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Today, close to 300 graduate-level higher education and student affairs (HESA) programs exist nationally, and the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) recommends studying the historical context of higher education as part of the curriculum. The strong social justice emphasis within HESA programs offers a valuable hook for introducing the complexities of the past and the craft of the historian. Research on the history of higher education has expanded in the last decade and is beginning to reshape the field, including current explorations of the relationship between institutions of higher education, slavery, and racism. For this study, the authors surveyed HESA programs nationally to understand the current landscape of history of higher education courses and conducted follow-up interviews with twenty-eight faculty. Drawing upon this rich data, this article examines the ways in which history of higher education instructors worked through the lens of social justice to make history relevant for graduate students outside of the discipline of history and to foster an appreciation of history as an iterative process involving analysis, evaluation, and interpretation of past events.

In this narrative inquiry study, we interviewed 5 graduate assistants who served as the primary point of contact for their public university's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) student services. We were interested in understanding the structural challenges that affected these employees' experiences in their roles. Participants were interviewed 3 times over 1 academic year to better understand their job roles and expectations in-depth. From the data, 1 major theme experienced across the participants was a feeling of being set up to fail within their positions. The participants also discussed 4 subthemes that focused on external structural challenges; these included (a) the institutional geography of the LGBT center; (b) inconsistent supervisor support and content knowledge; (c) lack of formal training and professional development; and (d) limited resources of time and money.

This exploratory qualitative research focuses on the experiences of those who facilitate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) social justice educational interventions (SJEIs), such as safe zone, safe space, and ally training. Although persistent in higher education LGBTQ+ SJEIs remain an understudied area for empirical research, especially how facilitators describe the benefits and challenges of this role. Findings reveal how these benefits and challenges are paradoxical in that participants are hopeful for the impact of the work while burdened by the endeavor. Implications illuminate how participants approach engagement with campus communities through SJEIs as a potential opportunity for increasing inclusion efforts and how participants act as tempered radicals within this facilitator role in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safe Zone trainings are ubiquitous on college campuses but remain understudied as a social justice educational intervention (SJEI). Focusing on data from 56 higher education professionals who facilitate LGBTQ+ SJEIs, a subset of a larger reseach project, we describe their facilitation styles and approaches to facilitation. Findings indicate a lack of formal facilitation training and participant reliance on personal testimonials to inform and bolster content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

USING SCHOLARLY PERSONAL NARRATIVES AS A RESEARCH TOOL, we explored how the director of an LGBTQ+ living-learning program (LLP) created community within the constructs of an otherwise cis- and heteronormative residential environment. We reviewed the first author's reflections about community experiences and analyzed them for opportunities to upend assumptions, practices, and operations for more liberatory futures. Students participating in LLPs tend to have higher levels of engagement and belonging, but those with marginalized identities may benefit even more from this kind of involvement. The first author's personal narratives about serving as an LGBTQ+ LLP program director revealed that many of the residents appreciated the feelings of affinity and safety offered by this residential community, and they were uninterested in engaging in community in many of the expected ways (i.e., program attendance). Our exploration offers liberatory possibilities for queering institutional transformation, with the recognition that campus housing professionals should reconsider their expectations for all LLPs, and higher education institutions must make strong commitments to provide support that resists assumptions about queerness and community. The stability and growth of this LLP requires specific support that allows it to evolve into configurations that reflect the needs of its divergent communities while still being centered in queerness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Beyond the 'Tried and True': Emergent and Liberatory Residential Life and Housing Practices" discusses the need for reimagining and reevaluating traditional practices in residential life and housing in higher education. The authors argue that these practices must be examined through critical lenses and that new approaches are necessary to prioritize equity and liberation. The special issue of The Journal of College and University Student Housing explores alternative practices that center on humanity, well-being, and community-building. The articles in the issue provide examples of innovative and meaningful changes that challenge the status quo and promote inclusivity and social justice. [Extracted from the article]

This chapter explores the various ways that practitioners in LGBTQ centers can use gender-aware practices to attend to issues that arise within their centers and campus-wide that stem from a societal culture so profoundly influenced by masculinities.

Authors offer a definition and frame for gender-aware practice, and explore specific language and strategies for considering the role of masculinities in student affairs work.

In this methodological reflective manuscript, I explore my decision to use a grounded theoretical approach to my dissertation study on trans* men in higher education. Specifically, I question whether grounded theory as a methodology is capable of capturing the complexity and capaciousness of trans*-masculine experiences. Through the lenses of social justice and Critical Trans Politics I question whether theory generation with so little published about trans* men in research puts limitations on the possibilities of liberation for trans* men. I suggest researchers consider utilizing exploratory research to understand the experiences of trans* men instead of theorizing about their lived experiences.

Trans* men have not, as yet, received specific research attention in higher education. Based on intensive interviews with 25 trans* men enrolled in colleges or universities in New England, I explore their experiences in higher education. I analyze participants' descriptions of supports and challenges in their collegiate environments, as well as advice they offer to other trans* men in college. I offer liberatory consciousness as a model that higher education staff and faculty can use to attend to the needs for trans* men's inclusion in higher education.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including masculinity in higher education, social justice work in student affairs, and asterisk within transgender communities.