Transitions!

Transition is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. In the past 3 weeks, I have resigned from an old job, started a new job, moved from rural central Pennsylvania to the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and begun living apart from my partner (with whom I have been living  for the past 7 years).  It has been a very up-and-down few weeks.  The excitement of new opportunities at Carnegie Mellon University and in Pittsburgh has been tempered with the anxiety that goes along with opening up a new chapter in my career and personal life.

In a roundabout way, thinking about my current transition has helped me to reflect on our students and the important transitions that they experience while living matriculating through higher education. In many ways the business of higher education is all about transition.  Each semester sees new students arriving on campus while others depart.  During their time with us students choose majors, study abroad, take on leadership opportunities and learn more about who it is that they are, and who they hope to become.  We are constantly surrounded by transition.

As you think about your role in higher education, how do you see yourself being a resource to your residents as they experience the many transitions that are a part of the college experience? Schlossberg (1995) defines transition as “any event, or non-event, that results in changed relationships, routines, assumptions, and roles.”  By that definition, transitions are happening all of the time!  Schlossberg identified four major sets of factors that influence how well a person can cope with transition (Evans, Forney, & Guido-DeBrito, 1998).  Let’s identify those factors, and reflect on how we can help our students to manage transition effectively.

Situation: Important factors include the timing of the transition, the duration of the transition, and previous experiences with similar transitions. During a major change, individuals will also be dealing with concurrent stresses and questions about whether or not they feel in control during the transitions. Working closely with students on campus, we may have some real insight that our students would benefit from.  We also function within the situation . . . but as someone on the periphery of the situation we may have some unique perspective on the situation.

Self: During transition, we think about who we are in terms of demographic characteristics (socioeconomic status, gender, etc.)  and psychological resources.  How has our background prepared us to manage this transition? As higher education professionals, we can play a role in helping students to know more about who they are through programming, conversation, and our relationships with each other.

Support: To manage a transition, individuals need to feel a sense of support.  A supportive community is one of my favorite aspects of the work I do with students in residence halls and apartments.  What can we do as higher education professionals to make sure that everyone in our community feels that they will receive affirmation, assistance, and honest feedback when they need it?

Strategies: To manage transition, you need a plan in order to proceed.  When we talk to our students about their transitions (or when they come to use for mentoring and guidance), how can we help them to move forward in productive ways, while leaving it up to the student to decide how best to move forward?

As I come to the end of this blog post, it dawns on me that I have described Schlossberg’s theory meerly as advice for helping students.  In reality, this would be a great theory to review if you supervise new staff members or are staying connected with individuals who are leaving your organization and moving on to new positions elsewhere.  Best of luck as you transition for Fall 2010, with whichever events (or non-events) come along with that!

References:
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). Schlossberg’s transition thoery. In Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 107-122). San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Schlossberg, N.K., Waters, E.B., & Goodman, J. (1995). Counseling adults in transition (2^nd ed.). New York: Springer.

Interested in reading more? This title is available at Amazon.Com. Purchase through the affiliate link below to support this site.