Canisius College - College Student Personnel Administration

Mission Statement

The master’s program in College Student Personnel Administration (CSPA) at Canisius College prepares student affairs practitioners to work in all sectors of higher education administration while emphasizing the unique context of private, independent colleges and universities. The CSPA program combines the in-class education of graduate coursework with the experiential learning of required internships to achieve its mission. Graduate assistantships are also available, which provide additional experience.

Graduates of the College Student Personnel Administration master’s degree program will:

1) be prepared to enter the student affairs profession as practitioners in multiple administrative sub-fields (residence life, student activities, career services, etc.)

2) be able to use the foundations of theory and practical experience to make sound and ethical professional decisions.

3) be prepared to participate as professionals in the education of the whole student, consistent with the Jesuit value of cura personalis (“care for the person”), regardless of the institutional context of their work.

4) understand the value of contributing to their profession through participation in professional associations, and through activities such as presentations and publications and serving in leadership positions.

For four consecutive years Canisius College has placed first in national master’s student case study competitions. A team from Canisius also placed first in the New York state competition in 2006.

In 2005, Taralyn Loewenguth ’05 and Shakima McCants ’05 took first place in the NASPA Case study competition in Tampa, FL.

In 2006, Amanda Kalal ’07 and Patrick Marino ’07 won the NASPA competition for first year master’s students in Washington, DC.

In 2006, Kelly Showard ’07 and Paul Zablocki ’07 placed first in the CSPA-NY statewide case study competition in Syracuse, NY.

In 2007, Pat and Amanda took overall first place in the joint ACPA/NASPA competition at the conference in Orlando, FL.

In 2008, Eddie Wright and Amy Feder took first place at the ACPA competition in Atlanta, GA.