The Seminary Community and the Office of Student Affairs and Vocation

EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

THE SEMINARY COMMUNITY AND THE OFFICE OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

AND VOCATION At Austin Seminary we are committed to preparing leaders for the ministry and mission of the church. This commitment extends beyond the classroom to special interest in and concern for the welfare of individuals, families, and groups. Faculty and administration share this concern and participate in this care, and it is given visibility and institutional support through the Office of Student Affairs and Vocation, which seeks to maintain and enhance the characteristics of Christian community through support of students and their families.

This office sponsors a variety of student groups that add to opportunities on campus and provide a network of fellowship and support. In these groups one can gather information and resources, find common interests and build friendships, be exposed to issues before the church, exercise leadership styles, observe group functions, examine assumptions and test their validity, appropriateness, and promise of effectiveness. The procedure for official recognition of a student group is found in the Student Handbook.

The Student Senate provides programs to enrich the lives of students and the life of the community and works constructively to address student and community concerns.

The dean of students is available for pastoral support, counseling referrals, and support for other nonacademic concerns in an attempt to equip students personally and professionally for life and service. Financial support for counseling and consultations, often in conjunction with area professionals, is available. Emergency aid and crisis management are also available through this office.

The Care and Retention Team is a non-disciplinary body that provides caring support to and advocacy for students and their families in difficult situations, a coordinated response as necessary, and assistance and support to the dean of students and to other administrators, faculty, or staff as appropriate. The president appoints the Care and Retention Team annually. Ordinarily the Care and Retention Team is made up of the dean of students, the academic dean, the vice president for enrollment management, the director of financial aid, the assistant dean for academic affairs and registrar, the director of financial services, and one or two faculty members. An individual can self-refer to the Care and Retention Team by writing or in person, or the referral can be made by an administrator, a faculty or staff member, any member of the Care and Retention Team, a spouse or other family member, a pastor or denominational body, another student, or the faculty Student Life Committee. The Care and Retention Team may make referrals to whatever type of on-campus service(s), mental health professional(s), or community service(s) the situation warrants.

The dean of students also sits on faculty and administrative committees giving attention to structural and institutional questions that affect student attitudes, perceptions, and performance. All of these efforts are an attempt to realize more closely the purposes expressed by the board of trustees in the Statement of Purpose which calls us “to be a winsome and exemplary community of God’s people.”