the governance structures for faculty, staff, and students since it plays a role in the
way things are done at each campus. I need to educate myself on the laws and policies that affect
the institution where I will be working because it will dictate what I can and cannot do. While I
know that I will later take a course on law in higher education, I can learn about the policies that
govern my institution and the governance structures in the meantime. Once I begin working at a
different institution, I will be sure to look into the laws, policies, and governance that are at play.
Student Learning and Development
The core of the student affairs students is working for the students and thus we must focus on
student learning and development. This not only means understanding the different theories and
methods to describe a students time in college but also how to apply them effectively. There are
several different theories and methods currently in the field, however, none of them can be used
to describe the experience of each and every student. Some factors to consider in how students
will learn and develop during college include race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and
religion as well as the type of institution and campus climate. It is necessary for me to learn the
existing theories and methods on student development because I need a foundation to be able to
understand the students I will be working with. A solid foundation can help me explore how
perhaps some of the theories can be combined to explain a specific students development. I
hope to learn and understand these theories through reading, discussion, and practice.