Journal of College & University Student Housing Vol 49, No. 1 - 50

Furthermore, student affairs practitioners should identify the NACE competencies
that their department is equipped to help students develop. Rather than aiming to educate
students on all competencies, residence life departments should choose those that
they can champion within their portion of the university ecosystem. This will allow
practitioners to focus on select competencies that naturally align with programming
and activities that occur within their functional area. Other functional areas can champion
the same or different NACE competencies to develop students holistically in the
ways employers are expecting. Our research showcases how students may engage with
specific NACE competencies within their residential experience. This poses a question
about which other current programs or offerings overlap with various campus partners
or university goals. Residence life and student housing departments should review
opportunities to enhance partnerships with other functional areas of campus, such as
career centers, multicultural student affairs, and academic affairs. These partnerships
will allow for unique avenues of cross-departmental collaboration resulting in development
for student participants.
Future Research
Our study has implications for future research and assessment efforts related to the
residential life context. First, the current national benchmark, Project CEO, uses
self-reported data " to determine to what extent students believe they are gaining the
12 [NACE] skills identified as most desirable by employers " (Anthology, 2020, para.
2). The assessment also inquires where in the college context the competency is developed
(e.g., cocurriculum, classes, internships, etc.). This question should offer additional
categorizations of the cocurricular experience: Is competency development
occurring in the environments as a result of educational programming, leadership
experiences, or other factors? By using a more nuanced national benchmark, NACE
and housing professionals can better understand how environments and engagement
opportunities impact development of the skills that employers seek.
Next, research and assessment tools should differentiate between skill growth and
skill utilization. It might be interesting to form matrix questions that give students the
opportunity to report their skill utilization and skill development. For instance, " How
often do you use intercultural competency within the residential environment? " could
be situated next to " To what extent have you developed intercultural competency within
the residential environment? " Researchers and assessment administrators can then
utilize a weighted mean score calculator to explore gaps and to identify possible sources
for skill utilization and skill development.
Rather than aiming to educate students on all competencies, residence life
departments should choose those that they can champion within their portion
of the university ecosystem. This will allow practitioners to focus on select
competencies that naturally align with programming and activities that occur
within their functional area.
Volume 49, No. 1 * 2022 47

Journal of College & University Student Housing Vol 49, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Journal of College & University Student Housing Vol 49, No. 1