Accountability in student services

According to McLellan and Stringer, “student services need to be accountable for providing high-quality services delivered in an efficient manner, to facilitate students’ development and to contribute to student learning” (p 111). To make these goals become reality, student services needs to have a qualified and dependable staff that share the same vision. They also need to know the needs of the students they are serving. It would help to invite the student groups’ leaders to have them share their mission, vision and goals and ask how student services can assist them into achieve those goals. In a similar vein, forms could be created to have them complete them with all necessary information that could show their needs. In that same meeting, student services could also share with them the kinds of assistance that the school provides and encourage them to advertise the services that they are providing to attract more students.
It is very important for student services to consider accountability for services rendered to students. They are accountable to create or foster a support system for students. In this postmodern day and age, students need more than academic support. They need to find ways to relieve the stress caused by academic and other (personal, financial…) pressures. Schools must be more than a place to learn, but it needs to be a place to grow. These students spend more time on campus than they spend at their home. The campus becomes their home. There is nothing like home!